THE GREEN PARADE:
Reducing Your Carbon Footprint Starts At Home
By Cindy Kleh
According to statistics compiled by the United Nations, every American is responsible for an average of 22 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year (far above the world average of 6 tons per year). If you are concerned about global warming, then you’ve probably thought about the many ways that you can start adjusting your lifestyle to reduce your carbon footprint. But what ways are most effective?
Trading in the gas hog for a hybrid car can help. So can carpooling, cutting down on air travel, buying locally, recycling whenever possible and eating less meat. But did you know that the most effective way to reduce carbon emissions is to seal up energy leaks in your home?
Buildings use 39 percent of the world’s total energy consumption and 70 percent of that is derived from electricity that emits four times as much carbon in production as other fuels. Simply turning the heat down two degrees can make a big impact while saving you money in energy bills.
The most effective way to reduce carbon emissions is to do an energy audit (or ask your local utility provider to do one for you).
 Single-pane windows and insufficient insulation can bleed heat from a room (and money from your wallet), so replace windows, add window coverings, insulate your water heater, and weatherize your entire home as a first step.
Take shorter showers, hang-dry clothes whenever possible, and unplug electronic devices because these suck from “phantom loads” even when turned off.
If you are building a new home, build a tight thermal envelope and insulate for the highest R-values possible for this climate.
Choose energy-efficient appliances and water heater that will save on money and energy consumption for many decades to come.
Even if you cannot find room in your present building budget for solar power right now, have it wired in to the new construction so that you can add it later when finances allow and rebates and incentives improve. Remember, being tied into a PV solar grid will lock in your electricity rate for 25 to 30 years!
The most immediate results will be found in your monthly energy bills, but slowing down global warming will benefit your kids, grandkids and other living creatures whose survival is jeopardized by a changing climate.
Follow the links below for more articles within the Green Parade section.
READ MORE STORIES ON THE GREEN PARADE IN:
• People Paving The Way: Locals Lead The County To A Greener Future
• Renewable Energy Rebates: Where Locals Can Get $$ Back
• Reducing Your Carbon Footprint Starts At Home
• Green Heat From Brown Beetle Kill: Central Boiler Perfects Outdoor Wood Burning
• The Antique Elegance Of Timber Frame Homes: Age-old Building Tradition Makes Sense Today
• Doing It Greener The Second Time Around
• Holistic Architecture: Architecture + Energy = Harmony
• 2009 Feature Articles |
