1. Transportation
1.1. Try to prevent travelling as much as possible
1.1.1. Instead of taking a small trip to run one small errand, wait awhile so you can run multiple errands in one drive
1.1.2. Use technology to communicate to others instead of travelling to talk face to face
1.1.2.1. Technology such as texting, instant messaging and calling is convenient these days because instead of driving all the way to someone just to have a talk, you could do the same without travelling at home with technology
1.1.3. Plan vacations that are closer to you such as a nearby beach or downtown
1.1.3.1. Using any form of transportation creates fossil fuels that contribute to climate change
1.1.3.2. Planes also cause noise pollution that can cause hearing problems and affect animals in the wild since they rely on sound
1.2. Find alternatives to short airplane trips
1.2.1. Taking a bus or train is more better for the environment because airplanes have 2 to 4 times the impact on climate change because of the release of water vapour and nitrous oxide at high altitudes.
1.3. Get a smaller car
1.3.1. A smaller car means that it has a small engine which typically is more energy efficient than the average sized cars.
1.4. Find alternatives to driving a car
1.4.1. Walking instead of driving a car means that no carbon is emitted
1.4.1.1. By not using a car very often, you can reduce your ecological footprint by up to 20%
1.4.2. For longer distances, public transport or biking also significantly reduces your ecological footprint
2. Food Choices
2.1. Reduce and minimize your food waste
2.1.1. Waste such as cores, bones and skins can be composted instead of thrown out in the garbage
2.1.2. Cook just enough food so you finish it or always store your leftovers so that minimal food is wasted
2.1.2.1. Reducing your amount of food waste can reduce your food footprint by up to 25%
2.2. Buy your food locally such as a grocery store or local farmer's market
2.2.1. Buying locally grown food means that no food is being transported because it was grown near you.
2.2.2. Food grown in other countries that require transportation causes pollution and wastes energy where as locally grown food doesn't require much transportation and reduces your ecological footprint
2.3. Avoid beef and lamb.
2.3.1. Compared to other food, beef is the most carbon intensive due to the large amount of feed and methane that cows produce in their life.
2.3.2. Beef produces a whopping 19.5 kg CO2e/kg compared to other .food that only produces around 4 kg CO2e/kg
2.4. Drink less bottled water.
2.4.1. Bottled water greatly impacts your carbon footprint because of the transportation of the water through thousands of miles and all the plastic that uses oil to make
3. Housing
3.1. Pull the plugs of household electronics and appliances when not in use.
3.1.1. Some electronics use 10-60% of power even when it's not in use
3.1.2. Plugged in electronics that are not used account for almost 13% of residential electricity use
3.1.3. Turn your computer off at night because screen savers and sleep mode consumes a lot of power
3.1.3.1. Therefore, you can save over half your energy bills and reduce significant amounts of carbon emissions because of less use of electricity
3.1.4. Power strips are useful because it's faster and more efficient to turn off the power for multiple appliances rather than pulling every individual plug
3.2. Replace regular light bulbs in your home with energy-efficient bulbs
3.2.1. Replace regular light bulbs with compact florescent light bulbs
3.2.1.1. Uses only 25% of electricity that a regular light bulb
3.2.1.2. Provides the same amount of light as a regular light bulb and uses less electrcity
3.2.1.3. Compact florescent light bulbs can last about 8 times longer than a regular light bulb
3.2.1.3.1. Therefore, you can save up to 80% of your electricity bills while having the same lighting that lasts longer and is more energy efficient
3.2.2. Use reflectors attached to lamps to direct light instead of using a giant light to light the whole room.
3.2.2.1. Using directional lamps powered by small energy efficient bulbs can save up to 50% in energy costs
3.2.2.2. Improves overall lighting because rooms won't be too bright and certain areas will still be lit
3.3. Change your thermostat so that you use less energy for heating
3.3.1. You can wear a sweater to warm yourself up instead of the heater to save a lot of energy each year.
3.3.1.1. Unlike a heater, a sweater doesn't require any energy to keep you warm
3.3.2. In the winter, you can save around 10% on heating bills per year by turning down the thermostat by just 1 degree.
3.4. Washing and drying clothes manually saves a lot of energy and uses less water.
3.4.1. Washing clothes with cold water instead of warm water saves more than 40% of electricity consumption
3.4.2. Another option is to not use a washing machine at all but instead, use a sink and some soap for smaller loads and save bigger loads for the washing machine
3.4.2.1. This method saves most of the water that would be used to wash your clothes in washing machines
3.4.3. Dryers are very energy intensive where as hang drying doesn't require any energy at all
3.4.3.1. Without the use of washing machines or dryers, no electricity is used for washing clothes which could have a huge impact on your ecological footprint and energy bills.