Sustainable Blog Edition #15.
So much of our daily life affects the planet in ways you may not even realize. In school they teach us about our individual carbon footprint, which is the total amount of greenhouse gases that are generated by our actions. While we can’t eliminate our impact, the good news is that there are many ways we can work to minimize our personal carbon footprint! Here are 5 now, so keep reading to find out what you can do:)
Instead of driving everywhere, take public transportation such as a bus or subway! If you want to incorporate some exercise and fresh air, ride your bike or walk! Perfect time to wear your favorite Lazy Hype;)
Green electricity is becoming more readily available and cheaper! A 100% green supply means all the electricity you buy is ‘matched’ by purchases of renewable energy such as wind farms and hydroelectric power stations. As more people sign up for these, it will drive up investment in these technologies which will drive down renewable energy prices!
Reduce: Buy less, buy products that have little or no packaging and that last a long time, borrow instead of buy, and compost.
Reuse: Upcycle instead of throw away, and refuse items such as single use plastics – plastic bags, disposable coffee cups and lids, plastic straws.
Recycle: Reclaim or reprocess items that have expired from their serviceable purpose, so they may once again be made into something useful and reduce the need for raw materials and expending energy to make new products.
Repair: Try to fix items before disposing of them.
Rot: Put things back into the waste stream to be used again for something else!
Refuse: Think before you buy, and also be prepared to not buy at all when unnecessary.
Rethink: Think about what you buy as this will help the environment. Look for better information on durability of products and try to buy products with as little packaging as possible.
Repurpose: Transform by-products, waste materials, useless or unwanted products into new materials or products.
300 million tons of plastic are produced globally each year. Without intervention, the amount of emissions from plastic will consume 17% of the global carbon budget by 2050! However, by doing our part individually we have the power to make a significant dent in these large numbers! An easy way to do this is to use reusable food containers, cups, shopping bags, straws, etc.