The way we live matters.

What is a carbon footprint?

A carbon footprint is the footprint left by our daily activities, such as commuting, the food we eat, the clothes we buy and everything we consume. All of these actions create emissions. Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is the primary greenhouse gas (GAG) emitted through these activities. The amount of GAG emitted correlates to the size of your footprint.

Curious about how big your environmental footprint is? Take a look at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) calculator.

In order to reduce these emissions and, therefore, your carbon footprint, here is how you can adopt more sustainable practices into our everyday life.

Clothing

• Visit upcycled stores and recycle clothing when possible
• Try swapping, borrowing and renting clothes
• When buying clothes, look out for responsibly made and sustainably sourced material

Food Consumption

• Consume local and seasonal products. Support your local market as it will be fresher and it is a fun choice for the weekend
• Reduce your meat consumption
• Take reusable shopping bags
• Purchase only what you need

Transportation

• Cycle, ride share or use public transport
• Electric Vehicles are increasing in popularity as it:
  1. Lowers a car’s maintenance
  2. No fuel needed
• Take the train to your next holiday
• Purchase a carbon neutral flight. It is a small fee, but will off-set this mode of transport

Energy and waste

• Reduce time in the shower – Save water
• Turn off the water while you brush your teeth or clean the dishes
• Unplug your electronic equipment, standby uses energy,  and don’t leave your phone on charge when the battery is already full
• Limit and recycle your waste and compost food waste
• Turn off the lights when leaving a room
• Look into renewable energy options. It may be more affordable than you think
• Installing solar panels the cost could off-set your energy usage
• Look into battery storage to save energy

Digital Footprint

• Don’t store unnecessary data in the cloud. With the number of data increasing exponentially as the world’s population is constantly connected, consequently the energy consumption rises in the same pace. Actions such as deleting videos and photos that you no longer need it can make a difference
• Extend the life of your devices as much as possible by just upgrading when necessary and if the upgrade won’t consume more energy than the previous device
• Unsubscribe from commercial distribution lists or newsletters – we all get to many emails!
• Clean up your email inbox when possible. Get into a habit, it will make you more efficient

Energy-Efficient Appliances

• It might be time for you to replace Nanna’s old fridge as it can eat up expressive amounts of energy. That includes other devices such as air-conditioner, washing-machine and further appliances
• When in doubt of which product is appropriate for you in terms of quality, examine the star rating stickers

If we all take small steps, it will lead into a big result; even adopting one or two of these changes will make a difference to your footprint and help us slow the impact our daily lives have on climate change.

Zero Emissions Now.