When it comes to reducing your carbon footprint, most people think that it involves making large sweeping changes to your lifestyle that either isn’t sustainable or will reduce your quality of life. Thankfully, this isn’t the case and there are actually plenty of practical changes that you can introduce that will not only help you reduce your carbon footprint, but can actually come with lots of benefits to you.
So in this post, we’re going to cover some of the small practical changes that you can make to your lifestyle which will reduce your carbon footprint.
It’s completely understandable for people to drive everywhere if they’re in locations with little public transport. However, it can be easy to develop a habit of driving virtually everywhere you go, even if the alternative is to walk for a few minutes.
Many people don’t think about the benefits to driving less. For instance, you can actually save a lot of money on fuel and maintenance if you don’t drive as much. Your car will also last longer since it’s not being used for small trips, and it can even decrease your car insurance premiums. While it sounds strange to own a car and not actively use it for everything, it can certainly save you a lot of money in the long run while also reducing your carbon footprint.
Start Using More Reusable Items
We know that disposable items create a lot of waste but have you ever thought about the continuous carbon footprint they leave? Each time we require a new one, we draw on energy, on products, on the Earth’s resources and we create pollution in this production as well as in the transportation. There are some really simple alternatives on the market today that easily allow you to make a change without it altering your lifestyle too much. One example is opting for a reusable coffee cup instead of a disposable one. You can carry reusable cups with you and simply hand them over to baristas in a coffee shop or even use it to make drinks at work. It’s much better than using a disposable cup that you just throw away, and it’s usually a lot nicer to drink from your own cup as opposed to using plastic or paper. Another example is to switch to reusable nappies as disposables can create up to 40% more carbon emissions than reusables! For more ideas on which reusables may work for you, take a look at this blog post here.
Lowering Carbon Emissions on Your Meals
Your carbon footprint is also dependent on the type of meals you eat. For example, cutting down on meat is one of the simplest ways to reduce your carbon footprint, but that doesn’t mean that vegan food or even vegetables are carbon free. In fact, some vegan-friendly products usually result in more emissions for the same amount of food. Thankfully, this is something that is now gradually changing thanks to more awareness around our carbon footprint.
Eating a more balanced diet that is full of nutrients will help make our body healthier and stronger. However, it’s also a great way to lower your carbon footprint, especially if you purchase locally grown produce or if you grow your own.
*This is a collaborative post. For further information please refer to my disclosure page.
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