Organic Energy News
11 Experts Give Tips to Reduce Carbon Footprint
We found 11 people from around the world who share our passion and commitment to the environment and asked for their top tips to reduce Co2 emissions.
Many people are concerned about Co2 emissions and the environment but don't always know how they can help. There is plenty of helpful advice out there so we asked for the best, the unusual or the lesser known things we can do to lower our carbon footprint.
Robin Chase is the Co-founder of Zipcar & Veniam, author of "Peers Inc".
Twitter: @rmchase
This question is easy: 1) eat less meat and 2) reduce the trips you take alone in your car. If you've done those two already, take a look at your air travel and how you heat your home.
Eric Corey Freed is a green architect, author and speaker who transforms how people look at their buildings.
Twitter: @Ericcoreyfreed
In reality, the best thing any of us can do to reduce our individual footprint is to stop eating meat. The embodied energy, water and effort it takes to produce beef is enormous, and has more benefit than you taking public transit or changing out your lightbulbs to LEDs or CFLs. If you can't bear the thought of giving up your precious cheeseburger, then just skip all meat every Monday (what I call "Meatless Mondays.")
Sarah is the acclaimed author of The Not So Big House series, Home By Design and The Not So Big Life.
Twitter: @sarahsusanka
One quick tip is to simply change the filters on the furnace regularly. There are lots of other small things one can do to upgrade the energy efficiency of one’s home. Weather strip doors and windows, replace light bulbs with more energy efficient ones, paint with low or no volatile organic compounds (VOC) finishes and consider installing a solar hot-water system.
Gitanjali is the founder and CEO of India's largest online garden store GreenMyLife.
Twitter: @igreenmylife
Try and grow as much of your food as possible thereby reducing trips to the supermarket and source your food locally.
Debra is a journalist, columnist, professional blogger, speaker and green business practice consultant who focuses on environmental issues, endangered wild and marine life and the newest green innovations.
Twitter: @Envirothink
Reducing your carbon footprint isn't as hard as it may sound. It takes being aware of how and what you purchase. Be informed. Read labels. Where do the things you generally buy come from? If it's from overseas (like China or Indonesia), find something comparable that's more local. The more you're aware of where things come from, the easier it will be to choose things that don't have to travel tens of thousands of miles to get to you.
Shubhi is a Ph.D., Novelist, Penner of 'Why Outside, Why Not India?' (a research study on brain drain turned into a story) and author of 10 books on Computer Science. She is also a visiting Professor and tries to reduce carbon footprints.
Usage of solar cookers for cooking and personal small wind turbines for generation of electricity in day to day life can reduce the usage of fuel consumption. We can also go for car pooling and reduce the consumption of petrol and diesels while traveling.
Dagmar is the founder of the lifestyle blog Dagmar's Home and blogs about cottage decor, thrifty & vintage finds, easy DIY, green and frugal living, and parenting.
Twitter: @DagmarBleasdale
My top tip -- and the easiest to accomplish -- is making your own green cleaners with natural ingredients. You just need to google "DIY green cleaners" to find many recipes. All you really needs is vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda -- all those things Grandma used. Air fresheners are toxic, and many other store-bought cleaners are as well.
Dan is a serial social entrepreneur focused on creating models that engage the public in the process of investing in other social entrepreneurs. He's currently preparing to launch an Equity CrowdInvesting Platform focused strictly on Climate Change Solutions.
Twitter: @TreeBanker
In the developed world almost everything we do or buy has a carbon price attached, regardless of whether that price has been externalized.
Turning off unnecessary lights at home is extremely important but I like to go a little further by turning off the lights in public restrooms (when the switch is available - and nobody else is in the restroom of course) and dressing rooms and other public places. It's actually become a bit of a game at times and a bit annoying for people who come in after me but I know I'm constantly doing another little bit to help.
Many people don't associate their food choices with their carbon footprint. When we're presented with a choice to purchase produce from a local farm versus produce shipped across the planet we always go with locally grown. Organic farming practices also generate a much smaller carbon footprint. The production and use of synthetic fertilizer is extremely carbon intensive and even though there is a debate about whether organic farmers supplementing their soil with manure is truly carbon neutral, I believe local and organic are better all the way around.
There is no debate about the carbon footprint of red meat production. I won't presume the authority to tell anyone what to eat but I don't mind reminding people that on the macro scale, factory farming beef is a huge problem.
My top tip is simply keep the need to reduce our carbon footprints lingering at the top of our minds and constantly take small measures. Huge sweeping government policy changes are obviously required to keep the atmospheric carbon level below catastrophic levels but the small actions of the crowd are just as important. If "we" want to leave a sustainable planet for future generations "WE" must accept that responsibility and act on it constantly.
Steve is a solar and wind off grid power designer.
Twitter: @sspence65
Reduce phantom loads. Anything that can be turned on with a remote, or has a light or display that is on when not is use is a phantom load. Put these on a switched outlet strip, turn off when not in use, and watch your electric bill go down.
Christiane is a blogger and communicator, mother of two, living in the Italian countryside.
Twitter: @chrisbuerklein
Following the 3R-scheme (reduce, reuse, recycle) we should try to practice more reuse in our daily life and ask ourselves if we really need something when we're going to buy it (owning less but possibly better and functional things).
Anyway I try to privilege local providers (food, possibly organic), the use of public transport and I teach my children to take care of your world even this may sound weird but respect for our world is fundamental if we want to reduce our carbon footprint.
Glenn is a writer, producer, and publisher who founded Green Streets, LLC.
Twitter: @grileymeyers
Think, Think, Think! Consider realistic steps you can take to reduce your carbon footprint, then share your solutions and actions with others.
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