Some steps to reduce your carbon footprint
Here are some tips on how to gauge and reduce your impact on the environment.
Dramatically reducing human impact on the environment is a grand idea, but how to accomplish it is something that Dr. Spencer Stober, a professor of biology at Alvernia University, refers to as “a wicked problem.”
Fossil fuels wreak environmental havoc but are still overwhelmingly the primary source of power worldwide.
Fires like those that occurred recently in Australia and also have occurred in the United States are devastating in that they both emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the air, and damage trees and other vegetation that remove carbon from the atmosphere.
Electric cars promise to reduce dependence on fossil fuels but raise issues such as the use of rare earth metals needed to make the batteries that power them and how to eventually dispose of those batteries.
“That’s why we call them wicked problems,” said Stober, who also is director of Alvernia’s Ph.D. Program in Leadership. “It’s very difficult to see all the ramifications of our possible solutions.”
While many environmental issues fall into the category of wicked problems and seem too overwhelming to even contemplate, there are ways in which everyone can address their individual impact on the environment.
“Each of us individually can do little things, and together they add up,” said Stober, who moved closer to Alvernia so that he could walk to work.
When thinking about how to assess and reduce your environmental footprint, experts recommend that you consider the basic areas of transportation, food and energy.
Nearly everything you do or use falls into one of those categories.
You can find calculators online to help you assess the impact you have on the environment.
If you want to lower your impact, Stober and Dr. Michelle Serapiglia, an assistant professor of biology at Alvernia, offered some concrete ideas of how to do so.
“Basically, what it comes down to is that we need to pay attention to the amount of waste we generate,” Serapiglia said.
While most people think about waste in terms of trash, we also should think about things like the amount of clothing we buy, how long we use a computer before upgrading and reducing waste by eating more vegetables and less meat.
“The long and short of it just comes down to consuming less,” Stober said.
Keep what you can out of the trash, and when possible, reuse rather than recycle
Serapiglia was able to significantly reduce her trash level after learning that any film plastic can be recycled along with plastic grocery bags at your local supermarket.
That includes zip-lock bags, bubble-wrap shipping bags, bread bags, plastic wrap and similar plastics. As long as it’s clean, you can deposit that type of plastic along with the grocery bags.
OTHER IDEAS
• Choose glass containers over plastic when purchasing food. When empty, clean and reuse them.
• Look for groceries and other items that contain the least amount of packaging.
• Compost food waste instead of tossing it into the trash.
• Buy and use a reusable water bottle instead of recycling plastic bottles.
• Take your own reusable bags when you shop for anything, not just groceries.
• Look into a service such as Loop, a shopping platform that sells leading brands of groceries, toiletries and other products in reusable containers that you use and ship back to be refilled. Learn more at https://loopstore.com/how-it-works.
• Think about what you eat and where it comes from.
• Eating less meat significantly reduces your environmental impact.
• Designate a couple of nights a week as meatless or don’t eat any meat until dinnertime.
• Buy local products as much as possible to reduce the need for shipping food over long distances. This also improves the local economy.
• Ideally, grow your own vegetables.
• Consider how you get around.
• Consolidate errands to reduce use of a vehicle.
• Walking instead of driving is good for your health and the environment.
• Learn what public transportation is available in your area and consider using it.
• Do some research before you purchase your next car and choose accordingly.
• Take stock of your energy use.
• Keep your thermostat at about 68 degrees to avoid excessive use of heat and/or air conditioning.
• Unplug appliances when not in use, as many have a standby mode and continue to use energy even when not in use.
• Replace all light bulbs with LED bulbs, which use less energy.
• When it’s time to replace appliances, look for those with the best energy ratings.
• Insulate your roof or ceiling, which reduces energy use and bills and pays for itself over a fairly short time.