Sustainability is an issue that affects all aspects of lifestyle, but what exactly are the changes that need to be made to live more sustainably?
Take an evaluation of your carbon footprint, to see what areas of lifestyle you can touch up and make habitual habits for doing your part in sustainability.
The habits and lifestyles that everyone had in the past, are what is causing the climate crisis. While corporations are responsible for the majority of carbon emissions, 71 percent to be exact according to a study, individuals can play their part in creating a more sustainable world.
Learn what your carbon footprint is, how to track it and lower your impact on global changes.
What is Carbon Footprint?
A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases individuals or corporations emit. All aspects of lifestyle end up emitting greenhouse gases including transportation, shopping, electricity consumption and eating habits.
The average American has a carbon footprint of 16 tons, which is 4x more than the global average, according to the Nature Conservancy. Environmentalists have urged the world to make changes in order to avoid the planet from becoming 2 degrees Celcius hotter, and individuals need to decrease their carbon footprint to 2 tons per year.
For Americans, that means a lot of lifestyle changes, cutting carbon emissions down to one-eighth of their current habits.
Habits to consider when reflecting on your carbon footprint include:
- How far you travel, for work and for pleasure whether it be by car, bus train or plane.
- The consumption of gas, water and electricity at home, or in other spaces that you frequent.
- How much money you spend shopping, what products you buy and the potential generated waste as a result of consumption.
- What you eat, meat for example makes your carbon footprint way higher than folks who eat plant-based.
Reflect on your diet, habits and travel in order to understand your carbon footprint and reduce it. There are many websites that can help you calculate a number for your carbon footprint based on where you live, your household, travel and consumption.
How To Lower Your Carbon Footprint
Lower your carbon footprint in the following 4 categories: diet, transportation, habits at home and consumption.
Instead of driving around the city, try to bike, walk or take public transportation when possible. This is a big issue for Americans the country and states are very big, and not well connected with public transportation. For this reason, when possible, walk.
At home, it is important to be vigilant about electricity, gas and water. Turn the sink off when doing the dishes or brushing your teeth. Or capture the water to be reused for plants or beds (if it is clean of course!). When you aren't using an electronic device, unplug it, it is still wasting energy plugged in.
Meal planning is difficult for folks who enjoy eating meat. There is an argument that eating local is a solution to the meal and dairy issue. Carbon emissions happen during production, not during transportation, and many local and organic farms end up emitting the same levels of carbon emissions. A study found that eating locally for one year is equal to saving 1,000 miles in carbon emissions but eating one vegetarian meal a week is equal to 160,000 miles of carbon emissions.
Finally, consumption. Buy clothes that will last or shop vintage. Clothing waste is a global issue due to fast fashion, make sure to responsibly donate clothes that you are getting rid of. When you go shopping bring reusable bags to reduce less plastic waste. In general, when buying products, try to avoid plastics.
It is a lot to take in, and a lot of lifestyle changes. Follow this list of do's and don'ts for a quick reference.
Carbon Footprint Do's And Dont's
Making the necessary lifestyle changes to reduce your carbon footprint is difficult, especially if you are living in an unstable or shared living situation. It is hard to get into a routine and stick to good habits, but making these changes will pay off for your life and the planet.
Here are some do's and don'ts to follow for lowering your carbon footprint.
Do:
- Consider sustainable fabrics for your clothes.
- Calculate wear per cost when buying clothes.
- Make home improvements to insulate your house and reduce electricity and water. waste.
- Buy a laptop, it is less wasteful than a desktop.
- Turn down the temperature of the heat and water.
- Fly Less.
- Eat More Plant-Based.
- Reuse, Reduce, Recycle.
Don't:
- Shop online if you can avoid it, for transportation and plastics.
- Leave electronics plugged in when not being used.
- Leave the lights on when you leave the room.
- Don't stream movies on a game console, smart TV uses less energy.
- Eat meat every day.
- Use plastics when it can be avoided.
