8 ways to reduce your carbon footprint

Ever calculated your carbon footprint?

Is it too large?

Confused how to reduce it?

Well, below are 10 ways of reducing your carbon emissions while living a luxurious and a comfortable life!

Buy old / vintage:

It may be an old jacket or a set of old chairs, buying vintage is always nature friendly as it eliminates the carbon emissions that go with the production of a new similar item. Please note: Avoid buying old electronic goods though, as they end up consuming more electricity – which means more emissions.

Buy locally grown / sourced food:

Buying locally grown vegetables helps the local farmer grow better and may even improve the local economy. Sourcing food a location involves transportation. The commercial transportation industry is one the largest polluters in the world. Yes, by eating locally we would harm their business, but look at the bright side – You are indirectly helping the world go green!

Have a green wedding!

Am I going a bit too far?

Did you know an average wedding creates 16 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions?

Relax, I am not advising you to go for Tofurkey canapés or vegan wedding shoes! Instead register for energy certified gifts, or make your invitation card from old recycled wool or cotton. You might end up saving a lot as well!

Simple living

Are you living alone in a six bedroom mansion in a suburban area? Do you drive all the way to an office that’s inside the city?  Consider simplifying your life.

Shit to a smaller house near your office (might end up being expensive) and use public transport. Large houses use far more carbon to light it up / keep it warm than smaller condos. Using the public transport has widely known benefits that I need not elaborate on.

Wear a Cashmere sweater

Did you know 12% the world’s sulfur dioxide emissions and 1 billion metric tons of carbon emissions come from home heating systems?

This winter, buy a cashmere sweater and turn down the heating a bit. Say you keep the thermostat at 70 degrees, make it 65. This way you reduce your carbon emissions and end up reducing your heating bill by 10%

Buy carbon offsets

Well, this one’s only for those super rich folks who can afford a private / chartered jet!

Yes, all your rich folks, please buy carbon offsets before making those trips on luxurious trips. The money you pay for buying carbon offsets go into planting trees, developing greener solutions, starting clean energy harnessing stations etc. In this way you are not guilty of all the bad gasses that shoot out of your jet’s engines!

Drive an electric / hybrid

Now, I still vouch for public transportation – it’s the greenest.

But if you still have to use a car everyday – buy a hybrid or even better an electric.

And please – CAR POOL!

Switch off the lights

Its human nature to preserve what is ours and show lacksidal interest in what is not ours. We are always careful to switch off the lights in our homes – because we pay the bills.

But what are we that conscious about the lights at our office or at public places.

‘Switch off as you go’ should be our motto. It’s not about paying bills, but about reducing the carbon emissions that go into producing the electricity that lights up these buildings.

Ready to make a difference?

All set to go green?

All the best!