How to Reduce Your Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Although the climate changes naturally on its own, humans contribute heavily to pollution of the environment. More and more people are wondering how they can do their part to help reduce the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. While change won't happen overnight, here are steps that you can take against global warming.

Steps

Water Conservation

These tips will help save money on your bills as well as water.

1. Take short showers and share bathwater. Showers use much less water. The other choice is to fill a bucket with water and take a can or a jug, and keep filling it with water from the bucket and pouring it over your head - if you have some extra water save it for some other person to use. You can lather yourself up with the water turned off in the middle of the shower.
2. Pollute less. Soap pollutes less than a shower gel. When washing dishes, wash greasy pans last to keep the water clean.
3. Turn off taps properly. Especially when brushing your teeth - every little helps.
4. Fix dripping taps. The constant drip wastes water, energy and money, so repair them as soon as possible. You can also save by installing an inexpensive "flow control" device in shower heads and faucets.
5. Turn down your water heater. The water heater is the second largest energy consumer in the home and using it efficiently can reduce emissions. If your house will be vacant for two or more days, you can lower the temperature of your water heater or even switch it off until you return.
   • If you have a new water heater, drain a few gallons from your tank every six months to remove sediment that accumulates and reduces the heater's efficiency.
   • If you only use your hot water once or twice a day, consider installing a timer on your hot water heater and set it up to run two hours in the morning and the evening.
   • The hot water heater setting can safely be lowered to 130-140 degrees fahrenheit or 60 celsius.
   • Wrapping a fiberglass blanket around your water heater and securing it with duct tape, or installing a ready-made insulation kit, can save up to 10% on water heating costs. Most new water heaters are already insulated, so this tip is most effective for heaters that are more than five years old. Also, insulate hot water pipes to reduce heat loss as the hot water is flowing to your faucets.
6. Use appliances efficiently. Running the clothes washer with a full load and using cold water (30 degrees celsius) whenever possible can lead to big energy savings. Use detergents that clean clothes effectively in colder water.
7. Use an efficient dishwasher instead of washing dishes by hand. The more efficient models of dishwasher use less water and power than washing dishes by hand, which uses many bowls of hot water. Only run it when it's full.
   • When shopping for a new dishwasher, look for models that require less hot water. Dishwashers differ in the number of gallons of hot water used in the wash cycle.
   • Many new dishwashers have an internal water heater that raises the temperature of the incoming water to 140 degrees. This device allows you to turn down the temperature on the water heater in your home and still have your dishes washed thoroughly.
   • Take advantage of the energy saving control on many dishwashers. It turns off the heat during the drying cycle. Opening the dishwasher after the rinse cycle and letting the dishes air dry is another way to save energy.

Transportation

Diet

1. Eat low on the food chain. This might mean becoming vegetarian or even vegan. On average, it takes nearly 10 times as much fossil fuel to produce animal protein (including commercially caught or farmed fish) compared to plant protein, like beans and grains. According to a 2006 University of Chicago study, a vegan diet contributes 1.5 fewer tons of CO2 or CO2 equivalents to the atmosphere each year than the average North American diet.
2. Buy local produce when you go to the grocery store rather than items trucked in from far away, and bring it home in reusable bags. There can be exceptions, as when imported food has been produced in a more sustainable way than local and then shipped (energy efficient) rather than flown (very energy inefficient).
3. Buy sustainable or organically-produced food. Conventional farming uses massive quantities of petrochemicals in the manufacture of artificial pesticides and fertilizers and to run farm machinery. Organic and other traditional or natural farmers use minimal fossil fuel inputs. Some even use draught animals instead of internal combustion engines.

Shopping

1. Buy only post-consumer recycled paper products, including toilet paper and tissues. The paper industry is the third greatest contributor to global warming emissions. Buying recycled is as important as recycling - it's called "closed loop" recycling.
   • Don’t buy from companies that refuse to make post-consumer paper! Producing new paper, glass, and metal products from recycled materials saves 70% to 90% of the energy and pollution that results from products made from virgin materials.
2. Buy certified FSC wood to support sustainably managed forests. This includes garden furniture, wooden-handled hair brushes and bird boxes.
3. Take corporate action. Tell the companies you invest in that you care about global warming and you will pull your investments if they don’t address the issue. Don’t like a company’s stance on global warming? Go to shareholder meetings and speak up!
4. Look for the CarbonCounted logo. There is a logo called CarbonCounted that companies can put on their products to communicate their carbon footprint. Look for products that have a low CarbonCounted footprint number.

Community

1. Look into Transition Towns. This is an initiative that focuses on the strength and sharing of community to cope with the peak oil phenomenon.
2. Knowledge is power. Learn everything you can about global warming. What is it? How does global warming work? Why is it happening? What are the causes? What are the critics saying?
3. Write to the editor of your local newspaper about the dangers of global warming.
4. Call a local radio talk show to tell them you care about global warming or to question a skeptic.
5. Join a national or local environmental group that is fighting the climate crisis everyday, so their membership numbers swell and their voice has more power.
6. E-mail relevant articles to your friends and family to get them up to speed about global warming.
7. Write to your local council to ask for environmentally minded services such as recycling collection. If they write back with a negative reply, give the letter to your local paper.
8. Educate yourself, you family, your friends, your co-workers and everyone you meet. Our culture is just waking up to issues that have existed for years. The more people are aware of the issues the more likely they are to make decisions that will be constructive!

Tips

• Before turning on any electrical, oil or gas-powered machine, think: "Is there another way to do this task?" Be creative!
• To better keep track of your greenhouse gas emissions use a greenhouse gas calculator.
  • You could also calculate your "Footprint". This is often calculated in acres. Try to reduce your "footprint" as much as possible, as it is good for the environment. You can do this on several websites, including this one. In addition to calculating your footprint, you can learn more about Global Warming, climate change, and "going green".
• Encourage architects and builders to use more natural resources when building houses, e.g. solar energy to heat water.
• Get a home energy audit. Many utilities offer free audits, which may reveal simple ways to cut emissions.

published 3 years ago

scott

645 points