www.strawbalenv.com

Greens Means

Reducing Carbon Footprints

By Shannon Scott

            A carbon footprint is the amount of green house gas produced by our lifestyle choices as we burn fossil fuels in driving, flying, heating, using electricity, buying, and so forth. 

            Carbon footprints are measured in the tons of carbon dioxide we infuse into the atmosphere.  There are two types, direct and indirect. 

            Direct carbon emissions include: home gas, oil, coal, and electricity; private and public transportation; and vacation flights, which add up to approximately 51% of all green house gas emissions.  Indirect emissions include: vehicle manufacture and delivery; residential buildings and furnishings; clothing and personal items; leisure activities; and public, private, and financial service sectors.  These make up the remaining 49% of an individual’s carbon outputs.  

            Those of us who are fortunate enough to live in developed nations contribute more to green house gasses, and consequent global warming, than those living in less developed environments.  In short, the more we have the more damaging our effects are on the environment.  Reducing consumption and conserve energy does a whole lot more than save us money, it saves our environment.

            The following are some ways individuals can reduce carbon footprints. 

Home

ü  When leaving a room, turn electricity off – lights, t.v., computers…

ü  Lower the thermostat by 1 or 2 degrees.  You’ll not only burn less fuel, but realize substantial cost savings.  A small adjustment results in a big impact.

ü  Turn down, or off, heaters when not at home.  If going on vacation during winter, 50 degrees will be plenty good to keep pipes from freezing.  When running off to work, lower thermostats from the typical 68 degrees to 62.  6 degrees lower will save significant amounts of energy.

ü  Lower the water heater by just 1 or 2 degrees.  Most people maintain energy demanding hot water tanks way too high. Better yet, install on-demand, flash hot water systems.  These use far less energy and work more efficiently than behemoth, minimally insulated tanks heaters.

ü  Fill the dishwasher completely before running it, and use it more often than hand washing. 

ü  Install a solar clothes dryer.  That’s right, a clothes line.  Avoid the umbrella style ones.  They don’t hold up well in strong winds.  I ended up taking a cue from the ranch homes I see around here – that very often have 2 inch vertical steel pipes planted 2-3 feet deep in concrete in the ground, with equally stout steel cross pipes attached at the top to form Ts.  These hold up to torrential winds and allow more hanging space for large items like blankets and sheets.

ü  Invest in energy saving light bulbs, fixtures, and appliances.  You may pay an additional cost up front, but these pay off in the long run.  A home design engineer once told me that anyone buying a brand new less expensive or mid-level tract home would be money ahead to immediately get rid of all the appliances – not even sell them, just give them away, and purchasing state of the art energy smart lighting and appliances.  Wow.

ü  Insulate attics and walls well.  R-45-60 in ceilings is great.  Do the best you can within walls. 

ü  Try, if home design and local codes allow, to recycle grey water.  Grey water is water from sinks, showers, washing machines, etc.  This water contains very harmful bacteria, of the type found in black water (toilet flushes), but at lower concentrations.  It smells bad when exposed to air too soon, so care must be given to design grey water recovery with health safety in mind.

Work and Away

ü  Commute with others to work.  Ride share or take public transportation if it’s available.  Of course in our vast rural west locale, this is often not an option.

ü  For short trips, walk or ride a bike.  It’s fun and healthy for you too!

ü  Fly less.  An odd paradox developed as people began to make their homes more energy efficient.  They had more money.  More money meant more leisure flights and cruises which completely negated their carbon foot print savings.  Think before you travel.

ü  Do you wash your linens and towels at home every day?  When staying in a hotel, ask that your linens be washed every 2-3 days.

Consumption

ü  Next time you MUST buy a vehicle, check out diesel engines.  Many can run on biodiesel as well as standard diesel. 

ü  The city of San Francisco has banned the sale of bottled water – since the tap water is perfectly safe and certainly carries less environmental impact that all those plastic bottles – some imported from as far away as France and Fiji!  It’s time we American’s woke up to how truly ridiculous some of our daily practices have been.

ü  Grow your own and/or buy locally.  Home grown or locally grown produce is not only fresher, you know where it came from and what it hasn’t been sprayed with!  It makes no sense to buy apples in midsummer that come from Chile or New Zealand.  Buy foods in season from right here in the U.S.A.  Support local farmers.

ü  Hunt and/or reduce consumption of meat.  Hunting the old fashioned way, on foot, hiking and packing game out, proves great exercise.  Elk, deer, antelope are provide good sources of clean, lean meat, no steroids or antibiotics added.  Hunt for meat, not antlers.  Too much game goes to waste because people don’t like the gamey taste.  Stop killing large males for the racks, and think what’s best in the freezer that you and your family will enjoy eating. 

ü  Buy organic produce. 

ü  Avoid processed foods.  They are often heavily ladened with unhealthy ingredients and way overly packaged.

            To compare and see what your carbon footprint actually is, there are a number a websites that offer carbon footprint calculators.  One fairly good one is:

http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx

            So go forth enjoying and maintaining the outdoors through better, greener living.