I’m here, once again, to remind you that the Earth is dying, and I’m here, once again, to tell you how bad it’s getting and what we can do individually to help. Of course, we commoners can’t really do a whole lot, but by the looks of it, the bourgeoisie are not giving up their private jets and are not going to stop mass-producing, so we gotta do what we can to help.
For starters, what even is a carbon footprint? A carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide and other carbon compounds emitted due to the consumption of fossil fuels by a particular person or group. Basically, we all have one, so here are some things we can do to reduce it.
Here’s a link to a very simple and easy to use calculator to find out what your carbon footprint is.
- Recycle as much as possible
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Mass producing new products and extracting raw materials to create those products is one of the main causes of air pollution and global warming. Recycling reduces the number of raw materials extracted and the fossil fuel that’s realized by producing said materials. Overall, it reduces pollution and waste, so when you take out your trash make sure you put everything where it belongs: (usually) plastic is blue, paper is green, and brown is everything else.
- Minimize Driving
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Gasoline (gas) is what we use to fuel our cars and is probably one of the biggest emissions of humans. We drive to work, we drive to the gym, we drive to go to school… However, there are better, more sustainable ways to get from place to place. If it’s close enough, you could walk. You can also take the bus. If you live off-campus, there are many different buses that can take you and a semester bus pass costs $50. Driving less can actually save you money on gas, parking spaces, and save you from PACE! So next time you get in your car, make sure you look up your other options.
- Reduce Your Meat Intake
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The meat industry is one of the biggest polluters of Earth. They’re associated with deforestation — cutting down trees to use the space for pasture, polluting the water systems with nitrogen and phosphorus, exposing their workers to harmful pesticides, and grain-feeding their stock since it’s cheap, which causes them to to get sick and release methane into the atmosphere. So yeah, they’re horrible. Now, I’m NOT saying to stop eating meat right this second. What I’m saying is that if you maybe eat meat 4-5 times a week, you reduce your consumption to 1-2 times a week. Also, make sure to buy organic or locally. Those are the good guys.
- Reduce Your Use of Plastic
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You have probably been hearing this constantly. Plastic is not biodegradable, meaning it doesn’t decompose once it’s thrown away, so it lingers around, attracting other pollutants, contaminating our oceans, poisoning animals, and harming our planet. A few ways to reduce your use is when you go grocery shopping, don’t use plastic bags — use reusable ones or paper. Use reusable water bottles and reusable water straws. There are a lot of substitutes for plastic nowadays, so it’s never been easier to reduce your use.
- VOTE VOTE VOTE
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Lastly, vote for officials and representatives that will put their efforts into trying to stop global warming. “My vote doesn’t matter.” Get yourself to the polls. There’s no excuse. It’s your constitutional right, so use it!!
So, please, next time you step outside the house, consider these few tips.