It is undeniable that climate change is more evident now than before. Extreme weather conditions such as typhoons and hurricanes are becoming more common in certain regions of the world while other countries are experiencing phenomenon that are quite new to them.
For instance, in Kuwait, where I live right now, heavy rains and flood happened many times during the last few days of summer, which is a very rare occurrence for a country situated in the middle of a desert.
With all these negative changes in our environment, it’s very important for each individual to be more aware of our actions and lifestyle.
Carbon footprint, which is the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere as a result of the activities of a particular individual, organization, or community, should be reduced in order to lessen the environmental damage that is happening right now. If we all take part in this, we will not just save Mother Earth, but increase our savings too.
That being said, here are 5 effective ways to cut back on carbon print and your spending too.
1. Use alternative transportation at least a day per week.
In America, public transportation saves 37 million tons of carbon emissions every year. Try your best to drive less as much as possible by using public transport or incorporating walking or biking for short-trip destinations. This will not just save you on your car costs, this will also burn lots and lots of calories – a perfect way to sneak in some exercise to your busy schedule.
2. Eat less red meat.
Did you know that meat, cheese and eggs have the highest carbon footprint? A kilo of lamb creates 39.2 kilos of CO2 which is equivalent to driving 91 miles.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that you should follow a strict vegan or vegetarian diet, but you can go veggie at least one day a week (more if possible). Vegetables and fruits are way cheaper, healthier and of course, will reduce carbon footprint.
3. Make your home more energy efficient.
From LED bulbs to energy-saving outlets, there is an abundance of energy efficient products in the market these days that you can invest on to save resources and money.
It may cost you more upfront but this will definitely save you money in the long run since these types of products eat up less electricity.
Also, don’t forget to turn off lights and unplug all devices when you are not using them because research shows that energy is wasted when unused devices remain plugged.
5 Energy-Saving Must-Haves for your Home
4. Change the way you do your laundry.
Doing your laundry adds a surprising amount to your carbon footprint, depending on how you do it and how many loads you get through each week. If you want to cut back on costs and carbon print, do your laundry in full loads to decrease the amount of water and energy used. Also, you can use cold water cycle for washing your colds because the more heat an appliance generates, the more energy it takes to run. Which leads me to the biggest issue, the dryer. Get a washer with a good spin function and just line-dry your clothes. It takes a lot of energy to power your electric dryer. And oh, it’s OK to use some clothing pieces multiple times. Sometimes it is just habit to wash clothes after wearing them once.
5. Reuse and recycle.
Lastly, try to recycle as much as you can and get new stuff from yard sales, local charity shops or eBay for good bargains and to avoid adding up to the carbon print from all the production, packaging, shipping, etc.
We may not create a drastic change by doing all these things mentioned above but if we all take responsibility and make little changes with our lifestyle, we can definitely make a huge impact and help our environment. And the bonus? By doing these, we can also increase our savings.
