How to minimise your carbon footprint

Most Governments throughout the world, albeit reluctantly in many instances, are beginning to accept the fact that adverse climate change, brought about in large part by green house gas emissions, has the capacity to seriously erode the quality of life we currently enjoy. But as an individual, it’s sometimes difficult to know what practical steps to take in order to minimise the impact our actions have on the planet. Faced with the problem of where to begin, we thought it might be worthwhile considering a few practical steps that we can all take to ensure the survival of our planet for future generations.

One of the best places to start is to gain some sense as to the magnitude of your current carbon footprint. Carbon what? Carbon footprint. For those who’ve never heard the term used before, let’s start with a definition.

A carbon footprint is the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide. In essence, your carbon footprint is a measure of the extent to which your lifestyle choices contribute to carbon emissions. If you’re keen to work out what your own personal carbon footprint is, check out the calculators at CarbonFootprint.com.

By making choices that emphasise the principles of sharing, economy and mutual obligation, we can all make a significant difference. As an organic consumer, you’ve already taken a really important step. Organic production systems emphasise the use of renewable energy sources, recycling, and the maintenance of biological diversity. But what else can we do? Here are five simple steps that can make a difference.

Cycle and walk – Simply jumping on a bike or choosing to walk when you would otherwise have chosen to drive can have a huge impact on your carbon footprint. Over the course of a year, the cumulative impact of a decision to leave your car at home can prevent tonnes of carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere.

Share the ride – If the distance you need to cover makes cycling or walking impractical, aim to catch some form of public transport. Jump on the train, bus or ferry. Apart from spreading the burden of emissions across numerous users, public transport is often less stressful – it provides a great opportunity to zone out by reading a book or listening to your favourite music. If you must use your own personal vehicle, see if it’s possible to car pool or share with others.

Grow your own – Growing your own organic fruit and vegetables is a great way to reduce your footprint. In fact, growing and planting activities can help to offset carbon emissions produced elsewhere. It’ll also mean fewer trips to the local shops, will save you money, provide you with exercise, and enhance your intake of nutritionally optimal food.

Buy local – Food grown locally has generally travelled much shorter distances than food that’s brought in from interstate or overseas. Food that comes from distant locations requires significant quantities of aviation or diesel fuels to be expended before it reaches your kitchen. This adds to the quantum of greenhouse gas emissions. Besides which, food grown locally tends to be fresher.

Become energy smart – If you’re not already with a sustainable energy supplier, consider switching to a company that specialises in renewable (for example, wind, solar or hydro) energy sources. And always turn off lights, computers, and other electrical appliances when not in use.

None of these steps are overly difficult. Even by introducing one or two of them into your lifestyle you can help to ensure that our planet remains viable for future generations.