How to Help Our Planet by Reducing Our Carbon Footprint

A person's carbon footprint is measured by how many greenhouse gases this person releases in its daily activities. Make sure that you care to be remembered by your good deeds and not by your carbon emissions.

In order to minimize your carbon footprint you will need determination, a deep concern for the future of our planet and future generations and a sense of personal responsibility and accountability.

For starters you can begin by turning your thermostat higher in the summertime and switch it to a lower temperature in the wintertime by just two degrees. Just by doing this you'll keep hundreds of pounds of carbon dioxide from being released to our environment each year.

Closing the doors to rooms that you don't use in order to maximize heating and air conditioning is a very effective way to support the environment and to save money as well. Insulating doors and windows will save you even more money heating costs.

Turning off and unplugging your computer, television, and any other electronics that you're not using makes a big difference when you consider the big picture. Remember that even electronics that are left in sleep mode consume power.

Habits are hard to break but if we reprogram ourselves we can make a difference. To put things into perspective, when you leave your television's cable box on around the clock day after day, you are using about 65% as much energy as any average refrigerator.

Changing all incandescent light bulbs in your home into compact fluorescent bulbs will make a big difference carbon wise and cost savings wise as well. Compact fluorescent bulbs use on average about 75% less energy.

Set a day for laundry so you make sure that you have full loads, the same applies to your dishwasher, wait until you have a load full of dishes before you set it on. By doing this you will be saving water and it's also a good excuse not to clean.

Eating local plays many roles as far as our finances, cost savings and our carbon print. Surely an organic out-of-season fruit or vegetable that comes from another part of the world may sound very appealing, but think about the trip it had to make on a container ship. Plus you usually pay more which increases our expenses.

Take a canvas tote with you when you go shopping, that way you will be setting an example and when you're asked "paper or plastic?" you can respond "Green". It may sound silly and you don't really have to respond this way but you get my point.

When going to work, or buying your coffee bring your own mug, taking this step will keep you from trashing about 20 pounds of disposable cups every year.

Try to stop consuming bottled water. Most tap water isn't quite safe, but if you get a filter your water won't only taste better but you will also end up saving money in the long run. Buy your own to-go bottle and fill it up every time you need a drink of water.

Planting a tree is one of the best things you can do, can you imagine the impact we would have on the world if everyone planted one tree? Trees help to productively reduce greenhouse gases, and every single tree counts. Consider it a gift from you to the planet we all share.

Cut down on your gasoline consumption. Don't just get in your car every time you need to run an errand. Plan your trips and if possible avoid driving. A more active lifestyle promotes better health and a side effect would be less smog in our air.

If possible in your area use public transportation, you can also carpool and take turns or even ride your bicycle or walk. Riding your bike or walking is therapeutic and healthy.