Top Tips for Reducing Your Carbon Footprint

Top Tips for Reducing Your Carbon Footprint

Today, more than ever, people are aware of the impact human activities are having on the climate.

The phrase 'carbon footprint' is now commonly used as a way of measuring the amount of greenhouse gases produced by humans.

Each of us can easily and simply play a key part in reducing carbon dioxide emissions, whether that's by driving less aggressively or taking part in the Hubbards Carbon Crusade and planting native trees.

The following are some top tips from Dr Sean Weaver of Victoria University in Wellington which will help to keep your carbon footprint as clean as possible.

1. Use less fuel:
Drive less:
- Car pool
- Use public transport
- Walk or cycle (especially short distances)
- Work from home
- Shop locally
- Work locally
- Explore the recreational and social opportunities within your community close to home

Drive efficiently:
- Drive less aggressively
- Accelerate more gently
- Drive 5km/hour slower
- Avoid driving in peak traffic
- Remove roof racks and bike racks when they are not being used
- Have your car serviced regularly by a local mechanic
- Remove unnecessary weight from your car (e.g. clean out your boot)
- Drive a car with low emissions - especially a hybrid, or small engine car

2. Use less energy (electricity, gas, firewood) at home:
- Turn down the water temperature of your hot water cylinder
- Install a solar water heating unit
- Cook with a microwave rather than oven
- Turn appliances off at the wall when they are not in use - especially stereos and televisions
- Switch lights off when you leave a room
- Insulate the house to hold in heat in winter
- Choose appliances with a good energy star rating - especially refrigerators
- Have shorter showers
- Replace standard incandescent light bulbs with energy efficient bulbs
- Use less hot water when washing dishes
- Dry clothes on a washing line rather than in a dryer

3. Produce less waste:
- Buy products with the least amount of packaging
- Buy products that use recyclable packaging
- Compost your food scraps
- Recycle everything that you can
- Consider buying products second hand
- Sell things you no longer use (garage sale, online auction, newspaper advertisement, etc)

4. Don't support deforestation:
- Only print documents when absolutely necessary
- Recycle paper and cardboard
- Ask retailers of tree products (timber, furniture, paper, firewood, etc) whether or not the product was sourced from a sustainably managed forest (e.g. continually replanted New Zealand pine).
- Use an efficient wood burner rather than an open fire
- Take part in the Hubbards Carbon Crusade and help plant some native trees (see www.carboncrusade.com for further information)

5. Get Vocal:
- Let your local council and local MP know that you believe that climate change is a very serious threat that they should be doing their best to avoid
- Take the climate change issue into consideration when choosing who to vote for in the next local elections
- Let unsustainable businesses (e.g. retailers of rainforest timber 'Kwila', products with excessive packaging) know why you are choosing not to purchase their products
- Talk about the climate change issue with your friends and family; make sure that you talk about climate change in a way that is positive, open-minded, non-judgmental and empowering to others
- Encourage sustainable workplace practices in your own workplace

ENDS

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