Ten ways to reduce your carbon footprint

By Christy Li, Paige Mays, Shruthi Narayanan and Xinqi Zhang, Newsroom By the Bay

While climate change can seem overwhelming, everyday efforts can make an impact in a way that’s just as effective as a #ClimateStrike. Here’s how.

Join Meatless Mondays: Livestock agriculture produces 42% of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. However, the carbon footprint of a vegetarian diet is half that of a meat-lover. By participating in Meatless Mondays, you will be reducing your carbon footprint by consuming foods with lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Avoid driving: According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average car emits 4.6 metric tons of CO₂ per year. Instead of driving to work every single day, try biking, carpooling, or taking public transit.

Conserve water: According to the EPA, “each American uses an average of 88 gallons of water a day at home.” The Washington Department of Health estimates that “the average person unknowingly wastes up to 30 gallons of water every day.” To conserve water, you could turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth, take shorter showers or wash your clothes less often.

Eat and buy locally sourced food: The average fresh food item is transported from 1,500 miles away. By eating locally, you will cut down on the carbon emissions produced by shipping food over long distances.

Turn off the lights and buy new bulbs: Turning off different types of light bulbs results in different impacts. If you are using an incandescent light bulb, where 90% of energy is given off as heat and only 10% is converted into light, remember to turn it off when leaving your room to save energy. When it comes to Compact Fluorescent Lights or CFLs, turn off your light when you leave the room for more than 15 minutes. The ideal lightbulb is the Light Emitting Diodes, or LED bulb, which conserve the most energy at home.

Fly less often: Flying emits 3.15 grams of CO₂ for every gram of fuel, according to Carbon Independent. To put this in perspective: A trip from London to New York City releases 986 kg of CO₂ into the atmosphere and a trip from London to Los Angeles releases 1650 kg of CO₂ into the atmosphere. Instead of flying, you could take a train, bus or other methods of public transportation, or you could take fewer trips in general. If flying is a must, consider buying a carbon offset.

Stream less: Digital technology is responsible for 4% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, and video streaming is responsible for 1%, according to the Shift Project. Alternative forms of entertainment include reading a book, playing a board game or flipping through this magazine.

Go thrifting and donate old clothes: The fashion industry takes its toll on the environment as well: It is the second-largest industrial contributor to pollution in the world. Textile treatment and dyeing clothing account for 20% of industrial water pollution, and 23 kg of greenhouse gases are emitted for each kilogram of fabric produced. By thrifting and buying second-hand, you avoid contributing to emissions caused by the production of new clothing.

Buy laptops instead of desktops: Using a desktop consumes an average of 200 watts per hour. If the desktop is on for eight hours a day every day of the year, it consumes about 600 kilowatt-hours of energy, which translates to 175 kg of CO₂ emitted. A laptop, however, consumes 50 to 100 watts per hour and emits between 44 and 88 kg of CO₂ per year. By using a laptop instead of a desktop, you cut your computer carbon emissions by more than half.

Start composting: By composting you decrease the amount of waste and gas a landfill emits. Landfill gas emissions consist of roughly 50% methane and 50% carbon dioxide, with smaller concentrations of other gases. By starting your own compost project or participating in a local composting program, you will be eliminating unneeded sources of waste that, instead, could be used as nutrients for the soil.

By incorporating these steps into our daily lives, we can care for our planet (and ourselves!) each and every day.

— Our thanks to Adrienne von Schulthess, executive director of Carbon Lighthouse Association, a non-profit that works to reduce the impacts of climate change by purchasing carbon allowances, for editorial and technical assistance.