Americans have the largest carbon footprint of anyone in the world, weighing in at about 20 tons per year for a household of two. As a Green Mountain Energy Company customer, you’ve already taken a big step towards reducing your carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. This year, make it one of your resolutions to do more to reduce your household’s carbon footprint.
Here are a few easy steps to help you shed some of this carbon excess:
- Calculate your carbon footprint — Get a baseline for your current carbon emissions using Green Mountain’s Carbon Calculator.
- Become carbon neutral – After calculating your emissions, you can purchase BeGreen carbon offsets to balance out part or all of your footprint.
- Reduce the amount you drive — Look for ways to incorporate walking, bicycling, carpooling or taking mass transit into your daily routine. Reducing just one or two car trips a week can have a substantial impact over time. Not only does it save you money, but every gallon of gas burned equals about 20 pounds of CO2 emissions.
- Buy locally-grown foods — An average meal in theUnited States will travel over 1,000 miles (usually by air) before it finally lands on your plate. When you buy locally-grown foods, not only will you save fuel used to transport this food, but you will also be supporting your local community.
- Plant a tree — One tree can absorb about 665 pounds of CO2 over an average forty year lifetime. If you don’t have room in your yard, visit AmericanForests.org to learn how you can donate to help plant trees in reforestation projects across the world.
- Inform others — Spread the word about renewable energy and these carbon-reducing steps to your family and friends. The more people who are informed about this crucial information and take action, the greater the impact for the environment.
