Your carbon footprint is based on the amount of greenhouse gas emissions released into the atmosphere, which are directly attributed to the actions you take in your everyday life. These emissions have a negative impact on the environment and contribute to global warming. As the core foundation of our business is built on recycling, we would like to share with you five simple ways how you can reduce your carbon footprint and lessen your impact on our planet.
Recent research has found that approximately 26% of our carbon emissions comes from our home energy. There are many things you can do to reduce the amount of energy wasted around your home such as ensuring your home is well insulated, servicing your boiler regularly, installing a smart meter and keeping lights and appliances switched off around the home when they are not needed. You can also go one step further by switching to a green energy supplier to ensure that clean renewable energy is being used to power your home!
This one is something we should all be aware of; many types of packaging are now recyclable, and you can check which ones are by looking at the recycling information found on the packet. It is also important to remember to rinse out and dry any products which are dirty before putting them in your recycling bin, as items that still have food on them can contaminate recyclable material, rendering them useless. Soiled items are regularly taken out of the recycling chain and sent to landfill.
You can help to protect our environment by supporting sustainable farming practices and making small everyday changes to your diet. These changes could include, shopping organic, cutting down on meat consumption and by shopping local, as the shorter the distance your food must travel, the less greenhouse gas emissions! Planning your meals in advance can also help to reduce your carbon footprint as you will know exactly what food you need to buy and less will go to waste!
Today there is an abundance of different brands at our fingertips, quite literally, as most shopping is now done online with a few taps of your finger. Use this as a force for good and opt for brands that support sustainable eco-friendly manufacturing processes and that use packaging which can be recycled.
One thing that you may not have considered when it comes to purchasing recycled goods, is the replacement parts you use in your vehicle when something goes wrong. Did you know that by using a remanufactured car part, you are purchasing a recycled unit which has been saved from the resmelting process? Plus, most remanufactured parts will be cheaper than a new alternative and come with the same length of warranty!
If ever you find yourself with some time to spare, you can also consider volunteering in your local community to help clean up your green spaces. Litter is a huge problem worldwide, and by giving up an hour or so of your free time, you can help to undo some of the damage done to our planet, and it will benefit your local community, keeping it clean and tidy for everyone to enjoy!
We hope that you have found these tips useful; if we all work together and make more environmentally friendly choices, we can help to protect our incredible planet.
