Have you recently been wondering how you can reduce your carbon footprint?

With climate change already having incredibly detrimental impacts on the planet, it is more important than ever for us all to take action. As the issue of climate change is now so great, it can often feel pointless to make small changes personally, but if everyone makes even minor efforts, this can create a mass impact.

Here are just some of the areas of your life that you could address and alter in order to reduce your carbon footprint. 

Home

There are also more budget-friendly measures you can take such as upgrading to LED light bulbs or installing draught excluders. 

Our homes can consume a large amount of energy which in turn generates a large carbon footprint. Fortunately, there is a wealth of things you can do to your home to increase its efficiency. Firstly, making sure that the way you heat your home is as effective as possible is a good place to start. If you currently have a very old boiler, then it could be worth upgrading to a newer model or even researching whether you can use alternative heat sources such as solar panels for your home. As well as upgrading your heating, consider whether it is worth upgrading other old appliances in your home as these typically aren’t very energy efficient. Make sure to recycle any old appliances where possible. 

Diet

Dietary changes are arguably one of the easiest ways to reduce your carbon footprint. Many people are put off the idea of changing their diet to be more-eco friendly out of fear that they will have to cut out everything they enjoy eating, but this is not the case. 

The easiest thing you can do to make a difference, which requires no change to the actual food you consume is to reduce the amount of food you waste. Food waste that ends up in landfill emits methane, a greenhouse gas. Therefore, making a conscious effort to cut down on food waste is a great place to start. 

Livestock produces a considerable amount of carbon emissions, meaning that cutting down back on your meat and dairy consumption is another effective way to reduce your carbon footprint. This doesn’t mean you have to cut it out completely but make small changes where you can. For example, try eating meat-free one day a week, to begin with, or find dairy-free alternatives to some of your most consumed products such as milk or butter. 

Travel

It is common knowledge that many forms of travel come at the expense of the planet. Therefore, if you are looking to reduce your carbon footprint, taking into account how you travel is useful. This isn’t exclusive to how you travel for holidays, you should also look into your daily travel, such as commuting to work or traveling to socialise with friends.

Is it possible to reduce your car travel and opt for public transport or even walking instead? Doing so will really help to reduce your emissions and could save you money too!