Reducing Carbon Footprints
Carbon footprints help people keep track of changes. Because footprints quantify an amount of carbon that increases or decreases based on energy use, they let people know that a new hybrid car or home insulation really does help lower emissions.
Image courtesy Leslie Eudy/NREL
Fuel Cell Hybrid Bus, hybrid system developed by ISE Corporation uses a fuel cell by UTC Power. Fuel cell buses are clean, quiet, electrically propelled vehicles that emit only water vapor from the tailpipe.
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According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), transportation accounts for 33 percent of CO2 emissions in the United States, so lowering mileage helps. Some ways to do this are: walk or bike whenever possible, carpool, take public transport or get your family to invest in fuel-efficient cars. Beyond modifying your mode of transport, there are some things that can be done with the car your family already has. For example, just by keeping the family car’s tires inflated to the manufacturer’s recommended amount, it could reduce your CO2 emissions by about 250 lbs each year. Get your mom to check and change the car’s air filter regularly, and you can save another 800 lbs. And -- this one’s big -- stop all that idling. Of course, you have to do it while you’re in traffic, but if your parents are waiting for you after soccer practice, tell them to roll the windows down and turn off the engine. Switch from using drive-throughs to going in to the bank.
Image courtesy Lawrence Lawry/Getty
Reduce your footprint by riding a bike!
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The EIA reports that home energy use accounts for 21 percent of U.S. CO2 emissions, so it helps to have an efficient home. Setting the thermostat at a moderate temperature and installing good insulation can reduce your CO2 emissions by as much as 4,000 lbs per year. Swap out all your old windows for the double-paned variety and you’ll not only lower your energy bills, you could reduce your C02 emissions for one year by an amazing 10,000 lbs. Compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), energy-efficient appliances and green power sources also help lower consumption. And, if weather permits, try drying your clothes outside, you’ll reduce your CO2 output by more than 500 lbs.
You may not be able to see the carbon footprints you make, but they’ll stay around for a long, long time. Remember, the carbon footprints we leave behind today, will define were we are headed in the next century.
Change a Light Bulb, Save the Planet
Take the ENERGY STAR challenge and you will reduce your carbon footprint. By using an ENERGY STAR certified compact fluorescent light bulb, every time you flip the light switch to that bulb, you'll be using 75 percent less energy than you were with the old bulb. That can add up to a really big energy savings! Energy Star CFLs last longer, too - so you'll save money while you're saving the planet. Reportedly, if every family in the United States took the ENERGY STAR challenge, we'd reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 90 billion pounds!
Try this:
Got to this Web site http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator/ to find out what your family’s carbon footprint is. You may need to check with your folks to answer some of the questions.
We’ve covered a few ways to reduce your carbon footprint, but there are many more. To see what else you can do to reduce your footprint, check out the following Web sites: http://support.nature.org/site/PageServer?pagename=reduce_ccc and http://www.carbonfootprint.com/Minimise_cfp.html.
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