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The Chatter on Carbon Part 3: Our Carbon Footprint By Marie Bouffard/Special to ECHO  Now that we know more about the human c...

Blog Series: The Science of Stewardship

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The Chatter on Carbon Part 3: Our Carbon Footprint

By Marie Bouffard/Special to ECHO 

Now that we know more about the human contribution to the problem of increasing amounts of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, let’s talk about ways that we, everyday people, can take small steps to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases we release into the atmosphere. One way that people refer to our individual contribution to greenhouse gas emissions is by describing it as our carbon footprint.

A carbon footprint is basically a way of talking about the amount of carbon and other greenhouse gases a person, building, or company is contributing to the atmosphere based on their use of fossil fuels. The smaller the carbon footprint, the less negative impact the individual is making on the environment. If we each work on making our carbon footprints smaller these changes can add up in a big way toward becoming responsible stewards of our planet!

Let’s talk about what activities create carbon emissions and how we can make our footprint smaller. It’s easier than you might think!  Lots of things we use or do every day involve fossil fuels. Gas stoves, transportation, manufacturing of products/technologies, heating and air conditioning our homes, buying food shipped from far away, and electricity produced by coal or natural gas are all things that contribute to our carbon footprint. Yikes! The good news is that by making lots of small changes we can cut our footprint down to size without giving up the comforts we’re used to.

Shrinking your carbon footprint can be as simple as turning off the lights when you’re not using them. Leaving lights on when no one is home is a bigger waste than you might think. Did you know a 100W light bulb left on for just 30 minutes creates enough CO₂ to fill a party balloon? Keeping doors and windows shut when running the heat or air conditioning is also a great way to use less energy and save money. Check the insulation in your house to make sure money and energy isn’t flying away through any cracks!

Another big contributor to our carbon footprints is transportation. Our cars are great but burning fossil fuels is not. A great way to reduce your fossil fuel use is simply by driving less and using fuel more efficiently by carpooling and using public transportation. Or even better, ride your bike or walk to places when you can, then you get fresh air and exercise as well!

There are so many great ways to reduce our impact on the planet and many of them save money and are fun at the same time! A great project to consider is starting a garden and maybe even growing some of your own food! Plants take CO₂ out of the atmosphere so growing plants effectively reduces your carbon footprint. It doesn’t get better than eating tomatoes fresh off the vine that you grew yourself! Planting flowers is a great way to brighten up a yard, relax, spend time working together with family, and create a habitat for pollinators like birds and bumblebees and butterflies. So do some research, get creative, and reduce that carbon footprint!

Here is a helpful website that you can use to calculate your own carbon footprint:

http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx

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