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Innovative Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

The Environmental Protection Agency defines the term "carbon footprint" as the amount of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide that are emitted into the atmosphere each year by a person, a household, a building, an organization or a company. According to the EPA, concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere result in rising global temperatures and climate change. Day-to-day activities that require burning of fossil fuels contribute to your carbon footprint, but you can reduce that footprint by making low-carbon choices in various spheres of life.

  1. Avoid Bottled Water

    • According to The Washington Post, as of 2007, 2 million tons of polyethylene bottles are required for bottled water each year in the United States, necessitating 18 million barrels of oil. The plastic bottles are recyclable, but the recycling process consumes energy and results in greenhouse gases even though the amount of energy consumption is lesser than in manufacturing the original bottles. Also, only about 15 percent of the bottles are recycled; most of them end up in landfills. Transporting the bottles around the world also consumes energy. Filtered or tap water use can reduce the consumption of bottled water. Fill a reusable bottle with filtered water from home to reduce the overall use of plastic bottles, cut down emissions and reduce your carbon footprint.

    Use Online Shopping and Services

    • Online shopping and services are greener alternatives. They help in reducing emissions and waste. Online bill payment and banking help to avoid unnecessary energy use needed for paper production, printing and waste disposal. Buying online saves trips to the store, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions resulting from transportation usage. Lastly, reading online news is an eco-friendly alternative to reading the daily news in print.

      Columbia Gas of Ohio notes that for every 38,500 paperless bills, the company saves 1 ton of paper and 16,450 gallons of water. Moreover, Columbia Gas' e-bills also eliminate 1,941 pounds of solid waste, 60 pounds of air emissions and 5,058 pounds of greenhouse gases.

    Use Your Computer Wisely

    • Your computer wastes a huge amount of power while idling. Reduce the power usage by setting your computer to enter a power-saving mode after 10 to 15 minutes of inactivity. Using a laptop consumes about 90 percent less energy than using a desktop for an equal amount of time. A desktop, using a flat-panel liquid crystal display, needs about 30 percent less energy than cathode ray monitors.

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