The 35 Easiest Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
State of the Planet shared 35 ways to reduce their carbon footprint as part of their sustainable living series
Written by Renee Cho, December 2018
Food
Eat low on the food chain
This means eating mostly fruits, veggies, grains, and beans. Livestock—meat and dairy—is responsible for 14.5 percent of manmade global greenhouse gas emissions, mainly from feed production and processing and the methane (25 times more potent than CO2 at trapping heat in the atmosphere over 100 years) that beef and sheep belch out. Every day that you forgo meat and dairy, you can reduce your carbon footprint by 8 pounds—that’s 2,920 pounds a year. You can start by joining Meatless Mondays.
Choose organic and local foods in season
Transporting food from far away, whether by truck, ship, rail or plane, uses fossil fuels for fuel and for cooling to keep foods in transit from spoiling.
Buy foodstuffs in bulk
When possible using your own reusable container.
Reduce your food waste
Plan meals ahead of time, freezing the excess and reusing leftovers.
Compost
Clothing
Don’t buy fast fashion
Trendy, cheap items that go out of style quickly get dumped in landfills where they produce methane as they decompose. In addition, most fast fashion comes from China and Bangladesh, so shipping requires the use of fossil fuels. Instead, buy quality clothing that will last.
Buy vintage or recycled clothing
Wash your clothes in cold water
The enzymes in cold water detergent are designed to clean better in cold water. Doing two loads of laundry weekly in cold water instead of hot or warm water can save up to 500 pounds of carbon dioxide each year.
Shopping
Buy less stuff
Buy used or recycled items whenever possible.
Bring your own reusable bag when you shop
Try to avoid items with excess packaging
Opt for a laptop instead of a desktop
Laptops require less energy to charge and operate than desktops.
Look for Energy Star products
If shopping for appliances, lighting, office equipment, or electronics, look for Energy Star products, which are certified to be more energy efficient.
Support and buy from companies that are environmentally responsible and sustainable.
Home
Do an energy audit of your home
This will show how you use or waste energy and help identify ways to be more energy efficient.
Change from incandescent light bulbs
LEDs cost more, but they use a quarter of the energy and last up to 25 times longer. They are also preferable to compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) bulbs, which emit 80 percent of their energy as heat and contain mercury.
Switch lights off
Switch lights off when you leave the room and unplug your electronic devices when they are not in use.
Turn your water heater down
Install a low-flow showerhead and take shorter showers
Dress appropriately and use heating and air conditioning less
Get your electricity from clean energy or a certified renewable energy provider.
Transportation
Drive less
Walk, take public transportation, carpool, rideshare or bike to your destination when possible. This not only reduces CO2 emissions, it also lessens traffic congestion and the idling of engines that accompanies it.
Avoid unnecessary braking and acceleration when driving
Some studies found that aggressive driving can result in 40 percent more fuel consumption than consistent, calm driving.
Take care of your car
Keeping your tires properly inflated can increase your fuel efficiency by three percent, and ensuring that your car is properly maintained can increase it by four percent. Remove any extra weight from the car.
When doing errands, try to combine them to reduce your driving
Use traffic apps to help avoid getting stuck in traffic jams
On longer trips, turn on the cruise control, which can save gas
Use less air conditioning while you drive, even when the weather is hot
Consider purchasing a hybrid or electric vehicle
But do factor in the greenhouse gas emissions from the production of the car as well as its operation. Some electric vehicles are initially responsible for more emissions than internal combustion engine vehicles because of manufacturing impacts; but they make up for it after three years.
Air travel
If you fly for work or pleasure, air travel is probably responsible for the largest part of your carbon footprint. Avoid flying if possible; on shorter trips, driving may emit fewer greenhouse gases.
Fly nonstop
Landings and takeoffs use more fuel and produce more emissions.
Fly economy class
Business class is responsible for almost three times as many emissions as economy because in economy, the flight’s carbon emissions are shared among more passengers; first class can result in nine times more carbon emissions than economy.
If you can’t avoid flying, offset the carbon emissions of your travel
Get politically active
Become politically active and let your representatives know you want them to take action to phase out fossil fuels use and decarbonize the country as fast as possible.