Your Carbon Footprint

Written By Admin
Dated: March 11, 2007

View More Articles

Print Friendly Page

Is your electric bill through the roof?  Does your gas heater run all winter long?  Do you drive a long and lonely commute every day?  Your carbon footprint is probably a bit large, then.  Your carbon footprint is a term that helps define the impact of your energy usage on the carbon cycle of the planet.

Our fossil fuels like oil and coal will not last forever, and while we burn them at the rates that we do, our planet is feeling the effects.  Everything we do, from heating our homes to flying on airplanes, contributes to our carbon emissions into the atmosphere, thus the carbon footprint.  In short, it is a measure of the carbon that we contribute to the atmosphere and thus to global warming.

Everything that you do or buy can contribute to your carbon footprint, from the temperature to which you heat (and cool) your home to the distance that your food travels before reaching you.  Little things can help, such as buying local produce and enduring a bit more in the way of temperature fluctuations in the winter and summer months.  

Commuting to work is a major carbon dioxide producer, however taking public transit or a carpool can reduce your impact significantly.  Finding a job within walking distance is ideal, of course.  What else (other than reducing the non-renewable resources that you use) can you do to offset your carbon footprint and the dangers of global warming?  Plant a tree.  Trees breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen for us to use.  They also improve the look and feel of a neighborhood while helping to prevent climate change.

Solar energy and other renewable energy sources are a great alternative to fossil fuels.  Other alternative energy sources, such as a water wheel or wind powered energy offer much less of a negative impact on the environment.

The Kyoto Protocol calls for the reduction of the consumption of non-renewable resources and a decrease in the carbon dioxide emissions of each country that ratifies the protocol.  Take the first steps in  your own home, and do the responsible thing for your planet, your future, and the future that your children will inherit.  A few small changes in the way that you live (such as planning outings to be more efficient and putting on extra sweaters instead of extra coal in the winter) can make a huge impact.