Education Towards Reducing Your Carbon Footprint

Current events regarding climate change are troubling, and there is a strong desire among many to make a difference in the battle against this force of nature.The best way to tackle the problem is by enacting eco-friendly policy changes, but that can take quite a long, especially when you consider the differences of opinion that can derail political attempts to mitigate the damage in order to curb the problem at hand. However, there are things that the individual can do to help combat climate change. Here are a few ways to do just that.

Clean Energy

Fossil fuels are the primary contributing factor to the excess of carbon dioxide in the environment that leads to global warming. Clean energy sources are available, most notably solar energy. Solar energy beats out the competition in terms of accessibility, because solar panels come in various sizes, and some of them are quite small. This means that solar panels are more affordable than wind turbines, for example, and easier to install. Likewise, the smaller size of solar panels gives them more flexibility in terms of installation, and you can gradually add additional panels as you can afford to.

Solar energy isn’t perfect, however, as it remains less efficient overall than its alternatives including, crucially, fossil fuels. However, the technology continues to advance, and it will continue to do so as research and development continue to be funded. You can do your part to move the technology even further ahead by pursuing an online masters in sustainable energy and working in the industry.

Disincentivizing Industry

Production is one of many ways that carbon dioxide is generated, as factories consume a lot of combustible fossil fuel to continue operation. This means that factories producing fewer goods could decrease pollution, but the problem is then a lack of goods. There are two methods of addressing this problem, however. For starters, producing your own goods when possible can decrease the demand placed on manufacturers, and you can do this by growing your own crops. This is a great way to save money, as seeds are typically much cheaper than store bought produce.

Likewise, you can frequent farmers’ markets to get your produce. In either case, you can circumvent industrial farms and thereby lower the demand for such production, thereby potentially reducing the carbon footprint of industrial farming. In a similar vein, cattle produce a lot of methane, another greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. While this excess methane is less substantial than that of carbon dioxide, it is nonetheless an avenue by which the presence of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere can be reduced. Simply by buying less beef, you can lower the demand for it and reduce the extent of cattle farming.

Zero Waste

Another common problem with the current state of commerce is that of plastic waste. Products of all kinds often have plastic wrappers, and this is an issue because plastic doesn’t decompose like an organic alternative like paper would. It’s also worth noting that plastic wrappers are designed and manufactured for the explicit purpose of being disposable, and many other disposable products are made of plastic. All of this is to say that plastic waste has gotten out of hand, and there are many who have gone out of their way to procure the products they need in a way that circumvents plastic waste. Likewise, the Zero Waste lifestyle aims to reduce waste in general, a feat that isn’t easily accomplished in the current production landscape. However, it can be done, in whole or in part, and it can reduce the harmful impact of the waste produced by human society.

Combating climate change will take a long time and a concerted effort from individuals, corporations, and governments alike. However, even the individual has some recourse by which they can reduce their own impact on the planet. These tips offer only a few of the options available, but they can help you get started.