Reducing your Carbon Footprint

A carbon footprint is a representation of the total volume of greenhouse gas emissions that result from a person’s everyday activities. These emissions build up in the atmosphere and contribute to global warming. If we are going to limit the impacts of global warming as much as possible it is down to everyone to consider ways they can reduce their own carbon footprint.

There are many carbon footprint calculators online that can help you work out where you can cut down, but I have also put some simple ways everyone can do this below!

 

Use plastic-free alternatives

An estimate for the carbon footprint of using a 500ml plastic bottle is equal to 82g carbon dioxide, which could rapidly build up over a person’s lifetime. Using a reusable water bottle and refill stations instead of buying a single-use bottle can have a huge difference.

Another single-use plastic that you can avoid is coffee cups. An estimated 2.5 billion of these are thrown away annually in just the UK, and the majority end up in landfill instead of a recycling centre. Buying a reusable cup and taking it with you to cafes can significantly reduce your carbon footprint over a year.

 

 

Make changes to your diet

There are many benefits to making a transition to a more plant-based diet. These include lowering blood pressure and blood cholesterol, as well as positive impacts on the planet. Three quarters of the world’s agricultural land is used for livestock production, so reducing the amount of meat and dairy in your diet can be really beneficial even if you don’t cut them out completely. Meat free Mondays can be a great way to try new recipes as well as reduce your carbon footprint!

It is also important to reduce food waste where possible. The UK produces 9.5 million tonnes of food waste annually (despite 8 million people in the UK living in food poverty), and staggeringly, 1/3 of all food produced globally goes to waste. This releases a huge amount of methane gas as it breaks down, which is 25x more harmful than carbon dioxide.

In addition, it is important to try to eat local, seasonal produce. This reduces the air miles needed to get your food to you as well as the energy used in growing produce out of season.

 

 

Consider a different mode of transport

An estimated 60% of the UK’s transport-related carbon dioxide emissions is created by cars and aeroplanes, while in comparison the entire railway system together creates an estimated 1.5% of emissions. Avoiding unnecessary car journeys by walking or cycling can have benefits for your health and mental wellbeing too! Where possible it is recommended to use public transport such as buses and trains.

 

 

Reduce clothes shopping

It has been estimated that 10% of total global emissions can be contributed to the clothing industry. Purchasing fewer items will reduce your fashion footprint. Other ways to do this are buying and selling second-hand items (you can do this at charity shops as well as online stores), renting clothes for a specific event (university graduation robes for example), repairing clothes instead of throwing them out, and using eco-friendly brands that limit their impact on the planet.

 

Carefully manage your home

Carbon emissions can be reduced by improving homes through heating, appliances and lighting. In the UK an estimated 22% of total emissions can be attributed to our homes. Small changes like using LED bulbs (these use around 80% less energy than a traditional lightbulb), insulating any exposed hot water pipes, air-drying clothes rather than in a tumble dryer, using bio detergents that can wash at lower temperatures…

All these small actions add up to a big difference !

 

 

Carbon offsetting

Carbon offsetting is another way to reduce carbon footprint, though it should ideally be a last resort after measures to reduce or avoid emissions.

There are unfortunately some common issues with carbon offsetting schemes. One of the main schemes is tree planting, but is often unspecified whether they will be planting native species in their ideal environment, or whether a forest will be well-managed, or even a permanent forest. Any scheme should be certified by the Gold Standard as they check the quality of offsetting projects.