Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Tips to Help You Lower Your Carbon Footprint

Are you looking to lower your carbon footprint? If so then you would certainly not be on your own. Global warming is an extremely real problem and every day we are bombarded with advertisements telling us how we can help. However, many people are still confused as to what they can actually do to make a difference.

Within this article, you will find out how you can help to lower your own carbon footprint. There is always something that you can do; it is just a matter of understanding the things that really make a difference.

How to Lower your Footprint

There are so many ways in which you can lower your carbon footprint. Basically, your carbon footprint is known as the amount of greenhouse gases that you use on a daily basis. There are various activities that we do every day that contributes towards our carbon footprint such as turning lights on, using electrical appliances, and throwing away our waste. Once you realize exactly what it is that is contributing to your carbon footprint, it is then that you can figure out how to lower it.

First, think about the amount of heat that you waste. Heat escaping from your home can be a problem and not only that but it can cost you a lot of money too. You will be using more energy to heat your home if it isn't properly insulated and that will cost you more on your energy bills. So ensuring that your loft is insulated, that your windows are double-glazed and that there are no draughts coming in through your doors will all help you to lower your carbon footprint.

Choosing energy efficient appliances will also help a great deal. You can purchase energy efficient washing machines, refrigerators and microwaves as well as entertainment systems. So why not switch to an energy saving appliance as soon as you can afford to?

It is the Small Changes that really matter

More often than not, it is the small changes that you can make which will help the most. For example, did you know that overfilling your kettle could be wasting a lot of energy? By just filling up as much as you need you could save a considerable amount of energy annually. If you find that you use your kettle a lot throughout the day then why not invest in a flask? That way you can keep a large amount of water heated up all throughout the day. Recycling your plastic goods mean they get reused instead of going straight to landfill.

Turning lights off when they are not in use is another handy tip to lower your carbon footprint. Recycling your waste instead of simply just throwing it in the bin will also help.

Overall, there are so many ways in which you can help the environment. If you make just one change, it will make a lot of difference. So why not start lowering your carbon footprint today?

Sylvia Kittens lives in Harrogate, England

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