Posted by T.W. Anderson on Jul.05, 2009

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The concept of carbon footprint has been around for nearly two decades, ever since the first academic paper on ecological footprints was introduced by William Reese in 1992. But it really hasn’t become a popular term in the arsenal of a green-thinker until the last five years or so. These days, the terminology is thrown around as often as the terms “green” and “eco-friendly”, but the problem is that many people don’t know exactly what a carbon footprint is, or how to reduce their own.

In the simplest of terms, the concept behind reducing your carbon footprint is reasonably self explanatory. It is the active reduction of human impact on planet Earth. It is recycling, conserving energy, going paperless, and doing everything in your power to reduce not only your emissions, but also your consumption. But how do you go about doing that while still living in the 21st century?

Many people assume that you can’t really reduce your carbon footprint while relying on technology, but this idea couldn’t be further from the truth. As discussed in the Going Paperless article, technology actually opens up quite a few doors in terms of reducing your impact on the eco-system, and while you may still be relying on “energy” consumption in the sense that you need electricity to keep your digital devices going, hydro-electricity and other forms of energy are far less destructive than the consumption of trees to keep the paper mills going, churning out millions of pages of magazines and books.

But truly reducing your carbon footprint will absolutely have you giving up some of the modern luxuries that we have come to depend on as necessities. Take your dryer, for example. Next to the refrigerator this is one of the most energy-consuming and wasteful devices in a home. While your fridge serves the purpose of keeping your food from going bad, the dryer is on par with the air conditioner in terms of pure wastefulness. Luxurious, absolutely, but necessary it is not. “But how can I dry my clothes?” you ask?

A clothes-line. They’ve been in use for thousands of years, and nothing is more ecologically friendly than air-drying your clothing on a line. Is it as fast as a dryer? No. Will it get your clothing as soft and snugly as your fabric-softened, tumbled-dry machine can? No. But it will not only save you a monthly utility bill, it will also cut down on your energy consumption by a drastic amount. A Beginner’s Guide to Line Drying Clothing has some great tips to help you get started down this route.

Along with going paperless and hanging your clothing to dry rather than using the dryer is the air conditioner. This is hands-down one of the most wasteful machines known to man, yet almost every single house and car has one in it. And while no one can argue the fact that sometimes an air conditioner can make the difference between bearable living conditions and unbearable, some moderation can go a long way towards helping reduce the amount of energy they consume. Start by turning your AC off at night, and opening up your shades and windows to let the cool evening air into the house. A good set of blinds and drapes can help shield your house from the daytime sun, and if you close the windows and blinds before the sun has a chance to start heating up your house, you can get away with only using the AC on the days when the afternoons are at their hottest, rather than running the AC around the clock.

Many people assume that a compost heap is nothing more than a pile of manure in the back yard, but nothing could be further from the truth. These days, compost bins come in all shapes and sizes, from commercial bins that can sit in your yard, to small, rotating bins that you can place on your balcony, perfect for putting all of your paper and organic byproducts into. Gone are the days when you needed to worry about the smell of compost materials and turning them by hand. You can buy compost bins and drums in all shapes and sizes, and it allows you to turn every bit of organic scrap in your kitchen, from banana peels to paper bags and junk mail, into rich, earthy dirt that you can use for the plants in your kitchen or garden.

Organize your own spice garden. You can use the compost from your old junk mail and leftover food products to create rich soil that is perfect for growing plants in, and by growing your own spices such as basil, mint, rosemary, dill, oregano, and otherwise, you can stop purchasing disposable bottles or containers from the store. On top of that, the flavor of fresh spices is beyond comparison. If you are limited in space, like in an apartment, use the window sills and balcony as planter areas. If you have a home, it is easy enough to start a garden in your back yard that is perfect for growing spices and vegetables.

There are many different ways you can help reduce your carbon footprint. Recycle as often as you can. Walk instead of driving if you live within a reasonable distance of your destination. A five minute drive can turn into a nice fifteen or twenty minute walk that not only helps reduce emissions, but helps you stay healthy by burning calories and enjoying the weather. Bicycles are also a great way of getting around, and public transportation is something that many Americans take for granted. In comparison, Europeans rely on public transportation as their main source, and many European cities even offer bicycles that you can rent to ride around the city on.

Take a look at your lifestyle and see what you can do to change. Every person out there is different, but by cutting corners where you can, it is possible to not only reduce your monthly bills by making smart, eco-friendly choices, but you will also help reduce your carbon footprint, and every little bit counts when it comes to making a difference. The Earth is a precious resource that we can’t afford to take for granted.

For a primer on other eco-terms, check out Eco-Vocabulary: Separating Green from Marketing Hype.

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Posted under Alternative Energy and Energy Efficiency, Living.