Carbon Footprint may sound very large scale that is measured on a National and International scale, but in reality it is something that we can make a big impact on at a very local level. Below is some helpful information on what we can do to help the situation ourselves. Click here for an up to date picture of what is happening at a community level.
The term ‘carbon footprint’ is derived from the amount of carbon dioxide that we emit into the atmosphere in the pursuit of everyday activities. Driving a car, burning fossil fuels to warm a home, and even the construction of food and packaging – all of these contribute to our carbon footprint, which is typically applied in tons of CO2 emitted over the course of a year.
Since the mid 1970’s we humans have been exceeding our planet’s capacity to sustain us. Today humanity uses the equivalent of 1.5 planets to provide the resources we use and to absorb our waste. This means it now takes the Earth 1.5 years to regenerate what we use in a year. If current population and consumption trends continue, by the 2030s we will need the equivalent of 2 Earths to support us.
Sustainable Henfield 2030 is working to encourage people to take up measures to reduce fossil fuel dependence. Given the recent news that world CO2 emissions continue to rise, this is our chance to co-operate, collaborate and to rebuild communities.
The issue of climate change can seem overwhelming, but there are simple things you can do to both help the planet and your pocket – from the very simplest (and free) measures, like closing curtains or blinds at dusk, draught-proofing and insulating your house, right up to installing solar panels on your roof to generate your own electricity. Or you could start recycling waste resources that our local Council cannot recycle via the Plastics Free Henfield scheme.
In order to provide some useful and practical information, SH2030 members have calculated their own carbon footprint and we have selected one to show what can be achieved – without too much effort but with a little sacrifice on lifestyle.
The average carbon footprint for a person in the UK is about 10 tonnes of CO2. The table below shows our SH2030 member’s over the last 3 years. In 2017 it was over 27 tonnes of CO2e and it was reduced to 10.14 tonnes in 2019 – a reduction of 64%. They are working on going further in 2020 to get it down to 6.52 tonnes.
Reduce Your Travel Carbon Footprint
Click here to go to our Transport Action Group Page for ideas
Reduce Your Home Energy Carbon Footprint
- Switch to a guaranteed green energy supplier – It IS possible to achieve zero emissions from the electricity you consume. The current issues around energy suppliers has impacted what can be done overnight, however you can check out the various suppliers here.
- Insulate and Seal Your Home – any number of improvements can be made to your home that may look expensive on paper, but will save you a small fortune in the future – as well as having a hugely beneficial environmental impact. Double-glazed windows and insulated walls, in particular, can make your home warmer and thus more energy efficient, reducing the need to rack up those emissions in order to keep the house heated to a comfortable temperature – and provide a welcome reduction to your bills during the traditionally costly winter months.
- Purchase energy-efficient appliances – when the time comes to replace your oven, dishwasher, washing machine or anything else, consult the Energy Saving Trust’s guide to the most appropriate appliances.
- Use Energy Saving Lightbulbs – when a lightbulb reaches the end of its natural use, don’t just replace it like-for-like – look into an energy saving alternative. These will reduce the emissions released into the atmosphere by some 20%, and last longer than their standard counterparts – once again, you’ll be saving money at the same time as the planet.
- Switch to LED Lighting – energy-saving lightbulbs are a great start, but LED lights require just a fraction of the energy absorbed by metallic bulbs. You could also try lighting candles or lamps instead of overhead lighting, but only if it’s safe to do so!
- Watch Your Water Usage – it’s so easy to use unnecessary amounts of water, but happily, it’s equally simple to stop doing so. Every time we utilise running water from our taps we are having an impact on the environment. Try cutting your shower time down by a few minutes, or switching to a shower if you currently soak in the bath. Don’t fill the kettle to the brim every time you make a cup of tea – just add enough water for your needs, or you’ll just end up tipping most of it away. When washing dishes, run a full bowl use that rather than a constant stream of water that runs into the drain.
- Unplug Electrical Devices – smartphones, tablets, laptops, video game consoles, vaping devices… we tend to leave all of the above plugged in overnight out of habit. Doing so comes with no benefits, but harms the environment – even when a device is fully charged and sucks no more power from a wall point, it is sending emissions into the sky. Unplug your gadgets once they are fully powered.
- Turn Things Off – it’s easy and tempting to leave the bathroom or bedroom lights on as you’re likely to be back in the room shortly, but you’ll be astonished at how much energy can be saved by switching unnecessary lighting off when not required. Equally, turning off televisions sets and plug sockets at the mains as opposed to leaving them on stand-by can have a huge impact for the better.
- Solar Panels – obviously the installation of solar panels requires a financial and technical ability that many people will not possess, but if they are at all an option then such a power source can also make a huge difference to your energy efficiency and environmental impact.
Reduce Your Food and Shopping Carbon Footprint
- Don’t Waste Food – food wastage has a huge impact on our carbon footprint; one bigger than the national average of a great many countries. Supermarkets are making inroads into preventing their wastage having a greater influence by embracing recycling models, and it’s our responsibility as individuals to do the same. If you must dispose of food, do so by recycling.
- Shop Smart – the potential for wastage should be factored into our shopping habits, ensuring that we do not purchase more than we’ll be able to consume before it spoils. But what you need, not what habit dictates you pick up every time – and consider making smaller and more regular excursions to the supermarket.
- Use Bags for Life – paying five pence for a plastic bag every time you go shopping is annoying, but that’s nothing compared to the impact the creation of these carriers has on the environment. Make you sure you have a plentiful supply of re-usable ‘bags for life’ and take them with you each and every time you shop
- Eat Organic – in a perfect world we would all live off the land, but unfortunately, that isn’t an option just yet. However, by purchasing fresh and seasonal produce from local sources we can drastically reduce the amount of ‘food miles’ racked up by importing foodstuffs from all over the world
- Reduce Your Meat and Dairy Intake – cows and other livestock are not easy to raise, and in particularly carnivorous territories such as South America crucial swatches of the rainforest are destroyed in order to create enough space to meet farming demand. Belching cows also play a significant role in climate change, so as lovable as these animals are, perhaps it would not be a bad idea to slow down on breeding them.
Charities you can donate to that specialise in reducing carbon emissions
An increasing number of charities and volunteer programmes are arising all over the world to help combat the impact of CO2 emissions.
- Tree Planting initiatives are a great way of combating the impact of our carbon footprints. SH2030 are involved with other groups in Henfield to find sites to plant more trees.
- The World Land Trust seeks to save the rainforests, which are hugely important in attempts to offset the damage CO2 is doing to the future of the planet.
- Greenpeace work tirelessly to preserve and improve the environment.
- The Climate Group will gratefully accept any donations in their ambitious attempts to bring the world’s climate footprint down to zero.
- The Footprint Trust will also accept any donations of funding or time.
- The Woodland Trust has lots of projects.
Useful Links
Below you will find a summary of all the links that have been sourced within this article. All of them are recommended bookmarks if you are interested in learning more about the dangers of carbon footprints, and what we can do to reduce ours.
