6 Easy Steps To Cut Your Carbon Footprint

Delhi's deteriorating air quality has set alarm bells ringing in the state machinery, with the government going to the extent of announcing restrictions on the number of cars through its odd-even formula.

While this may bring some respite from air pollution, expecting long-term results from such decisions would be naïve. Using a car is by no means the only action that adds to your carbon footprint as your entire lifestyle is a contributor.

But the good news is that with these simple and practical steps you can successfully cut down your personal carbon footprint and become an agent of environmental change for the better.

Drive Less
If we account for a car for each individual on this planet, it would result in more than seven billion cars—enough to create a catastrophe for the human race. Driving to work is possibly the biggest contributor to your personal carbon footprint count. If more individuals resort to using cars for personal commutes, it would result not only in traffic congestion but in even worse air quality. Carbon dioxide emission from petrol and diesel is estimated to be around 2.4 kg per litre. Hence, we suggest you ditch your personal automobile and use public transport at least while travelling to work. And if your workplace is in the vicinity of your home then walk or cycle—a practice that will also help you stay fit.

Restrict Air Travel
With air transport becoming more affordable and many service providers providing no-frills service, usage of this mode of travel has expanded exponentially. A large number of airports are coming up in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. Emissions from jet engines are higher and more hazardous than ordinary vehicular traffic. Carbon dioxide emission from an aircraft is about 90 kg per hour. That is alarmingly dangerous, considering these emissions are generally exhausted into the high atmosphere, thought to have a greater greenhouse effect than those released at sea level. So we suggest you avoid short travel for work and use services like video-conferencing and Skype.

Use Energy Star-Rated Products
Believe it or not, your home is another big source of carbon dioxide, adding to your overall carbon footprint. Electrical appliances and cooking gas/oil are responsible for much of the emissions generated in your home. The only sustainable way of cutting down your carbon footprint is using energy star-rated products. Besides that, you should obviously use your appliances, including lighting, moderately and more conservatively. Additionally, equipping solar panels would save you money and also bring down the carbon footprint generated from your home.

Buy Fewer Appliances
We live in an era where your personality is judged based on the electronic devices you carry and use. This perception has fuelled the boom of many Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) around the world. This has also made a significant addition to global climate change. Producing an electronic item, even something as small as the processor of your mobile handset, adds carbon dioxide to the air. Thus, we should all go for electronic products that can last up to two years. As responsible citizens, we should stop changing our mobile phone handsets every six months to control our carbon footprint.

Eat Organic, Local Food
It takes a lot to produce and transport eatables in our country. In the US, an estimated 13 per cent greenhouse gas emissions result from the production and transport of food. There is no official data for our country, but considering the vastness, diversity and varying tastes, the figures should be lurking 8-10 per cent. So what do we do? Stop eating? Obviously not. We should look for organic and locally produced food items. Organic farming is surfacing in a big way and we should, as responsible citizens, support this cause and buy products from such initiatives. Also, cutting down on red meat consumption would lower your carbon footprint.

Don't Waste Water
Although, water accounts for more than 70 per cent of the earth's surface, just the amount of energy used to pump, clean and heat water is stupendous. We should avoid wastage of water and try to optimise its consumption. Choosing water-efficient shower heads, faucets, toilets, dishwashers and washing machines is the least you could do to minimise wastage of water.

*Carbon values calculated on facts and figures from www.carbonindependent.org