Energy usage is the highest contributor to my carbon footprint. I live in an apartment building, and my carbon footprint figures are 12,000 Ibs CO2 (5.02MT). Associated with this energy consumption are the cooking gas, electric bulbs, and the refrigerator. Often, the light bulbs are left on to provide some lighting in the night, and during the day most of the bulbs are not switched off. And the electric bulbs have not been changed to fluorescents which have been designed to consume less energy (carbon footprint, Information). The energy-saving fluorescent bulbs are expensive but last much longer than the incandescent lamps, which produce more carbon footprint. The television and computer are sometimes in standby modes, something that needs to change because switching them off saved energy. I have also noticed that my mobile phone charger is constantly attached to the switchboard. It is important to do all we can to reduce our power consumption because it will contribute to reducing the overall carbon footprint in a home and community.
Water is a critical component in a home. Its usage is also significantly related to the level of carbon footprint. Water consumption has a close relationship with energy consumption. Looking at my carbon footprint sources, how to reduce it has given me a new perspective on water usage. The health benefit of improving water preservation and quality is important, and it affects many areas of life such as drinking, and aquaculture practices. And I do plenty of gardening. Thus, it is necessary to preserve household water supply. Rainwater, as much as possible, should be harvested during the raining seasons. And I have to irrigate my garden. It is essential to boil less water and avoid drinking bottled water because of the environmental cost of production and transportation of the bottles. My cooking pots have to be covered while cooking to enhance the cooking time and conserve the energy required for cooking any meal. Tap water drinking should be explored instead of bottled water.
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Correct waste management practices will help reduce carbon footprint. Waste is known to contribute to carbon gas emissions. The proper use of waste and its reduction results in air and land pollution. Waste from living things, of which humans are a part discharges the methane gas and carbon dioxide into the air. Groundwater sources and the soil are affected by waste. Critical steps towards waste management will include the recycling of materials that can be recycled; avoiding household burning of rubbish; and planning on buying re-usable products. One has to separate bottles and plastic materials for recycling and buy refills when possible and appropriate. It is important to think of reusable products when shopping because it helps one to avoid buying materials that will end up as environmental waste.
My mode of transportation is another carbon footprint contributing factor. I have known that when the journey I intend to undertake is a short distance trip, cycling and public transport are the best options to consider. The health and environmental benefits are more than driving a car. Vehicular movements have a high carbon gas emission rate. Short car journeys are significant contributors to a city’s overall carbon gas emissions. Flights have higher rate compared to cars. And people who use flight often are encouraged to offset their carbon footprint for the benefit of the environment. Also, if there is a train route to where I might be going, it is the best option to take to my destination. This choice is because it is beneficial to the environment for one to travel in a train than using a car which will contribute more to the emissions. It is also good to try an alternative source of transports that applies renewable energy as fuel sources.
Reference
Carbon Footprint. (N.D). Information. Retrieved from http://www.carbonfootprint.com/minimisecfp.html
