8 Ways to Reduce your Carbon Footprint


Protecting the environment and reducing your carbon footprint has never been so important. A good place to start is to calculate your carbon footprint. By being aware of your lifestyle choices you can start to think about how you can make changes; I checked mine and was shocked at how bad my results were as I consider myself to be fairly green! You can find a great carbon footprint calculator from WWF which offers tailored green suggestions based on your results. 

Here are 8 simple steps you can take to reduce your carbon footprint:

1) Reduce. Did you really need that new top that was made in China and shipped all the way to the UK? If the answer is no then stop buying overseas to help prevent harming the environment. But don’t just stop at reducing your wardrobe; statistics show that every year British households throw away a third of food. By just simply buying less you will reduce the amount of food you waste and in turn reduce your carbon footprint.

2) Reuse. Check out your local charity shop, Freecycle or eBay rather than hitting the shops; this prevents new materials being used and you can grab yourself a bargain at the same time! What’s not to like?!

3) Recycle. Make sure you recycle as much as possible and if you aren’t sure what to do with your rubbish the Recycle Now website has a handy “what to do with” guide to help you recycle correctly. 

4) Walk More. This sounds like an obvious thing but by walking the kids to school or walking to the shops etc you will reduce your carbon footprint, plus you’ll save money too. Also, with the latest news that millions of UK adults do not take a brisk walk each month, by doing more walking you’ll be bucking the trend and keeping healthy as a result!

5) Buy British. Buying locally sourced food means you are supporting local businesses and reducing the transport needed to move an item from place to place thus saving fuel. You will also ensure that the meat you eat has come from a farm with a good animal welfare standard.

6) Go Veggie One Day a Week. New reports show that food production accounts for around half of all man made greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Red meat has the highest impact on the environment, with a kilo of lamb creating 39.2 kilos of CO2, which is the equivalent of driving 91 miles. Reducing the amount of meat you eat will significantly decrease your carbon footprint and by just cutting down on eating beef and lamb you can reduce your footprint by a quarter. For more information about your “foodprint” visit the GreenEatz website. You can also find a great vegetarian curry recipe to get you started on your veggie adventure here!

7) Make Your Home More Energy Efficient. You can do this by using energy saving light bulbs, loft insulation and double glazing to name a few. You can also save resources and money by having a shower instead of a bath, turning lights off when leaving a room and by turning down your heating by just 1 degree could save £85 a year! 

8) Vote With Your Wallet. Make sure you buy sustainable food such as MSC Certified fish but also sustainable wood. Look out for either the FSC label on furniture or birthday cards you buy which will tell you that the timber has come from a responsible and sustainable source. 

Sources 

http://www.which.co.uk/reviews/cutting-your-energy-bills/article/how-to-save-on-your-energy-bill/10-ways-to-save-on-energy-bills 

http://www.greeneatz.com/ 

http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/

Have you thought about going organic this September? Then check out these 5 reasons why organic food is better for you and the environment. 

Comments are closed
<