4 Ways To Shrink Your Carbon Footprint in Texas

Houston, Austin, Dallas: All three Texas cities – as well as others – are taking fantastic steps towards greener, more sustainable living.  Truth be told, however, city officials can only do so much by themselves.  Part of it is up to you.

What Is A Carbon Footprint?
Almost everything you do adds carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, from turning on your coffee maker in the morning to driving your car.  Your carbon footprint is how much you, as an individual, add to the atmosphere.  Here are a few things that you can do to decrease your carbon footprint:

FACT: Electricity production is one of the largest sources of carbon emissions.  According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, 70% of electricity is produced by burning fossil fuels, and each American adds 22 tons to the carbon dioxide load.

•    Lower/raise your thermostat 2 degrees in the winter/summer.  This can save you around $98 a year, and the world from around 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide.

•    Use energy-efficient light bulbs.  Save $60 a year.  If every household in America did this, it would remove around 1 trillion pounds of carbon dioxide.

•    Unplug appliances not currently in use.  Even turned off, they draw at least 1 watt of electricity.  Ten turned-off (but plugged in) appliances draw 240-watt hours a day and money from your wallet.

•    Buy things from within Texas.  The further away your products are manufactured the longer the drive is to transport them, which means more carbon emissions released into the atmosphere.  In addition, buying locally is generally cheaper than paying shipping/handling costs.

You may think one person in Texas won’t make a difference.  However, green building and sustainable living are like avalanches.  Once one individual starts the ball rolling, more will follow.

Tagged as: Buy Green, Carbon Footprint, texas