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Your carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions that come from the production, use, and disposal of products or services. It includes carbon dioxide 鈥� the gas most commonly emitted by humans 鈥� and others including methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases, which trap gas in the atmosphere, causing the greenhouse effect and global warming.

The average carbon footprint in the United States is 16.49 metric tons compared to the average carbon footprint in the European Union, which is 6.4 metric tons. While Europe is doing better than the US on this front, the global target for individual carbon emissions to limit the impacts of climate change is two metric tons. We鈥檝e all got work to do.

September 21st marks Zero Emissions Day, also known as ZeDay. Zero Emissions Day intends to give the world a break from fossil fuels and to raise awareness of the ecological harm caused by carbon emissions. We are feeling the effects of global warming worldwide, and especially at the time of writing as the western United States is clouded in smoke from wildfires. Zero Emissions Day can bring our attention to the role that we each play in reducing carbon emissions and addressing climate change. 

So, let鈥檚 tackle our carbon footprint together. Here are 50 simple ideas to reduce your carbon emissions today and every day.

Travel and commuting

1. Going carless can save about 2.6 tons of carbon dioxide, and if you aren鈥檛 ready to give up driving, buy an electric car and run it on clean energy. 

2. If you have a car, service it regularly to keep it running well. Check those tires! 

3. Skip the AC and roll down the windows when you can 鈥� air conditioning drives up the carbon footprint of your commute. 

4. Take your roof rack, bike rack, or roof box off your car when you don鈥檛 need it. They make the car heavier and cause more wind resistance, reducing fuel efficiency. 

5. Carpool if you can.

6. Better yet, walk or bicycle to run errands.

7. When you vacation, use green hotels. 

8. Consider taking a road trip instead of flying if your destination isn鈥檛 too far and you are accompanied by other travellers. Also, try renting a low-emitting car if yours isn鈥檛 exactly eco-friendly. 

9. When you aren鈥檛 in your hotel room, turn off the lights, TV, and air conditioning. 

10. Leave the 鈥淒o Not Disturb鈥� sign on the door of your room for the duration of your stay. This cuts down on chemical cleansing agents, electricity used in vacuuming, and the washing of bed linens. 

11. Fly non-stop and go economy. Business Class is responsible for almost 3x as many emissions as the economy. 

12. Purchase carbon offsets when you must fly. 

13. Be carbon smart with your recreation. Choose hiking, kayaking, and beach volleyball over sky diving, powerboating, or shopping. 

At home 

In the average American home, 25% of energy is used to heat spaces, 13% is used to heat water, 11% is used for cooling, and the rest is spent on appliances, according to estimates from the鈥�. Small changes can make a big difference. 

14. Do an energy audit to learn how you use or waste energy and help identify ways to be more energy-efficient. If you would like an energy audit for your commercial real estate property,鈥痩et us know.

15. Buy a carbon offset – this helps where reduction may not be possible.

16. Switch to green and renewable energy.

17. Prioritise electric heat and electric stoves instead of gas 

18. Purchase energy-efficient appliances and maintain them well.

19. Seal heating and cooling ducts.

20. Add insulation and weather stripping to doors and windows. 

21. Replace inefficient lighting with high-efficacy fixtures and bulbs. 

22. Minimise use of fireplaces or wood stoves.

23. Unplug devices 鈥� electronics pull energy when they are plugged in even if they are powered off. 

24. Set your thermostat to 78F (25.5C) in the summer and 67F (19C) in the winter. 

25. Open a window if you are warm instead of AC. Put on a sweater if you are cold instead of heaters. 

26. Close your curtains in the winter to keep the heat in. Close curtains in the summer to keep the heat out. 

27. Turn down your water heater to no more than 120F (48C). 

28. Insulate your hot water tank so it takes less energy to heat your water.

29. Set your fridge to 35-38F (1-3C) degrees and your freezer to 0 (-17C). 

30. Switch to reusable containers and products around the house 鈥� the less plastic, the better! If you use something with disposable packaging, recycle as much as possible. 

31. Plan your meals to reduce food waste and prioritise seasonal produce. Compost where you can. 

32. Embrace minimalism and a decluttered life. In addition to the price you pay and the time you spend cleaning, maintaining, and managing 鈥渟tuff鈥�, every item has its own carbon footprint. 

33. Stop your junk mail.

34. Take shorter, cooler showers 鈥� even cutting your showers by one minute will save carbon. 

35. Plant a tree, plant a garden, plant a green roof! Plants absorb carbon dioxide and are good for pollinators to boot. Planting a garden is especially important in urban areas to offset the heat island effect of all that concrete. And if you plant something you can eat, then you cut your carbon footprint while fighting carbon emissions! 

36. Install solar lighting in the garden. 

Food and dining 

Did you know that most of food鈥檚 carbon footprint comes from its production and not its transportation? So, what you eat is more important than where it comes from. That said, eating only locally-grown food for one year would save the carbon equivalent of driving 100 miles 鈥� and eating just one vegetarian meal a week for a year saves 160 miles more than that 鈥� I think we can do both.

37. Eat as low on the food chain as you can 鈥� fill your plate with vegetables, fruits, grains, and beans. And if you must eat meat, swap beef and lamb with chicken, turkey, and fish. 

38. Go meatless 鈥� GHGs from agribusiness are even bigger carbon polluters than fossil fuels. Red meat produces five times the carbon emissions of poultry. 

39. Cut back on dairy while you are at it 鈥� the carbon footprint of cheese is comparable to that of pork, eggs, and chicken. Try replacing dairy with plant-based alternatives. Be adventurous!

40. Eat local. Reduce the miles travelled for your food and ingredients 

41. Reduce food waste. Before you buy something in bulk, ask yourself if you really need all of it. The carbon you save on packaging will be undone if you throw the food away. 

42. Avoid carbon-intensive (and highly packaged) processed food. 

43. Ditch plastic. Give up plastic bottled water 鈥� use your refillable water bottles. Forego plastic bags and plastic wrap when purchasing fresh produce. Bring your own grocery bags to the shops, store food in glass containers, and purchase less takeout food (it鈥檚 packaged in plastic or Styrofoam) 

Clothes and shopping

 The fashion industry produces 10% of all humanity鈥檚 carbon emissions, is the second-largest consumer of the world鈥檚 water supply, and pollutes the ocean with microplastics. While people bought 60% more garments in 2014 than they did in 2000, they only kept the clothes for half as long. 

44. Upcycle 鈥� make something new before you discard something that has ended its useful life. Upcycling is good for the planet, and it鈥檚 fun! Get creative. 

45. Rethink your clothing and fashion 鈥� buy clothing that will last longer and avoid fast fashion. Mend your clothes instead of disposing of them whenever possible. 

46. Engage in clothing swaps or resale services before donating to a thrift store or charity shop. 

47. Shop second-hand before buying new. 

48. Only wash full loads of laundry. 

49. Wash clothes in cold water. About 90% of the energy the washing machine uses goes towards heating the water. If you wash four out of five loads in cold water, you can cut 864 pounds of CO2 emissions each year. According to鈥�., if you wash all of your laundry in Hot/Warm water, you鈥檒l spend about $265 a year to wash your clothes. If you wash all your laundry in cold, your cost per year drops to just $16! 

50. Line-dry your clothes. One dryer load uses five times more electricity than washing. If you line-dry your clothes, you can cut the carbon footprint of your laundry by 1/3 and reduce the wear on your garments. 

Do you know your carbon footprint? I calculated mine on鈥�鈥� and there are lots of them. My carbon footprint is approximately 12.8 metric tons per year, which is better than average in the United States, but I can do better! I鈥檝e got a long way to go before I achieve two metric tons.