10 Simple Ways to Save Energy and Reduce Your Personal Carbon Footprint

Almost everything we do results in some form of carbon emission; whether it’s sitting at home with the remote in hand or traveling to that far off destination to explore unknown territories. Everyone has a responsibility to reduce their individual footprint, and there are lots of ways to do so. While it may be unrealistic to attempt to eliminate our emissions completely, there are simple steps every one of us can take to help reduce our personal carbon footprint and help preserve our delicate eco-system. It’s really all about the three R’s – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Here are 10 simple ways you can help:

1. Turn off those energy suckers! Our electronic toys these days are continually draining power, even when they’re not in use. Your stereos, cell phones, computers, monitors, and televisions, just to name a few, all remain in standby mode, usually with a small red or green LED light illuminated to remind you they’re waiting patiently to serve you. By simply plugging these devices into a power strip and turning them off at night, you can eliminate a huge amount of wasted energy all with the flick of a switch.

2. Switch out those light bulbs. Even if you’re not a big fan of the light emitted by these new energy saving light bulbs, their efficiency is so undeniably fantastic that they cannot be ignored. Surely everyone has a light on their porch, in their garage, store room, basement or anywhere else in the home that can be replaced with a light bulb that can last for up to 10,000 hours and emit 75% less energy than a traditional light bulb. They cost a tich more up front, but the return on your investment will not only be felt by your pocket book in the long run, but by the environment as well. Why not give them a try? Each bulb can save $40 or more over its lifetime. Pretty good for a $5 investment!

3. Buy a Reusable Water Bottle. Americans used more than 22 billion plastic water bottles in 2006 alone and that figure continues to rise at an alarming rate. Furthermore, because they are often consumed away from home, usually at a park, in an office or even while driving — areas where there's usually no recycling, 90% of all plastic water bottles end up in our land fills where they will sit for eternity. With stylish, reusable water bottles that are specially lined to preserve freshness and flavor from Nalgene, Sigg and many other brands, it’s now easier than ever to do your part in reducing the amount of virgin plastic produced and the associated carbon emissions that go along with their production, transportation and disposal.

4. Use Alternative Transportation. Even if you can do it once a week, utilizing carpooling, public transportation or a bicycle can save 20% of your carbon emissions. Think it through: Only a mile? Consider walking. Save a trip and combine it with another trip later. Do you need to take this trip at all? Could you work from home? With rising fuel costs, reducing carbon emissions through your transportation is another savings that will help your budget and our air quality.

5. Buy Local. Did you know on average, food travels over 1,300 miles via airplanes, boats and trucks before it gets to your dinner table? By taking advantage of local food coalitions, farmer’s markets and other locally produced products, you can help eliminate an enormous amount of unnecessary transportation and packaging, not to mention the destruction to our air, soil and water that goes along with mass, global harvesting and production. Choosing local products can be a fun family activity. You’ll help strengthen your local economy and you’ll get fresher foods that taste better!!

6. Easy Car Maintenance. Once again, keeping your car tuned up and running efficiently can have a significant impact on both your bank account and your environment. By regularly replacing your air, oil and fuel filters you’ll be getting much better gas mileage as well as making your car last longer. Similarly, keeping your tires properly inflated can save 400-700 pounds of CO2 per year!

7. Drive Smarter. For all of us Mario Andrettis out there, studies have shown, up to 30% of the difference in mpg is due to driving habits alone. You could save more than a ton of CO2 per year by:

• Accelerating slowly and smoothly
• Driving the speed limit
• Maintaining a steady speed
• Anticipating your stops and starts

8. Install a Programmable Thermostat. For as little as $25, these nifty gadgets will regulate the temperature of your home and can be programmed to alter the temperature at different times of the day, saving you around $150 a year in energy costs. Man is it nice to have your heater turned down low while you sleep and then crank up to a comfortable temp moments before the alarm goes off, not to mention the energy savings and reduced carbon emissions. Also, you can save around 10% a year on your heating and cooling bills by simply programming your thermostat back 10°–15° for eight hours (or 1% for just 1°).

9. Take it to the Office. All of these tips can be applied at the office as well. Simply turn off your computer each night and on weekends, or at least the monitor. Turn off the lights in those unused conference rooms. Carpool or take the train. Bring your lunch instead of going out. Try to print less or save it to your computer’s hard drive instead. Print on both sides of the paper. Start a recycling program. Forward a link to this page to your co-workers and have them visit carbonfund.org. Anything you can do, it all helps.

10. Eat less meat. This can be tough for some, but if you’re already a vegetarian, you’re saving at least 3,000 pounds of CO2 per year compared to meat eaters. If you’re not ready to take that step, just increase the number of vegetarian meals you eat each week by one or two. Livestock absorb much of the country's crop harvest along with vast quantities of energy and water. Poultry is less greenhouse gas intensive than beef, and pork is the worst of the three. Mmmmm broccoli.