On Your Carbon Footprint…

I recently saw an article on the New York Times website about carbon footprint reduction. It’s an in-depth and easy to read guide about carbon emissions and how to reduce them, a part of the paper’s new series of guides: “A Year of Living Better.” At first, I thought it was great—the page is dynamic, with hypertext, images, and lots of information without being overwhelming. It even had a quiz and a Q&A. Then I noticed that these guides are only available to subscribers to the paper.

This kind of information should not be behind a paywall. While everything in the guide is available for free elsewhere, it’s compiled so well here, and this easy, all-in-one resource should not be available only to those who can afford it.

So the following is a summary of information and resources the Times provided (but here, it’s free).

 

Calculate your carbon footprint

Transportation is the biggest source of CO2 emissions in the US as of November 2017 

-use gas and breaks lightly while driving to be more efficient; service your car regularly; don’t carry extra weight; use the air conditioning less often; try cruise control; and of course, whenever possible, use public transport, carpool, walk, bike, etc.

Calculate carbon emissions from your flights and consider offsetting those flight (and other) emissions by donating to sustainable projects (and make sure your offsets go to the right places)

Eat less (red) meat, but don’t replace it all with dairy

Eat more local foods, waste less food, don’t use disposable plates and cutlery

Calculate your energy usage or do an energy audit

-turn down heat, water heater; turn everything off when not using it; stream movies on a smart TV, not a game console (consoles use much more energy; use a laptop, not a desktop; use LED lights; and replace your old fridge if you can. insulate and seal your home; plant trees and shrubs around your home; consider installing a cool roof; you could even be eligible for incentives to make your home more energy efficient

RECYCLE

Buy used goods and clothing (with reusable bags!); if you buy new, try to buy quality products that will last; opt for natural fabrics (cotton, wool) over synthetics; consider who is making your clothes

VOTE