Guide To Understanding and Knowing The Carbon Footprint

Reducing your carbon footprint is one of the most impactful ways to contribute to a healthier planet. The good news? It’s easier than you think. By making small, sustainable changes to your daily routine, you can significantly lower your carbon emissions while maintaining the lifestyle you love.

In this guide, you’ll discover what a carbon footprint is, how it’s calculated, and practical tips for reducing it. From using a carbon footprint calculator to adopting eco-friendly habits, these steps can help you understand and minimize your environmental impact.

You don’t need to give up the things you enjoy—just a few mindful changes can go a long way in protecting our planet. The more you know about your carbon footprint and how to reduce it, the more empowered you’ll be to make a positive difference for Earth.

What Does “Carbon Footprint” Mean?

There are a lot of people talking about sustainability today. But while many people have heard of their carbon footprint—not everyone knows what a carbon footprint is. The term “carbon footprint” refers to the total amount of greenhouse gases that are produced (both directly and indirectly) for human activities. This includes carbon dioxide and methane.

So simply put, the carbon footprint definition of your personal use is how many greenhouse gas emissions you are responsible for based on your personal activities. The average carbon footprint for someone in the US is about 16 tons. This is the highest average in the world. The average for individuals in most other countries is 4 tons.

This means Americans have a lot of work to do when it comes to lowering the amount of greenhouse gasses they are putting out in the air.

Carbon Footprint Calculator - How is Carbon Footprint Calculated?

So, how exactly do you calculate your total carbon footprint? Typically, your carbon footprint is measured in metric tons of a Co2.

In today’s day and age, there are a number of resources you can use to help calculate you own carbon footprint. Websites like CarbonFootprint.com will take into account everything from the car you drive and your daily commute, to how much your electricity bill is and even how many flights you’ve taken recently.

This number is then calculated by an emissions factor, or how many gasses those activities put out in the to universe to determine your individual carbon footprint, or how many tons of gasses you are responsible for.

Earth Day Tips: Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

Now that you know what your carbon footprint is, it is time to start working on making it smaller. Here are a few easy ways to to reduce carbon footprint.

Electricity

LED Lighting Alternatives to Reduce Carbon Footprint

One of the easiest ways to reduce your carbon footprint at home is to manage your electrical usage in the home. You can also make similar efforts in your workspace, if your office allows it.

If you want to reduce your electrical consumption online, you can start by switching to a clean energy provider who will help make sure that the energy you are getting for your home is coming from sustainable sources. You can also look into home improvements like solar panels that will greatly reduce your energy bill and your overall electrical consumption.

Here are a few other day-to-day things you can do in order to reduce your overall carbon footprint:

When it is time to switch out your light bulbs, replace them with LED alternatives.
Unplug all of your appliances when they aren’t in use.
Don’t leave phone chargers or laptop chargers plugged into the wall when they aren’t being used.
Install more energy-efficient insulation around the home to help keep your heated and cooled air from escaping.
Consider adding thick curtains to help insulate your home in the winter.
Instead of running the AC when it isn’t completely necessary—simply open a window instead to let a cooling breeze in.
When you aren’t in the home, turn down the air conditioning or heat. A smart thermostat can help you do this without even thinking about it.
Always turn off the lights when you leave a room.

Little things like this can really add up over time in reducing how much unnecessary energy you are using, and your overall carbon footprint.

Kitchen

Many people know that the kitchen is the heart of the home and while many people know that the spend a lot of time in the kitchen, they may not realize that all of this kitchen time is really having an impact on their carbon footprint.

If you are looking to reduce your carbon footprint, then make these easy changes right in your kitchen.

Stretch your green thumb by trying to grow your own produce. You can plant vegetables in your own garden or just start with some herbs in your kitchen window.
Reduce your food waste by meal-planning. Plus, meal planning can save you precious time during the week and help you stay on-task with your healthy eating habits
Try to introduce more plant-based meals into your current routine. Meat, eggs and dairy aren’t necessarily bad for you, but they can have a much bigger impact on the environment than plants do.
Shop local whenever you can, which can include going to farmer’s markets or shopping at smaller grocers that get their produce from regional sources.
Use reusable grocery bags and try to avoid those individual plastic bags when buying your fruits and veggies—you don’t really need them anyway!
Set up a compost bin for all of your food scraps.

Small changes like this can go a long way in reducing your carbon footprint, and while you don’t have to do all of these things, making a few of these changes to the way you use your kitchen and make your meals can go a long way in helping you reduce your footprint and your impact on the environment.

Laundry Room

Use plant-based detergents to reduce carbon footprint

Your laundry room can be a really busy part of the home. While there may not be a lot of things that you can do to reduce how much laundry your kids make—there are things you can do to help reduce your carbon footprint in the laundry room.

Here are easy steps you can do:

Consider an energy-efficient washer and dryer when it is time to replace your existing laundry machines.
Always wash with cold water—it is not only more energy efficient, but it will help keep your clothes looking their best.
Hang dry your clothes, instead of drying them, whenever you can.
Use plant-based detergents.
Always look for detergents and cleaning products that are non-toxic.
Skip the dryer sheets and fabric softeners unless absolutely necessary.

These little tips will really make a big impact on your footprint as you go about your everyday chores.

Water

When you really stop to think about it—chances are you will realize just how much water that you use during the day.

After you take a bath or wash your dishes, take that leftover water and use it to water your plants—instead of using fresh water.
Always shut your water off when you aren’t actively using it. For example, don’t let the water keep running when you are brushing your teeth—it only wastes water that doesn’t need to be wasted.
Swap out your existing shower head for an energy-efficient option. It will pay for itself with savings on your water bill, and help the planet!

Overusing water has a huge impact on your carbon footprint. Consider these easy tips to lessen the impact you have on the planet.

Travel—Vehicle

Next time you travel, whether you are heading across the country, or across town—make sure that you stop and think about how your travel is actually impacting the environment.

Consider taking public transportation over cars and planes.
Remember, a group road trip will have fewer emissions than everyone getting on a plane.
Choose Uber Pool instead of individual Ubers during ride shares—and it will also save you money!
Consider getting an electric car or hybrid whenever you need a new car.
Start carpooling to work in the morning instead of driving yourself.
Challenge yourself to walk or bike to any errands that are less than a mile away. It is a great type of exercise and will save emissions.

Next time it’s time to leave the house (and all of your smart eco-friendly decisions) consider making these changes to your travel itinerary to really help the planet.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Causing Global Warming

Why is Carbon Footprint Important?

So, you know how to reduce your carbon footprint, but why exactly is it important? Reducing your carbon footprint can have a positive impact on the environment. All of those greenhouse gas emission that you are burning are non-renewable energy sources. This greenhouse gas production is increasing the earth’s temperature which is causing global warming.

This global warming leads to serious weather events like flooding, water shortages and it impacts the environment for many different animals and eco-systems. The higher our carbon footprint is, the bigger its impact on the environment.

Working Toward Lowering Your Carbon Footprint For A Better Tomorrow

Now that you have a better idea of what your everyday actions are doing to impact the environment and how the carbon footprint calculator is determined—there is no better time to start working towards lowering your emissions and follow some of these helpful earth day tips. Consider these easy tips to start doing your part to helping the planet. Every little effort from every person can really add to making our world a better place for all!

Shana Thompson is a full time professional writer and editor. Shana has worked extensively in the fields of content marketing, on-page and off-page SEO (guest posts, backlink acquisition), and creative writing. As an experienced pro content writer, Shana has worked on several magazines, publishing companies and marketing agencies. Many recent projects have included everything from nutrition and health services, where a lot of research and citations were needed, to writing about health, sustainable, eco-friendly products.

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