Are you wondering why to care about the rising carbon; and how to reduce carbon footprint? Here are a few reasons and ways to a better, cleaner future.
Well, we don’t mean to scare you here, but it really is high time to reduce carbon footprint. The truth is that things are getting ugly. Carbon is making our planet ugly.
Today, global warming, climate change, and its ill effects such as shortage of food, water, breathable air are a real threat to survival. And there is more – new diseases, genetic mutations, ill health that ensure wiping out populations. Our natural resources are at stake here. The future may hold fights for basic comforts and necessities – such as food, security, water. Consider carbon as a blanket of dirt that keeps getting thicker every day – making all life on Earth uncomfortably warm. A carbon footprint measures the many small activities that cause carbon pollution.
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You, I and the younger generations have nowhere to run! As the popular slogan says – there is no Planet B. To reduce our carbon footprint is the only option. We got to conserve our habitat, or else the fault will be ours and ours alone.
The carbon footprint of India
Frankly, the present scenario in India is not great. As a developing community, we largely depend on fossil carbons. Coal, gas, petrol have a large carbon footprint compared to other sources of energy. Now, 75% of India’s electricity is generated from coal. Petroleum oil fires 90% of our transportation. And 16 % of our carbon footprint comes from rice agriculture and cattle rearing. Sadly, there are no signs of slowing anytime soon. Urbanization, rise in incomes, and mindless consumption are estimated to rise rapidly.
Carbon is a great matter of concern for all of us. Now the shift from coal to clean energy sources like solar or wind is a very expensive dream for India. Thankfully, there are more ways towards carbon reduction – ways that you and I can embrace. Let’s look at some common carbon footprint examples. You see, our lives and lifestyle choices hold the key to reduce the carbon footprint.
Carbon footprint reduction
How to reduce the carbon footprint?
To start our journey towards a carbon-neutral lifestyle, we need to recognize the carbon footprint examples. Here are the steps to reduce the carbon footprint at your home. Remember every small step matters. And in the end, its all about altering our habits for a better tomorrow.
- Switch off the power
Unplug your devices when not in use
- Grow a garden
Green plants absorb carbon
- Be vegan or vegetarian
Meat processing is very energy consuming
- Choose clean energy options
Use solar energy to light your home
- Cook carbon-free
Prefer to cook and reheat food on pipeline gas stove, not microwave oven or electric stoves
- Check high energy use
Minimize use of electric driers and heaters – for clothes, hair drier, clothes ironing
- Reuse and recycle at home
Buying recycled products add up to your carbon footprint
- Use local products
Less travel means less energy use with less embodied energy
- Carbon-free comfort
Use desert coolers in summers over air conditioning
- Reduce power consumption
Spend most of your time at home together as a family in the same room
Steps to Carbon reduction
First, to reduce the carbon footprint, we need to monitor our consumption of products and services that use fossil fuels. Secondly, we can adapt and adjust our lifestyle habits to reduce the harm to our delicate ecosystem. Lastly, it is vital to offset the existing carbon in our air. This can be done by absorbing the extra carbons, and also by switching to clean sources of electricity.
Monitor your own consumption
Use electricity judiciously
- Switch of light bulbs, fans, ACs, Music, Television, Computers, etc., when you leave the room.
- Unplug your electronic gadgets when they are not in use.
- Use less air conditioning for your home. Sit together in a room to share the air conditioning.
Minimize the use of electric-powered devices
- Line dry your clothes rather than in electric driers.
- Towel dry or air dry your hair rather than using an electric hair drier.
- Cook or reheat on a gas stove rather than in a microwave.
Adapt Lifestyle habits
Check harmful habits
- Reduce the use of plastics. Switch to cloth bags or paper bags.
- Use oil lamps instead of candles during power cuts. You will reduce fossil carbon from petroleum wax. Also, avoid diesel generators.
- Buy locally produced goods. This will minimize emissions from transportation.
- Do not buy cheap fast fashion. If you buy cheap, you wouldn’t mind discarding it quickly. Instead, purchase long-lasting pieces of value.
- Go a step further and decided to have at least 50% of clothes made from hand-woven fabric. Do the same for your home furnishings- curtains, cushion bed covers, etc.
Make healthy food choices
- Increase the intake of fruits and nuts; these grow on trees that are not water-intensive like agricultural cultivation.
- Have a good serving of raw salads every day rather than filling your stomach with only cooked food.
- Include hardy millets like jowar, bajra, ragi in your daily diet. Reduce your family’s dependence on rice and wheat, which are presently produced with fertilizers, hybrid seeds, and intense water cultivation.
- Whole lentils and dals are a better option for proteins than meat. Reduce meat consumption by 50%
- Reduced processed, packaged foods. Prefer homemade or locally made snacks.
Offset the existing carbon
Grow a garden to absorb carbon
- Turn your backyard into a garden. Trees absorb carbon and act as carbon sinks. They also release oxygen and purify the air.
- Plant a tree even in a small empty patch beside your house. Your balcony space is also a good option for pot plants.
Switch to Clean energy
- Power your homes with solar panels.
- Switch to energy-saving LED lights and eliminate the use of incandescent lamps.
- Prefer electric cars and trains for travelling and everyday commute
With these little habits, you can turn your home into a carbon-neutral one. Starting from your home, let’s begin to create a better, cleaner and greener world.