Eating, traveling, heating the home… What is the carbon footprint of these activities and how can we make more climate-friendly choices? Yes, even with just a few small adjustments in our lives. In this guide we give you some tips.
How can I reduce my carbon footprint?
When you drive your car, buy a pair of sneakers or grill a steak, you contribute to the emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. Even if you don’t realize it, that’s your carbon footprint. Many countries, institutions and companies have committed to reducing their emissions. Some countries even want to become completely climate neutral. As a private individual, you can also reduce your carbon footprint. You don’t have to become an extreme eco-savior now, but you should at least give it some thought.
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What is a carbon footprint?
Greenhouse gasses are emitted through the production and consumption of goods and services. Carbon footprint is a concept used to quantify the impact of an activity, person or country on climate change.
How much carbon is emitted in the production of your t-shirt, your meal or your phone? The amount depends on production and consumption decisions. Let’s take transport as an example: an airplane emits 285 g of CO2 per km, compared to 104 g for a car and 14 g for a train. The same goes for the type of meat or fish you eat or the type of jeans you buy. If you shop sustainably, you are already making a small contribution and reducing your carbon footprint.
Why it should really interest everyone!
The world’s seven billion people consume varying amounts of the planet’s resources. According to United Nations projections, the world population could reach 9.7 billion people by 2050 and over 11 billion people by 2100. Growing populations are driving up emissions and depleting the planet’s resources. In short, if we continue like this, the planet will eventually be destroyed.
Increased greenhouse gas emissions have a direct impact on global warming. It accelerates climate change with devastating effects on our planet. We can all help fight global warming by making climate-friendly choices in our daily lives.
How can you limit your carbon footprint?
Understanding your carbon footprint can help limit the environmental impact of your consumption. There are various solutions that you can use to estimate your carbon footprint and thus reduce it.
Small changes can make a big difference in the long run, such as transportation, food, clothing, waste, etc. Here are some tips:
Food
- Consume regional and seasonal products (e.g. leave out strawberries in winter)
- Limit meat consumption, especially beef
- Avoid fish if possible. FYI: There is no such thing as fish from sustainable fisheries!
- Bring reusable shopping bags and avoid products with excessive plastic packaging
- Make sure you only buy what you really need and can eat
Clothes
- Just wear your old clothes
- Try swapping, borrowing, renting or buying used
- Buy responsibly made clothing, such as made from recycled materials or eco-labelled
Transport
- Cycling or using public transport
- Be careful when and how you drive
- Try the train for your next vacation
Energy and waste
- Turn down the heating by 1°, that makes a big difference
- Take a quick shower
- Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or cleaning the dishes
- Unplug your electronic devices and don’t leave your phone charging if the battery is already full
- Do not store unnecessary data in the cloud
- Choose energy-efficient products with an “A” label (EU energy label)
- Limit and recycle your waste
Even small adjustments in your life can ensure less CO2 emissions and thus help the planet.
