Ten tips to reduce your carbon footprint

Your carbon footprint is the measurement of the carbon, a greenhouse gas, you produce directly and indirectly. The more wasteful your lifestyle is, the more you produce and the more harm you’re causing the environment.

Now, there are many things you can do such as planting trees and starting your own veggie garden. In some of the more extreme cases, you can redesign and rebuild your house to reduce your footprint as much as possible. This option is not for everyone.

We thought we’d put our Thebe heads together and share tips you can apply to your everyday life to live greener.

1. Put a brick in your toilet bowl. It might sound silly, but it reduces the amount of water you use per flush.
2. Most big shopping centres have recycling drops, so all you need to do is separate your trash (glass, paper, plastic, polystyrene, even electronics) and drop it off if your area doesn’t have its own recycling service.
3. Reuse all your organic waste by creating compost which you can feed to your garden.
4. Think before you buy. Shop with awareness. Don’t just buy new things; think if you really need it and if it’s the best thing to do with your money and for the environment.
5. Before you toss something out, think about an alternative way to use it. Some people have become so good at upcycling that they are now making money out of their creations.
6. Buy local. It might not always be the cheapest option but always opt for the local option when you shop. Best yet, support your local farmer’s market – not only will you reduce your carbon footprint, but you can also rest assured that your produce is fresh and great quality.
7. Meat-free Mondays. Enjoying a vegetarian day once a week can have a tremendously positive impact on the environment. Agriculture contributes to deforestation, soil erosion and our declining freshwater reserves.
8. Unplug appliances. When your appliances aren’t in use don’t just switch them off, unplug them as they still draw energy. What’s even better, your electricity bill will also decrease.
9. Reuse shopping bags. It might be a pain to carry shopping bags with you, but in the long run, you’ll save on producing unnecessary plastic bags and money.
10. Drive smart. Plan your route before you leave so you won’t get lost and think about joining a lift club.

Don’t wait until it’s too late; start making changes today.

Information source: Greenworks, Love to Stay

Image source: EcoCare