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Your use of this website constitutes and manifests your acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy, Cookie Notification, and awareness of the California Privacy Rights. Pursuant to U.S. Copyright law, as well as other applicable federal and state laws, the content on this website may not be reproduced, distributed, displayed, transmitted, cached, or otherwise used, without the prior, express, and written permission of Athlon Media Group. Ad Choices
Large companies have long been responsible for a majority of the greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere. In fact, according to Carbon Majors Report, just 100 companies have contributed 70 percent of the world’s emissions since 1988.
But that’s not to say that what you do personally doesn’t matter. Of course, it does! Whether at home or on the go, we all have a carbon footprint—that’s greenhouses gases emitted due to the consumption of fossil fuels.
Greenhouse gases—carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases—are a natural byproduct of human activities. However, there are plenty of eco-friendly things you can do to cut back on those emissions and in turn, reduce your carbon footprint.
Keep reading for 105 actionable ways to reduce your emissions!
Electricity takes energy and if there’s energy involved, you know there are emissions, too. While it may not make too much of an impact on your overall electric bill (though certainly some), turning off the lights in each room when you’re not using them is a habit that’s well worth it.
Likewise, unplugging items that need electricity when they are not in use is another meaningful way to reduce carbon footprint. We all know not to leave the straightener on, but other items—like Christmas trees, microwaves, chargers, and more—can all be unplugged when they’re not in use.
Heating the water in a washing machine is half the battle, but you can easily minimize how much energy the machine uses by opting for cold water.
Some people call them “dryers,” others tell it like it is and call them “shrinkers.” By abandoning the dryer in your home, you won’t only improve the longevity and quality of your clothes; you’ll also reduce emissions. Simply hang-dry clothes, towels, and other fabrics instead.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), leaving the tap running while you brush your teeth wastes an average of four gallons each time you do it. Turn it on to wet your toothbrush, turn it off while you brush, then turn it on again to rinse. You’ll save about four gallons and use less energy!
OK, this one may be hard to commit to for those who love their self-care time while getting clean. But it really is better for the environment to take shorter showers and shorter baths. The shorter the bathing, the less energy used to heat up the water.
Solar panels make a big impact—and not just on the planet, but on your wallet, too. It varies from state to state, but generally, solar panels significantly reduce the use of electricity and therefore, the cost of your electric bill. That’s because they charge up from the sun’s rays and use that energy to power your home instead.
Solar power is just one example of renewable; others include wind, hydroelectric energy, geothermal heat, rain, tides, and waves, too. All in all, renewables—that’s clean energy resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale—are much more sustainable in the long run than fossil fuels like natural gas, oil, coal, and then nuclear energy.
If you’re in the market for a new car, consider making the switch to a more sustainable one, like a hybrid or an electric vehicle (EV). Most EVs get about 250~ miles on a single charge (give or take and of course, it also depends on how you drive) and have a plethora of energy-saving features like one-pedal driving and paddle braking.
Some of our favorite models for 2022 include the Mustang Mach-E (which starts at $42,895 and is eligible for $7,500 federal tax credit) and the Mercedes EQS 580 4Matic Sedan (which starts at $119,110).
Do you know how much heat you’re losing by not properly insulating your home? Heat (and energy) slip out the cracks of windows, doors, and other drafty areas but your home also doesn’t hold onto the heat very well without proper insulation. Make sure to insulate loft and wall areas to the best of your ability. This will help trap heat in the winter, keep it cool in the warmer months, and even mean using less energy and fronting less on the electric bill.
Does it seem like a silly one? Well, it has a surprisingly big impact. If you’ve got excess water laying around, maybe from boiling water for pasta or ramen for example, don’t pour it down the drain. Instead, pour it into a bowl or bucket. Once it cools down, you can use it to water your plants.
If you’re not currently shopping around for new appliances, then maybe it’s best to keep what you have for now. However, if you are in the market for an appliance or two, try to choose energy-efficient ones with the Energy Star certification.
Related: 17 Earth Day Recipe Ideas for Kids
LED light bulbs are more energy-efficient than incandescent lighting. If you don’t want to do LEDs, compact fluorescent ones are also a more sustainable alternative to incandescents.
Most—if not all of your expenses—provide the option for paperless billing nowadays. Whether it’s a medical bill, your EZ pass statement, or credit card bills, enroll in paperless billing and pay online. That means less mail, which equals less paper gone to waste.
Another great option for sustainable lighting is to enlist the help of motion-sensor lighting. That way, if you’re constantly forgetting to turn off the lights when they’re not in use, motion-sensing lights do the work for you.
When the computer is not in use, make sure to fully turn it off. Running the computer while it’s in sleep or dormant mode still requires energy and if that energy isn’t being put to good use, it’s being wasted.
Carrying a reusable water bottle can indirectly reduce your emissions or carbon footprint. You may be wondering, How? Well, plastic bottles give off emissions if not recycled properly. Plus, the more single-use bottles you use, the more those emissions rack up. By consolidating to a reusable bottle, you’re reusing instead of discarding and making emissions.
Solar power isn’t just for your roof. Grouphug makes solar chargers that hang in the window, store energy from the sun, they can be used to charge your devices—laptop, phone, and whatever else. No electricity is necessary!
Big companies are responsible for a majority of greenhouse gas emissions thanks to not-so-eco-friendly practices that prioritize convenience and money rather than the environment. That’s why it’s so impactful to shop small businesses rather than corporations (we’re looking at you, Amazon).
Small businesses definitely have a lower impact on the environment, but it’s also crucial because putting your money in the hands of a small business is much more meaningful than giving it to billionaires. Support local artisans and makers and you’ll be reducing emissions but also putting money back into your own community.
Of course, safety first! But whenever it’s possible, choosing to walk somewhere overdriving is a more sustainable alternative. Our bodies aren’t half as gas-guzzling as cars are and though we have a carbon footprint, too, it’s nothing compared to driving a vehicle.
Related: How to Quit Single-Use Plastic
Public transportation is another great way to reduce emissions. Since public transit can transport dozens of people all at once, it cuts down on energy/fuel/emissions needed and made. If 30 people take public transit, that’s a lot fewer emissions than if 30 people separately drove their own cars.
Carpooling is another meaningful option for Mother Earth. By the same logic as using public transportation, transporting more than one person in a car is always better for the planet than transporting just one person. Fewer cars equal less greenhouse gas emissions and less fuel needed.
Basically, driving your own car solo is the worst form of transportation—at least, as far as the planet is concerned. Exhaust—see what we did there!—all other resources first; walking, public transportation, carpooling with others, and even biking.
Buying local ensures that you’re a) supporting small/local businesses in your area, b) shopping in season, and c) keeping your food miles low. What are food miles? Food miles refer to the distance your food has to travel from the time it’s made/picked/grown, to the time it reaches you, the consumer. The less your mileage, the better because that also means fewer resources.
Shopping produce that’s in season is a great way to ensure that your food isn’t using too many unnecessary resources. If you live in New York and are buying strawberries in the dead of winter, it’s a safe assumption that those strawberries came from somewhere else… somewhere far away from where they are in season. That costs a lot of money and resources to transport as well as water to freeze them.
We’re not going to tell you to go vegetarian or vegan. However, reducing your red meat consumption is one of the best things you can do for the planet. After all, the Environmental Defense Fund says that if every American ate one meat-free meal per week, it’s the equivalent of removing 5 million cars off the roads per year. You can’t deny that impact… especially because beef production is specifically harmful. It requires 160 times more land and contributes 36 kilograms of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere for every kilogram of beef.
When an organic matter that biodegrades—such as food—is thrown out in the trash, it doesn’t exactly just break down on its own. In the wrong environment for it to break down naturally, most trashed food scraps just sit in the landfill where they emit methane—which, arguably, is a more harmful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, even.
A shower bucket is exactly what it sounds like. Keep a bucket in the shower while you bathe so it collects the excess water. You can use this shower-bucket water to water the plants, garden, flush the toilets, or whatever else.
Single-use plastics undoubtedly cause emissions—first, when they’re made and second, when they’re discarded. Cutting back on your single-use plastic usage and purchases is an easy way to ensure that you’re not contributing to those emissions. This could be everything from plastic straws and utensils to drink bottles and disposable coffee cups.
Dog poop (and other pet feces) are technically compostable, but they need to be taken care of the right way in order to dispose of them in a greenway. You never want to compost any feces with any food; that would be cross-contaminating. There are two main ways to compost dog poo: First, you can use the Doggie Dooley, an in-ground waste disposal system that gets buried underground. Throw the waste in there and it’s relatively low maintenance. Second, you can try DIY composting. If you choose that option, check out these guidelines from the USDA.
It may seem like it goes without saying, but if you’re going to recycle, it’s important to recycle properly. Always recycle paper, steel, and tin or aluminum cans. In most cities (check your local municipalities’ rules, of course), glass can be recycled as well. And always check for the triangular number on the bottom of plastic containers. This dictates whether the plastic container is recyclable and also, how to recycle it.
Sorry—we know it sucks. Shopping less means using fewer resources and producing less waste.
Related: The 10 Best Metal Straws on Amazon.com
Instead of immediately throwing away food scraps—or even composting them, which yes, is definitely the better option—try to reuse them for different recipes. For example, if you make your own almond milk, turn the resulting excess almond meal into cookies, scones, or muffins.
Again, this one kinda sucks but air travel is pretty awful for the environment. The less you fly, the fewer emissions contributed. After all, planes take a heck of a lot of jet fuel to power them and according to The New York Times, air travel contributes about 3 to 4 percent of all total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
Listen, we can’t all avoid air travel. Sometimes, it’s necessary and sometimes, we really want to travel! If you do find yourself flying, try to fly direct whenever possible. Fewer stops are better for the environment, especially when you’re traveling far ways.
Some people will choose to purchase carbon emission offsets when they fly. If you’re unfamiliar with these programs, here’s how it works: Pay a fee in acknowledgment of the emissions you’re contributing and that money goes toward programs that plant trees, execute land restoration, and more.
The idea behind offsets if that you are balancing the amount of carbon added to the atmosphere by removing the same amount from the atmosphere. So, if you contribute one tonne of carbon dioxide by traveling, you can remove one tonne of carbon dioxide by planting anywhere from 31 to 46 trees.
Just don’t do it.
Instead of buying a bigger model car—like an SUV—ask yourself if you really need a larger vehicle or if you’re
Definitely stay away from sport mode. Yes, it’s made for efficiency—especially if you need to quickly speed up to bypass someone or merge—but it’s not made with the planet in mind. But apart from that, there are other ways to drive in an eco-friendly way. Braking and accelerating are also hard on your car… and on the environment so, whenever possible, try to avoid braking or accelerating too fast. The more you coast, the better.
Did you know apps like Waze, Google Maps, and Apple Maps just might be good for Mother Earth? Sitting in traffic isn’t very eco-friendly. You’re wasting gas and other resources just idling in traffic, so finding alternative routes to avoid traffic is ideal for maximizing your car’s mileage and everything else.
Got three places to go today? Hit them up one after the other rather than running one errand at 9 am, another at 1 pm, and one later at 5 pm. Of course, sometimes we can’t help it—we have to do things and go places!—but if your errands can be condensed at all, one car trip is better than three.
Cruise control is surprisingly sustainable. It goes back to avoiding braking and fast accelerating. At a steady pace with your foot off the accelerator, a vehicle uses less gas, so it’s safe to say that if you’re going on a long trip, cruise control is a meaningful way to cut back on emissions.
You don’t have to give up meat entirely if you don’t want to, but it’s better for the environment to live a flexitarian lifestyle. That means cutting back on meat by substituting in some plant-based meals. It’s not vegetarian; just flexitarian, meaning that you’re flexible and eat both.
Tires that are properly inflated maximize your fuel economy, resulting in fewer emissions per mile. Who knew it was sustainable to take care of your car?
This one’s a no-brainer. There will perhaps never be enough trees in the world and so, it’s always a good idea to plant—whether in your own yard or in your community.
Again, we can’t drive home enough how significant it is to cut back on meat. If you’re not willing to go flexitarian or to cut back on your red meat, start by participating in Meatless Mondays. It’s simple—every Monday, cook or order a meatless meal. That could be as simple as a salad or you know, ordering a pizza.
Eating low on the food chain refers to eating fruits, vegetables, beans, and grains. Essentially, vegan. Because meat and dairy are the main cause of greenhouse gas emissions—both account for 14.5 percent of the total—eating lower on the food chain, meaning cutting out meat and dairy for just one day, can actually reduce your carbon footprint by as much as eight pounds.
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We all take leftovers home from restaurants or package up what’s left after a cooked meal, but it’s just as wasteful to take leftovers and then… not eat them. If you frequently end up just throwing the leftovers out later—it’s wasteful. Whenever possible, finish your leftovers.
An easy way to make sure you actually do finish your leftover is to freeze them for longevity. The less actual food you trash, the fewer emissions they emit.
When it makes sense, buy your groceries in bulk. Most grocery stores have a bulk section for things like candy, dried fruit, nuts, and seeds, but with other items, it’s important not to buy too much. After all, if you buy in bulk and then it goes bad, well, wasteful.
Much of the fast fashion industry is made in China and Bangladesh, then shipped to the U.S. using an exorbitant amount of fossil fuels. But that’s not even the only problem with fast fashion (which refers to clothing that’s made with poor-quality fabrics, under low-quality conditions, for fast dissemination each season based on trends). A lot of it doesn’t even last long anyway! In fact, the average American gets rid of 80 pounds of clothing per year, with the bulk of that ending up in the landfill or burned.
That includes secondhand clothing, secondhand pots, pans, homewares, furniture. Just about anything!
Before trashing or even donating old clothing, ask yourself first if it’s fixable. Can you patch it up? Will a needle and thread fix the problem? The longer you hold onto your clothes, the more sustainable they are, especially since you’re keeping them from ending up in a landfill.
Lots of stuff can be upcycled rather than recycled or even discarded. Empty toilet paper rolls are great for crafts, milk jugs can be made into birdhouses, and so much more.
Keep a few reusable bags in your car or garage so when you go out, you won’t forget them.
There’s a shiny new model of smartphone at least once a year, but if you’re willing to resist the temptation, it’s the more sustainable choice to stick with the phone you have. The longer you hold onto your phone—so long as it works—the better.
Just as you should keep your phone for as long as it works, you should also keep your clothes for at least a decade. That’s how long it takes to make the purchase “worth it” from a sustainability standpoint.
Lower it in winter; increase it in summer. Most smart thermostats are programmable nowadays so you can set them on a timer and program them to shut off when they reach the desired temperature.
You can compost everything from dried leaves and hair (yes, both pet and human hair!) to non-treated cardboard and paper, too.
If your car has an eco mode, that’s favorable (especially to sport mode). Eco mode switches the car to a mode of improved fuel efficiency, lowering the engine’s fuel consumption and make it easier to run as such.
Just as properly inflated tires are important to saving you mileage and emissions, servicing your car frequently is crucial, too. The more regularly you take care of your car, the less likely there is to be a problem. Servicing your vehicle keeps it running efficiently, which is always the better option for the planet.
Weird, right? But storing a ton of junk in your trunk actually makes your vehicle slower and therefore, less fuel-efficient. Keep it light back there to make the most of your mileage.
In order to make sure you finish your leftovers, you have to take them home first. At least, from a restaurant. Instead of taking the plastic (or often Styrofoam) to-go containers restaurants provide, bring your own glass or stainless steel ones. These are reusable and won’t end up in landfills.
Insulation is a big part of making sure your home is sustainable. If there are any weak spots you know of, make sure to seal those off properly.
Related: Eco-Friendly Products That Make It Easy to Be Green on Earth Day (and Every Day)
A cool roof system is specifically designed to redirect light away from your home. This means that a cool roof absorbs less solar energy, which at first glance you may think would be a bad thing. However, a cooler house exterior (at least in summer) can keep you cool while inside, which means less of a need for running the AC on high.
The FairTrade logo goes on clothes that have been ethically and sustainably made, so by looking for the logo when shopping, you’re ensuring that your clothes were made by people who were paid fair wages and that they were made with sustainable practices in mind.
Most clothing ends up either burned or sitting in a landfill, but if you donate your old clothes to the appropriate place, there’s a better chance that someone can put it to good use. For example, if you have an old prom dress, donate it to a high school taking gown donations. Got an old blazer or suit? Donte it to Dress for Success, which gives work clothes to women entering the workforce.
Unlike synthetic fibers, natural fibers don’t shed in the laundry. Each time you wash a t-shirt made of polyester, microplastics leach out and enter the water. Eventually, they find their way into our waterways where they pollute the groundwater. Natural fibers—wool, silk, hemp—are always a better idea.
A low-flow showerhead reduces the amount of water wasted by dispensing 2 gallons (or less) of water per minute. By using a low-flow showerhead, you could save up to 350 pounds of carbon dioxide.
Turning the water heater down to 120˚F can save as much as 550 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
Desktop computers actually require more energy than a laptop to run.
The United States Department of Energy recommends around 35 to 38 degrees Fahrenheit for the fresh food compartment and 0 degrees for freezers. (And unplug that old fridge in the garage when you don’t need it to chill anything.)
Nowadays, the packaging is cooler than ever. But it is still (and always has been) bad for the environment. Whenever possible, opt out of excess packaging. That includes Styrofoam peanuts and paper, too. If you end up with excess packaging, try your best to properly recycle it.
If you tend to buy from Amazon.com, be sure to adjust your settings to let the company know that you’d prefer less extra packaging. There should be a way to do it in Settings, but you can also make a note on your account.
There’s also an option in your Amazon settings to combine multiple purchases so that they condense and ship less boxes.
Lawns aren’t great for the planet in general—with lawns consuming 3 trillion gallons of water a year—but if you have one and you have to mow it, it’s best to go manual. Electric mowers, of course, take 200 million gallons of gas per year, and there’s even some proposed legislation to make lawnmowers greener.
We’re talking about goats!
Do you have a burner fridge for extra leftovers? If there’s nothing in there at the moment, be sure to turn it off to conserve energy.
Chances are your office is still relying on some very old printers. If possible, switch to an energy-efficient printer (at home, too!). After all, some newer printers use up to 84 percent less energy than older printer models.
Proper insulation is important throughout the home, but pay particular attention to your windows. Any drafty areas that may let in a bit of wind or air should be sealed up.
Most conventional dry shampoo comes in an aerosol can or a plastic container. Instead, choose natural options for dry shampoo. If you hair light hair, for example, you can use baby powder. (Just be sure to rub it in well!) Alternatively, if you have dark hair, try cacao powder. This eliminates the extra packaging as well as the aerosol mechanism from your beauty routine.
Likewise, hairspray is one of those things you just don’t need to buy.
Many sustainable brands offer refillable packaging, meaning that instead of discarding the original packaging and buying a new one, you can simply refill the original.
In order to properly recycle, make sure to rinse out containers before sorting into bins.
According to the Sierra Club, as many as 25 to 30 million live Christmas trees could end up in landfills or in the incinerator each year. But neither is a sustainable option for the discarding of these trees. Instead, add it to your compost pile as the base. For the most efficient compost, strip the needles and branches off the tree and cut everything down into small pieces.
Alternatively, you can buy an artificial Christmas tree, but if you’ve ever wondered which one has a less environmental impact—live or artificial—the answer is complicated. So long as you keep your artificial Christmas tree for up to seven years, then it negates the impact of buying a faux tree.
Blasting the AC has big, environmental impacts on your mileage and gas usage. Whenever possible, keep it low.
Still holding onto an old fridge or other old appliance? These things are energy-guzzlers and though it’s a good thing to keep items for a long time, you can find a more energy-efficient appliance in the newer models.
After all, recycling only works if you do it properly. By adding non-recyclable items to your recycling bin, you could be messing up a whole batch of recycling as it goes down the belt.
As in, not your gaming console. Streaming through your smart TV requires significantly less watts. In fact, game consoles use about 10 times the energy when streaming movies since that’s not what they are designed to do.
It may sound like a big old pain, but hand washing your laundry uses far less water, energy, and resources than enlisting the help of a washing machine. The average washing machine actually uses 41 gallons per load—not to mention electric! Comparatively, if you handwash, you could use far less… maybe even as little as two gallons.
Wait—what?! Despite the fact that handwashing laundry is better for the environment, hand washing your dishes isn’t. That’s because dishwashers use a finite amount of water to clean whereas, when handwashing, you may leave the sink running.
From an agricultural perspective, chemicals and fertilizers account fo 50 percent of emissions in the agricultural sector. Avoid produce treated with these chemicals and fertilizers, but also avoid its use at home if you can, too.
While soaping up your hands, while washing your face—turning the water off conserves resources.
Any kind of garden! Whether it’s a flower garden or vegetable gardening, planting anything at all is great for the environment and even counteracts the human activities that cause emissions. It doesn’t have to be just a tree! The more greenery there is in the world, the better.
Stop buying herbs in jars or plastic containers at the supermarket and instead, grow your own herbs at home. This will cut down your plastic usage and means fresher ingredients for your recipes as well.
Plants have many benefits including improving your overall health, mood, and air quality. But the associated health benefits aren’t the only reason to go for greenery. Plants also purify the air, cleaning it through their natural process of photosynthesis. Like planting trees, plants are crucial to cleaner, healthier air—both indoor and outdoor.
Hear us out for a second! We know the grass is the conventional norm for front lawns and backyards, but grass is actually terrible for the environment. According to the EPA, a third of all public water waters the grass with lawns consuming 9 billion gallons of water per day in the U.S. That’s a lot of resources going just to the grass! Alternatives to lawn include moss, native flowers, clovers, lyreleaf sage, common blue violet, wild stonecrop, Pennsylvania sedge, or Baltimore sedge—all of which constitute as a native groundcover.
Nothing’s more fun than heading downtown to Main Street to get your shop on, but studies show that shopping digitally is better for the environment. After all, you can do it without leaving your home—so, no transportation necessary! Carnegie Mellon University’s Green Design Institute food in 2009 that online retail uses less energy and has a third of the carbon footprint of traditional brick-and-mortar shopping.
They’re called bitublocks and came to fruition out of a desire to reuse trash and recycled items for something purposeful. Things like sewage sludge, ash, and of course, cardboard and other trash can be used to make these bitublocks. This keeps all the items out of the landfills, but it also requires less energy and water to make in comparison to traditional concrete blocks.
Sure, cleaning your car at home is usually more economical, but professional car washes use a measured amount of water and other resources when washing, which means the impact of a professional car wash is significantly less than washing your car at home.
Similar in practice to a “cool roof,” simply painting your roof white makes your home cooler during the hotter months. In fact, cities or towns with painted roofs could have as much of a carbon dioxide offset as 130 to 150 billion tonnes.
OK, so most of us don’t have revolving doors in our homes, but a 2006 study out of MIT shows that these style of doors saves 75,000-kilowatt-hours of energy.
In fact, switch it off. Plenty of appliances, devices, laptops, and chargers have a ‘standby’ mode that conserves energy when they’re not in use. But it’s not worth it! Instead, turn these items off and unplug them; it’s much more energy-efficient than leaving them dormant.
No, seriously! Working from home has less of an impact than working in an office does. One undeniable reason is, of course, the lack of a commute. Employees that work from the convenience of their own home don’t have to commute to work—eliminating those would-be emissions from their daily routine.
No, not just when you fly. It’s possible to purchase offsets for just about any reason, so when in doubt, if you’re worried about your personal carbon footprint, you can always look into purchasing offsets to counteract the emissions you’ve contributed.
Next up, gift-giving doesn’t have to be bad for the planet with these great sustainable gifts.
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