Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

Transcription

1 Reduce Your Carbon Footprint Reduce What You Can, Offset What You Can t. That s our motto, and we re proud of it. Everyone has a responsibility to reduce their individual carbon footprint, and there are lots of ways to do so. We encourage everyone to think about their lifestyle decisions and find opportunities to reduce their climate impact. You can get partway to carbon neutrality through how you live your life, i.e., reducing your carbon footprint, and get the rest of the way there by supporting Carbonfund.org s carbon offset projects. Here are some good ways to start. Did you know that the energy used to produce, deliver and dispose of junk mail produces more greenhouse gas emissions than 2.8 million cars? You can dramatically reduce your junk mail through the service of our nonprofit partner 41pounds, which will contact dozens of direct mail companies to remove your name from lists, including catalogs you specify. The cost is $41 for everyone in your household for five years, and 41pounds will donate $15 to Carbonfund.org to help support our mission. Sign up now. When your electronics are off they may still be using power while plugged in or on standby. About 5-10 percent of electricity can be drained by vampire energy loss in the home each year. Be sure to unplug electronics and appliances you re not using for awhile or try EcoStrip. It acts as a normal power strip/surge protector for your computer and peripheral devices, but when the computer is turned off, power is shut down to peripherals. EcoStrip will donate $10.95 to Carbonfund.org for each order with the coupon code carbonfund and you receive an extra 30% discount. Click here. Here are some more ideas to get you started on your zero-carbon journey:

2 Reduce the Carbon Footprint of Your Car Maintenance - Keep your car tuned up and running efficiently. More Maintenance - Replace your air, oil and fuel filters according to schedule. Tires - Keep your tires properly inflated (just this can save pounds of CO 2 per year). Drive better - Studies have shown up to 30% of the difference in miles per gallon (MPG) is due to driving habits alone. You could save more than a ton of CO 2 per year by: - Accelerating slowly and smoothly - Driving the speed limit - Maintaining a steady speed - Anticipating your stops and starts Make your next vehicle a fuel-efficient one - Check out EPA s Green Vehicle Guide for info on miles per gallon as well as EPA SmartWay certified vehicles, meeting rigorous air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions standards. Household fuel efficiency - If your household has two cars and one is used mostly for commuting, make the commuting car a real gas sipper if you can t for both. Reduce the Carbon Footprint of Your Travel A lot of our emissions come from just being inefficient or not deliberate with our daily decisions. Every day think about how you could reduce the miles you drive and pretty soon you ll start identifying lots of opportunities: Combine your trip with another. Carpool - Just once a week saves 20%. Check out your transit options - It may not work for you every time, but use it when it does. What about your bike? - Get in shape, too! Only a mile? - Walk. Think it through - Do you need to take this trip at all? Get it on the Internet. Optimize - Save this trip for later and combine with another. Telecommute - Work from home occasionally.

3 Reduce the Carbon Footprint of Your Air Travel Think about the trip - Can you combine it with another or get more done on one trip? Train - For some trips the train may be a good choice for you. Fly nonstop - Nonstop flights are better than connecting flights (for many reasons). When you get there - Do some research ahead of time to find better ground travel options (shuttles, transit, trains, etc.) at your destination. Lodging - Ask your hotel about their environmental commitment and steps they re taking to reduce, offset. While you re away - Turn your stuff off. Turn down your thermostat and your water heater; turn off your electronics (even smarter: unplug them to protect from electrical storms). What s the point of things being on with no one there? More tips - Take a look at these green travel tips. Reduce the Carbon Footprint of Your Home Programmable thermostat Costs about $50 or less and will save you that much or more in the first year. Weatherstripping and Caulking Costs almost nothing while reducing your energy use, reducing drafts and improving comfort. Lighting Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) have that cool curly shape and save more than 2/3rds of the energy of a regular incandescent. Each bulb can save $40 or more over its lifetime. Read the box or instructions for safe disposal. Heating and Cooling - Keep your heating and cooling system(s) tuned. When it s time to replace, do your research and ask for ENERGY STAR. Insulation Weatherstripping, caulking and insulation work together to save you energy, improve the comfort of your home, make it quieter and help you save money. Water-Conserving Showerheads & Toilets You can reduce water and heating costs, even in your bathroom. To save even more water, turn the faucet off when brushing or shaving. These simple changes and steps can save many thousands of gallons of water annually.

4 Appliances Always pay attention to the total lifetime cost, including energy not just the price tag. Look for the ENERGY STAR label (check out energystar.gov). Bigger isn t always better - Just get the size you need; do you really need that extra refrigerator in the basement? Electronics Likewise, look for ENERGY STAR. And do like your Mom said- turn things off. If you re going away or not using an item for awhile, unplug it to prevent vampire energy loss from electricity usage on standby. Windows These can be expensive, but when it s time to replace them, make sure they are ENERGY STAR rated. Solar We love solar, but make sure you reduce your energy load first to keep your costs down. New Home Consider an energy-efficient ENERGY STAR Home. Reduce the Carbon Footprint of Your Office Enable your power management - so your computer and monitor shut down. Do you need to print?- Consider saving a file on your computer, in a flash drive or ing it. Double-side print - Saves paper too. Can you carpool or transit or bike to work? See above. Open up - If you have windows you can open, use them to intelligently save energy. Turn em off - Only use the lights you need. If you re using your computer you may not need your office lights on too. Occupancy sensors - Shut off lights in unused rooms. Better, get your building to install occupancy sensors. Bring your lunch - Or walk to the local eatery instead of driving. Reduce the Carbon Footprint of Your Life Only 40% of the average American s carbon footprint is due to their direct energy use. The other 60% is indirect; it comes from everything we buy and use goods and services. Pay attention to your consumption and waste habits, and you ll find lots of opportunities to conserve.

5 Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. You ve heard it before, but it s still great advice. Manufacturing products produces an average 4-8 pounds of CO 2 for every pound of manufactured product. Donate old electronics to charity. Donate your old cell phone, PDA, digital camera, or ipod to Recycling for Charities and benefit the charity of your choice! Stop your junk mail with the help of 41pounds, a nonprofit service that contacts dozens of direct mailers to remove your name from their lists. Buy locally if possible. Shipping burns fuel. A 5-pound package shipped by air across the country creates 12 pounds of CO 2 (3 ½ pounds if shipped by truck). Eat less meat. If you re already a vegetarian, you save at least 3,000 pounds of CO 2 per year compared to meat eaters. If you re not a vegetarian, just increase the number of vegetarian meals you eat each week by one or two. Also, poultry is less greenhouse gas intensive than beef. Don t waste food. Mom was right. About one-quarter of all the food prepared annually in the U.S., for example, gets tossed, producing methane in landfills as well as carbon emissions from transporting wasted food.