The world is reaching a critical moment when the damages of global warming and climate change become irreversible. Many are desperately trying to find ways to reverse these damages or mitigate them in the future. While they are doing this, we must do our part in saving the planet.
The US is one of the leading countries that emit the most carbon dioxide emissions annually. It’s estimated that we emit about five billion tons of greenhouse emissions every year. We also have the most potential of emitting more as our population increases. As global warming reaches its peak, we have to start changing how we live our lives. We can start by making a sustainable living.
Sustainable Living
Sustainable living is one way we can keep our lives carbon-free. Essentially, this kind of living revolves around becoming sustainable, without the need for essentials that produce carbon emissions. We can do these in two different ways. First of which is by transitioning to renewable sources of energy. The second way is by producing our food right outside our backyard.
Solar Energy
The road to sustainable living is becoming much cheaper. Through solar energy, you can start saving more than $10,000 annually on electricity costs. Moreover, you can start paying back the solar panels you’ve purchased and the installation fees in less than five years. Many Americans are transitioning to solar energy because they are becoming far cheaper and more efficient, and you should start doing the same.
Sustainable Backyard
Millions of Americans have made gardening their hobby during the pandemic. Many have started to grow their tomatoes and radishes right in their backyard. They do this through compost and used irrigation from their homes. A sustainable backyard produces very little greenhouse gas every year. Moreover, it can save you thousands of dollars in groceries. So start gardening and starting a sustainable backyard now.
The world is heating up, and alongside it is our homes. The use of air conditioners is becoming more prevalent in many countries. It’s time that you start reducing your AC use if you want to reduce your overall carbon footprint.
Paint It White
Air conditioners are one of the main culprits for emitting greenhouse gases into the air. Air conditioners constitute about 6% of the electricity being used in the country. When converted, this equals about 117 million metric tons of greenhouse gases emitted into the Earth’s atmosphere annually.
Many are finding ways to solve this problem. To offset this, some homeowners have started to grow more plants and trees around their homes. Others have decided to renovate their home to a much more open space so air can flow much freely. These are great ways to keep your carbon footprint low while keeping your home nice and cold. However, there is a new option for homeowners right now: painting their homes white.
Interestingly enough, scientists have found that a new type of white paint can keep buildings cool, which can then reduce the need for air conditioning in some countries. Once it’s available commercially, you can start painting the exterior of your home using this paint. It will ensure that no matter how hot it is outside, your home stays cool without the need for an air conditioner.
It’s one of the best options to regulate your home’s temperature, and when combined with the other methods we’ve stated above, you can live your life with little need for air conditioning.
Carbon-free Commute
The commute is one way the US produces the most carbon emissions by capita worldwide. Almost every household in the US has a car, with over 70% of these people driving to work alone. A single transport vehicle emits four metric tons of carbon dioxide annually. If you add that all together, that’s roughly a billion carbon emissions produced from commute alone.
You can start doing carbon-free commutes by transitioning to bicycles or towards electric or hydrogen-fueled cars. If your commute only takes about 15 minutes, then a bicycle is your best option. You can cut out the majority of your carbon emissions by doing this, not to mention you can also save up on gas. However, if your commute takes at least 30 minutes, then an electric or hydrogen vehicle is for you.
A carbon-free commute is the best kind of commute because you can save up money on gas while saving the planet.
It’s time that we start doing our part in saving our world. We might only have one planet in this universe, so we’ll have to make this one count.
