They also create a lot of methane, a greenhouse gas. By eating fewer animal products, especially red meat, or choosing a plant-based diet and shopping for locally sourced food, you can make a big difference. Reducing emissions is something that you can do outside of the home too. Whether you make individual changes at work or company-wide policy adjustments, your activities can soon add up. Powering empty rooms and office space is a huge energy drain.
You could also request to install automatic, movement-sensing lights and energy-saving LED bulbs to address the issue. Whether through sharing documents using cloud storage or video conferencing instead of travelling, you can reduce your waste and emissions.
Try moving away from printed documents where possible, and encourage others to work on their digital skills for the workplace. Cycling and walking are two of the most environmentally friendly ways to travel. If you can, choose to cycle or walk to work where possible. Your employer might even have a scheme that can help you purchase a bike.
Companies of all sizes use a host of different products in their day-to-day running. By reducing the amount of waste you generate, reusing IT equipment, and recycling waste, you can make a real difference.
Not only do they pollute our waterways and oceans, but they also require energy to produce and recycle. Here are just a few ideas:. Your school community might not know much about things like greenhouse gases, carbon footprints, or climate change. You can change that by raising awareness of these issues. Things like school projects and fundraising events can help to educate students and their families about the importance of protecting the environment.
This can help those around you to reduce their footprints. Composting is surprisingly good for the environment, particularly when food waste is such a big issue. By setting up a composting scheme at your school, you can help to reduce landfill methane emissions. An IT lab with rows of idling computers takes up a lot of energy. This is a tip that can apply to just about every area of life. Locally-grown produce takes less energy to transport and supports the economy where you live.
If you can get your school to switch to local and sustainable food for the kitchen, you can help save the planet and help local businesses. Sticking with the theme of your surrounding area, try and work towards field trips that are nearby.
Instead of going to far-flung destinations that require planes, trains, or busses, stick to something close by. However, by making a few small adjustments, you can make sure your trips have as low an impact as possible. Petrol cars and taxis tend to emit a lot of carbon dioxide per kilometre of travel. These greenhouse gas emissions are usually only spilt between a few people, making it quite an energy-intense way to get around.
You can conserve water by taking shorter showers and keeping the water off while you brush your teeth. Conserve paper by using reusable canvas shopping bags.
Buy locally grown produce or even better, start your own garden. Lastly, reconsider your transportation choices. Walking or riding a bike not only reduces your carbon footprint, it brings health benefits. Alyssa Morse began writing professionally in She has a strong interest in writing about science, medicine and health, with work appearing on various websites. She conducts research in hematology. Morse holds a Bachelor of Arts in biochemistry and a Master of Science in molecular biology.
She is currently pursuing a Ph. D in developmental biology. By focusing on the single issue, we can address all of its symptoms, rather than solving one problem at the cost of another. Also, it makes the self-interest to act far more obvious. Paris Climate Agreement. The climate pact approved in Paris in December represented a huge historic step in re-imagining a fossil-free future for our planet.
It is nothing short of amazing that nearly countries around the world—including oil-exporting nations—agreed to keep global temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius and , to the surprise of many, went even further by agreeing to pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1. These bold moves suggest an end to fossil fuel use well before That is within 31 years— within many of our lifetimes.
This confirms the need to rapidly end emitting carbon from fossil fuel, while also scaling up sequestration. Check your tires. Keeping tires pumped correctly can reduce emissions. West said. Air conditioning and intensive city driving can make emissions creep up. Cut down on these as often as possible. Use cruise control on long drives — in most cases, this can help to save gas. Buying a New Car? The following can help: Search for cars here , where they are rated by efficiency. Think about where you will be charging up.
How efficient hybrid and electric cars are also depends on what state you live in — different states rely on fossil fuels to different degrees. Weigh up both production and use emissions using this app. Making electric cars has a carbon footprint, too. Look for the Smart Way certification. Remember: Cars with lower emissions can often end up costing less to operate. Fly Less Fly often? July 27, On Your Plate Globally, emissions are linked to what we put on our plates.
Eat Less Meat While food systems are complicated, and research is still evolving on what the most environmentally-friendly diet is, experts mostly agree that cutting down on meat , and red meat in particular, is a better choice for the environment. Weighing Your Options When it comes to food, most greenhouse gas emissions happen during production, rather than transportation : What you eat is more important than where it comes from.
Waste Less This is a big one : on average, Americans waste around 40 percent of the food they buy. Be wary of bulk. Account for the right amount of food for the number of people eating, and adapt recipes to your needs. Get creative. Reuse leftovers instead of tossing them. Extend the life of your food, including additional portions, as well as produce like fresh herbs, by freezing them properly.
Doggie bag. Take home half of oversized restaurant servings. Food That Travels Well August 6, December 9, In Your Home There are simple changes you can make at home that will save you energy, and money.
Heat, Lights and Appliances In the average American home, 25 percent of energy is used to heat spaces, 13 percent is used to heat water, 11 percent is used for cooling and the remainder is spent on appliances, according to estimates from the Natural Resources Defense Council. Turn down the heat. Use a programmable or smart thermostat, if you have one. Keep blinds closed to help keep temperature stable inside.
Turn down your water heater — degrees Fahrenheit is sufficient. Turn off appliances at the power outlet to reduce even more energy. Putting them to sleep is second best. Stream movies through your smart TV, not your game console. Smart TVs and their plugins use just a few watts to stream movies, Mr.
Buy a laptop, not a desktop computer. Laptops take less energy to charge and run. Replace lights. LED lights use up to 85 percent less energy, last up to 25 times longer and are cheaper to run than incandescent lights.
About two billion sockets in the United States still have an energy-wasting bulb in them, said Mr. Don't set your fridge and freezer temperatures lower than necessary. The United States Department of Energy recommends around 35 to 38 degrees Fahrenheit for the fresh food compartment and 0 degrees for freezers. And unplug that old fridge in the garage when you don't need it to chill anything.
Choose renewables. If you live in a state where you can choose your energy supplier, pick one that runs on renewables.
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