How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint Through Transportation
1. Drive less
Driving a car is a major source of greenhouse gasses. Cutting down on the miles you drive is one of the best things you can do for reducing carbon emissions. Organize shopping trips to get more done on each outing, walk or bike when distances are shorter, and use public transportation as much as possible.
2. Go easy on the acceleration and brakes
How much you drive is not the only factor to consider. Acceleration burns more fuel, so applying the brakes and speeding up is less fuel efficient than maintaining a smooth, even speed.
3. Regularly service your car and keep tires properly inflated
When your car runs efficiently, it uses less energy. Clean oil and belts and timing gears that are perfectly adjusted will help you get the most out of every gallon of fuel. Also, when properly inflated, tires require less energy to achieve and maintain speed while driving. If the pressure is too low, your car is sluggish and burns more gasoline than necessary.
4. Carpool
Sharing a ride to work every day or going shopping can reduce your carbon footprint by about 2,000 pounds of CO2e every year.
5. Use cruise control
You may not realize how much your speed varies when you are driving. We tend to speed up in certain conditions and slow down in others. Using cruise control allows your car’s computer to accelerate smoothly and carefully maintain an even speed.
6. Cut down on air conditioning
Cut usage of the most power-intensive appliance in your car. Running your air conditioning less frequently or raising the temperature so that your system does not work as hard will reduce your carbon footprint.
7. Consider purchasing a hybrid or electric vehicle
It is easy to tell people to drive less, but that might not be possible in your situation. Driving an electric vehicle and doing your electric car charging at home can help eliminate the greenhouse gasses that your conventional car produces. Not all homes are wired for an electric car charging station. Rewiring may be expensive. Another option is to find an electric car charging station and power up there.
8. Avoid flying if possible
Traveling by air spews more greenhouse gas than traveling by car. To help put this in perspective, a single round-trip flight across the U.S. produces roughly 2 tons of carbon dioxide per person, which equals about 10 percent of a U.S. citizen’s annual carbon footprint. If you can fly less often, it’s an effective way to reduce your carbon footprint.
9. If you must, fly nonstop
Taking off and landing burns more jet fuel than simply cruising at altitude. You can reduce your carbon footprint by avoiding multiple stops and plane changes on your journey. You will also reduce the wear and tear of travel on you.
How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint Through Food
10. Eat less meat and stick with fruits, veggies, grains and beans
Raising animals requires more energy than growing plants. When you consider using power to produce and ship their food, then ship them to processing and eventually to market, you are talking about a sizable carbon footprint. One of the delicious and healthy ways to reduce your carbon footprint is to switch to high-protein vegetables and certain grains for some of your meals.
11. Choose organic and local foods that are in season
It takes energy to plant, cultivate and harvest food. It takes even more to transport it for processing, storage and then distributing it to markets. If you choose , you eliminate that part of the energy use.
12. Reduce your food waste
Buying more food than you need and throwing it away wastes the food item itself, along with all the resources used to get it to you.
13. Compost
Dealing with waste consumes energy. A garbage truck needs to pick it up from your home, haul it to a landfill or processing center, then it undergoes even more energy-using processing. By composting some of your organic waste, you cut down on the volume of refuse headed for the dump and also create useful organic matter for fertilizing your garden.
14. Use reusable cups, plates, utensils, bottles and containers
Disposable utensils used once and tossed after a meal are a tremendous waste of resources and contribute to your carbon footprint. Many items are made of plastic derived from oil. The carbon footprint includes the material itself and the energy used in manufacturing and transporting it to you. Once used, it becomes waste that consumes even more energy. Switching to reusable containers has a much lower impact on the environment.
How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint at Home
15. Turn down your water heater to 120˚F
Another area to look for ways to reduce your carbon footprint is by changing habits at home. Most people find that when they turn down their water heater to 120˚F, they don’t notice the difference when taking a shower or bath.
16. Lower your thermostat in winter and raise it in summer
When it comes to indoor temperatures, accepting a wider range is one thing you can do to reduce your carbon footprint. If you adjust your thermostat to allow your home to be five degrees colder in the winter and five degrees warmer in the summer, you will cut your energy usage.
17. Turn off lights and unplug appliances when not in use
Many people waste energy by leaving unused lights on for hours. Another common energy-wasting habit is leaving appliances plugged in when not in use. Modern appliances in stand-by mode draw small amounts of power all the time. When you unplug appliances, you can save energy.
18. Change incandescent light bulbs
Incandescent light bulbs produce more heat than light. Switching to LED or CFL bulbs eliminates this waste, while providing a longer useful life. The result is that you will replace them less frequently and send less waste to landfills. CFL bulbs are made with some toxic ingredients, so learn how to recycle light bulbs like these.
19. Use a low-flow showerhead
Getting water to your home and heating the water both use fossil fuels. Reducing your water usage could help reduce your carbon footprint. Low flow showerheads and toilets may slash your water usage. Reducing how long you spend in the shower also helps. We have an entire article devoted to water conservation tips.
20. Look for an ENERGY STAR® symbol when buying new products
You can reduce how much energy your home uses by updating to ENERGY STAR® appliances that are much more efficient than older and non-rated appliances. Smart kitchen gadgets connect to your smart home system for the most convenient and efficient operation. Our guide to energy-saving kitchen appliances can help you make informed choices.
21. Choose renewable energy through Energy Choice
Many states offer energy choice which gives you more options. You may also be able to select a plan that powers your home with green energy sources, such as wind and solar. Plans vary by location, so you will have to compare your renewable energy options.
22. Do an energy audit of your house
You may be wasting energy in ways you don’t notice. Hiring a professional to perform a home energy audit can identify how to make your home more efficient. You can identify factors that affect your home energy usage and focus on the changes with the greatest impact.
23. Recycle effectively
Handling waste can be a carbon-intensive process. Recycling reduces the waste going to landfills and gives plastics made from fossil fuels a second life. While recycling programs vary by location, you can recycle common items and help reduce your carbon footprint.
24. Insulate your home
Windows are one of the biggest areas for letting warmth out in the winter and bringing in unwanted heat in the summer. Learn how to insulate windows to be more energy efficient all year round.
25. Donate old clothes
You might think of glass, paper, plastic, and metal when recycling, but donating clothes is a great way to give them a second life, getting the most out of the energy used to make and ship them.
How to reduce your carbon footprint when shopping
26. Buy only what you need
We live in a time of abundance, so it is easy to fall into the habit of buying things on a whim that you may end up not really needing. Be mindful when shopping to avoid wasteful purchases that could drive up your carbon footprint.
27. Bring a reusable bag
Plastic bags are made from fossil fuels and add to pollution of the planet–particularly in our oceans. Reusable bags are an easy way to eliminate this waste.
28. Invest in quality products that last
Buying cheap, disposable items, from furniture to clothing to kitchen equipment, might seem like a way to economize. You may end up having to replace these items often as they break and wear out. It is better to spend a bit more for lasting quality. That means less energy used in manufacturing and less waste for landfills.
29. Don’t buy fast fashion
Fast fashion is inexpensive clothing items that follow the latest trends. Retailers can bring them to the market in weeks, but at a cost. Fast fashion uses more water and energy for manufacturing and shipping, plus the products typically don’t last as long.
30. Buy vintage or recycled clothing
In addition to donating used clothing and furnishings, you can help by participating on the other side of the transaction. Buy things people are donating and recycling. Oftentimes, you can find one-of-a-kind items at a fraction of the cost of new.
31. Support and buy from companies that are environmentally responsible and sustainable
Do business with companies that are sourcing materials and manufacturing products in an energy-efficient, resource-aware way. Companies committed to sustainability are doing their part, as you do your part, in reducing carbon footprints. For example, Constellation is the leading carbon-free energy supplier in the country and is working towards becoming 100 percent carbon-free by the year 2040.
How to reduce your carbon footprint by taking action
32. Purchase carbon offsets
A carbon offset is a certificate you can trade to fund ways for reducing carbon emissions that you cannot do yourself. You are offsetting your use of energy with energy-saving spending. Many power companies offer renewable energy certificates that make the purchase easy.
33. Talk to family and friends about climate change issues and carbon footprints
While no one wants to be lectured or scolded, sharing tips for reducing carbon footprints can magnify the impact you make in reducing energy consumption. You could be helping them save money, too.
34. Find local climate action groups
Networking with like-minded people is a way to share ideas and form grassroots groups for more ways to reduce your carbon footprint. Working together, you will be able to raise awareness, explaining why reducing your carbon footprint is important.
35. Speak to your local representatives and vote on policies that protect the environment
Get involved with the government to influence regulation and encourage adopting policies and practices that protect the environment in your community.
Learn More Energy Tips from Constellation
If everyone does their part in reducing their own individual carbon footprints, the results can be collectively significant. You can explore ways to make your home more sustainable and ways to save energy in your home. Consider investing in smart home energy-saving strategies, too. Together, we can help our communities contribute to reducing carbon footprints and protecting the environment.