Reducing my EF

1. Food Choices

1.1. Buy more local food because it greatly reduces carbon emissions required to transport food from their original farms, considering that the average American meal travels about 2400km before it even reaches a plate.

1.1.1. The average American meal travels about 2400km

1.1.2. A transport truck

1.2. Eat less processed food, because it contributes more to pollution by using more energy and requiring ingredients to travel more.

1.2.1. Processed foods

1.3. Eat more sustainable meats which are near the bottom of the food chain because it has the least effect on animals higher on the chain.

1.3.1. Certified organic meat

1.4. Eat seafood which has been certified to be sustainable to keep our oceans healthy and keep the food chain balanced for years to come.

1.4.1. MSC Logo

2. Mixed land uses

2.1. I chose this topic because I feel that mixed land uses are lacking in my community. Wherever there are different land uses, they are all siphoned off into their own areas. There are residential clusters, industrial clusters and retail clusters but they aren't all in one area. This is a detriment to the community because we need to get into cars and travel to get nearly anywhere that is not just a house. This wastes time when other buildings could have been placed in that area. This topic is not extremely easy to implement, but it is doable and mixed-use buildings could be built in some unused empty space.

3. Transportation

3.1. Reduce long-distance travel, and if entirely necessary, consider driving or taking a train because planes have the most carbon emissions per kilometre.

3.1.1. Planes have the highest carbon emissions per kilometre travelled

3.2. Take more public transit to get to closer, day-to-day destinations to reduce carbon emissions from cars.

3.2.1. Public transportation

3.3. Help keep the car in shape so that it doesn't burn unnecessary fuel by filling the tires to the recommended pressure and checking oil.

3.3.1. A car

3.4. Use technology to communicate with others to avoid the need to meet them in person and waste plenty of fuel.

3.4.1. Skype

4. Housing

4.1. Set computers to go to sleep after an hour of disuse and turn off computers that aren't often used to save energy. Putting a computer to sleep can save up to 98% of the energy it would have used when turned on.

4.1.1. Putting a computer to sleep can have energy savings of up to 98%

4.2. Seal off windows and doors which are not entirely sealed so that they do not waste energy for climate control.

4.2.1. Window sealing

4.3. I could remove my unused chargers from the wall because they can still use up to 85% of the energy they normally use when a device is plugged in.

4.3.1. 85% of the energy used when operational still may be used when turned off

4.4. Insulate my hot water tank with at thick jacket to avoid heat loss and reduce excess energy usage.

4.4.1. Insulated hot water tank