Have you ever wondered how much our actions impact the planet?
When looking at the average American, each of us produces a 50,000 lb. carbon footprint per year - the total sum of greenhouse gases created by our actions. That’s a large number to consider but activities like work, travel, shopping and everything else you can think of to help you get through the day adds up, most times without even knowing it.
While the number of resources on the earth is finite, the US population continues to thrive like earth’s resources will never run out. Based on research by Plan A Academy, the US consumed a total of 5.0 earths all due to our current habits in 2022. Though it seems like saving the planet is something we can wait on the next generation to worry about, we really only have one earth, and at the rate America is going, it’s in dire need of our conscientious behavior.
Finding ways to offset our carbon footprint is just one avenue to lessen the level of our impact.
Here’s what you can do.
1. Get rid of single-use plastics – Single-use plastics contribute a lot of damage to the environment, so the amount of energy used to produce them along with the methods for disposal won’t help to keep our footprints down. Plastic degrades over a period of up to 1,000 years, emitting GHG’s and leaching chemicals into the groundwater when they’re dumped at the landfill. Purchasing reusable/ recyclable plastic items help to limit the problem and they reduce your carbon footprint while lowering the number of emissions produced by manufacturers.
2. Upgrade to renewable resources – This is a great solution when it comes to lowering your carbon footprint because opting for renewable resources directly targets the problem area. Solar power is the first option that people can switch to, however, it is a more expensive venture. There are other options such a wind, bioenergy, and hydropower, though these options are more plausible for businesses looking to lower their impact. While switching to renewable resources might not be the easiest step for reducing your carbon footprint, you can always begin by limiting your energy usage with the resources available to you. An quick way to make a difference is to begin unplugging household items like TV’s, toasters, and lights whenever they’re not in use.
3. Try eating less meat – We know meat is a tasty protein to have with your meals, but the meat industry is actually a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Switching things up a bit with a vegetarian meal or two or finding local meat sources can help the planet more than you know.
4. Buy local – Transporting items cross country or cross state means that items travel more than we do! Because of the constant need for transportation, costs, and energy associated with import/export, our best solution is to always buy local when we can. Sure, it can be a little more expensive, but when we think about how we’re saving our planet for future generations – that alone outweighs the immediate expense.
5. Take non-stop flights- Believe it or not, flying can create a pretty large carbon footprint when compared to other modes of transport. Ideally, you should always book direct flights as long as you can to mitigate the number of emissions created. Airlines also now offer the opportunity to offset these emissions by asking customers to pay additional funds to support projects aimed at reducing our footprints.
In the wider scope of things, the links between greenhouse gas emissions and climate change are too extreme to ignore. Average global temperatures and ocean levels are rising while weather events are becoming more and more extreme. All of these issues are a result of our activity and making small adjustments to our lives can eventually lead to impactful results.
Here’s to lowering our footprints!