Though you may be aware of the climate change occurring, you may not really understand how you’re helping it grow—and not in a good way.
It starts with the impact we as humans are leaving on the earth; our carbon footprint.
Carbon footprints explained
This term refers to the amount of greenhouse gases that are produced from human activities, whether direct or indirect.
It is measured in CO2, or carbon dioxide which is most commonly produced from the engine in your car, or from heating your house—things that people never realize are affecting anyone but themselves. Your personal carbon footprint is the total amount of carbon emissions that you produce within your daily activities.
How your lifestyle adds to your carbon footprint
- Your location: Where you live plays a large role in the amount of CO2 you produce since some states have already started to go green, generating cleaner electricity. In your home, think about the natural gas utilized and your electricity used.
- Your travel: As we had mentioned, transportation is a large culprit of emitting CO2. How often you drive and how much gas you use will determine your travel carbon emissions. Also consider how often you fly, with a plane producing 2.2 tons of CO2 in the matter of two hours.
- Your diet: Consuming meat has been proven to increase your carbon footprint compared to vegetables and starches, due to its production.
- Your waste: How much trash are you accumulating personally on a daily basis? How much are you recycling? What about composting?
Calculating your carbon footprint
You can get a general sense of how severe your carbon footprint is just by evaluating those four key areas in your life.
However, we recommend using the interactive carbon calculator from The Nature Conservancy.
Climate change is real and it’s happening now, so there’s no more pushing it off until tomorrow.
Start reducing your carbon footprint today with the help of Rick’s Energy Solutions. We offer a Green Home Energy Analysis and energy consulting that can help you go green at home and lessen your environmental impact for the better. Give us a call at 707-578-5380 today to learn more!