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!
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