The first step in reducing the carbon footprint involves calculating one's carbon print. After understanding where the emissions emanate from, it is easier to take measures towards reducing carbon emissions (Skjelvik et al., 2017). One such measure is carpooling, which incorporates the use of shared private cars to reduce the overall number of vehicles with single occupants. Alternatively, Switching to electric or hybrid vehicles reduces carbon emissions significantly since they produce no carbon emissions if charged with electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar (Igliński & Babiak, 2017). Besides, opting for reusable items, reducing unnecessary purchasing, recycling, and composting reduces the carbon footprint. On the other hand, moving towards sustainable energy involves discovering and using energy sources that are not likely to be depleted in a time scale relevant to humans (Matias et al., 2019). One such source is geothermal energy derived from the heat of the earth to generate electricity. It can be used directly to heat buildings and help grow greenhouse plants and heat fishponds during winter (Mikulčić et al., 2017). More so, oceans also can be harnessed to produce energy from either the tidal waves or thermal heat from the sun’s heat. The thermal energy gets converted into electricity through systems that make use of warm surface water temperatures. In contrast, waves generated by the action of wind or the moon are converted into renewable energy. Further, to be more energy-efficient, building owners should make use of sustainable, renewable energy sources (Das & Neithalath, 2018). These sources include solar, hydro, and wind power that is harnessed naturally, and are unlikely to be depleted. This is unlike coal and oil, which diminish due to consumption (Mitias & João, 2016). Moreover, good practices such as the use of LED bulbs instead of incandescent ones, switching off lights when not in use, completely switching off electric devices when not in use as well as ensuring that buildings are well insulated facilitate significant levels of energy consumption.
References
Das, B. B., & Neithalath, N. (2018). Sustainable Construction and Building Materials: Select Proceedings of ICSCBM 2018 . Basingstoke: Springer.
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Igliński, H., & Babiak, M. (2017). Analysis of the Potential of Autonomous Vehicles in Reducing the Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in Road Transport. Procedia Engineering , 192 , 353-358. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2017.06.061
Matias, J. C., Nunes, L. J., & Godina, R. (2019). Sustainable Energy Systems: From Primary to End-Use . Basel: MDPI.
Mikulčić, H., Klemeš, J. J., Vujanović, M., Urbaniec, K., & Duić, N. (2016). Reducing greenhouse gasses emissions by fostering the deployment of alternative raw materials and energy sources in the cleaner cement manufacturing process. Journal of Cleaner Production , 136 , 119-132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.04.145
Skjelvik, J. M., Erlandsen, A. M., & Haavardsholm, O. (2017). Environmental impacts and potential of the sharing economy . Nordic Council of Ministers.
