What Steps Can I Take To Reduce My Carbon Footprint?

Probably first and foremost is to understand what the heck is a carbon footprint?

By definition “A carbon footprint is the measure of the amount of carbon dioxide -- the major man-made global warming greenhouse gas -- that goes into the atmosphere as you go about your daily life.

On average, every American is responsible for about 22 tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year, according to statistics compiled by the United Nations. (The world average is 6 tons per capita)

Here are six simple things you can do to reduce you and your families “carbon footprint.”

  1. Move thermostat down 2 degrees in the winter and up 2 degrees in the summer can save 2000 lbs of carbon dioxide per year.
  2. Replace just three bulbs with energy-efficient fluorescent bulbs. (If every household in America replaced just three bulbs with energy-efficient fluorescent bulbs, we would all save $60 a year and collectively keep a trillion pounds of CO2 out of the atmosphere.)
  3. Unplug the “vampire” energy users. Your TV when not in use your phone charger, your electric shaver, VCR’s, your stereo….just to name a few. Even if they are turned off, they are still drawing power. 10 “vampire” energy users can use as much as 240 watts per day.
  4. Weatherizing your home could save as much as 1000 lbs of CO2 annually.
  5. Tune-up your air conditioner. This can save you as much as 10-15% annually.
  6. There are websites that you can go to that allow you to purchase “offsets” These websites calculate your carbon footprint and the cost of reducing that footprint. They are designed to encourage donations to renewable energy sources that will further reduce carbon emissions. Here are addresses of several of those web sites if you are interested. (Stopglobalwarming.org www.carbonfootprint.com, www.greenIQ.com)
Angies List Mary Jean Anderson
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