19
Carbon Cutting Tips Carbon Credit Capital Bridging the barriers to a carbon neutral world.
Carbon Cutting Tips Carbon Credit Capital
Bridging the barriers to a carbon neutral world.
CARBON CREDIT CAPITAL 1
Table of Contents
Background Information ................................................................................................................. 2
Reduce Your Emissions from Flying .............................................................................................. 3
Reduce Your Emissions from Driving ............................................................................................ 4
Home Energy .................................................................................................................................. 6
Heating and Cooling.................................................................................................................... 6
Lighting ....................................................................................................................................... 8
Electronics ................................................................................................................................... 8
Water Heating ............................................................................................................................. 9
Lifestyle ........................................................................................................................................ 11
Diet ............................................................................................................................................ 11
Goods and Services ................................................................................................................... 13
Waste ......................................................................................................................................... 14
Other Ways to Reduce your Carbon Footprint ............................................................................. 16
References ..................................................................................................................................... 17
Carbon Credit Capital (CCC) specializes in linking international and local partners to identify and
support high-quality carbon emission reduction projects in developing and domestic markets. CCC
works with universities, corporations, and non-profit organizations to reduce carbon emissions,
provide climate education, and achieve sustainability goals. Projects that CCC supports range from
the conventional landfill gas and solar photovoltaic to the ambitious household biogas digesters
and REDD+ (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation).
© Carbon Credit Capital 2014
Author: Karl Wasmuth
All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced in any form, without
written permission.
Carbon Credit Capital
561 Broadway, Suite 6A
New York, New York 10012
212.470.1343
CARBON CREDIT CAPITAL 2
Background Information Climate change is a global phenomenon that is unequivocally happening, caused by
humans, and causing problems. Yet the global nature of the problem can make climate change
hard to comprehend. Many people feel that their impact on the climate is insignificant, or that
they don’t know what they can do to reduce their impact. Others think that reducing their impact
is expensive, or that only large corporations should be held accountable. These thoughts are not
correct. Responsibility for climate change is shared by everyone, from the largest corporation to
the greenest person, and everyone can reduce their impact – likely saving them money in the
process. This report can help you learn how.
The average American’s carbon footprint is just over 19 metric tons of carbon dioxide
equivalent – or the same as burning over 20,000 pounds of coal (EPA, 2014)! This is the average
footprint from six main emissions categories: diet, goods and services, waste, air transportation,
land transportation, and home energy use. However, your footprint is likely very different from
this estimate which is averaged across the entire country and includes everyone. Consider using
our carbon footprint calculator to determine what your footprint is before using these tips. Then
use the tips below to understand how you can reduce your carbon footprint, and likely save quite
a bit of money! Everyone can reduce their impact on our shared climate.
CARBON CREDIT CAPITAL 3
Reduce Your Emissions from Flying
Flying is one of the greatest conveniences of our modern age. We can simply hop on a plane and
in a matter of hours safely arrive in another destination across the globe. However, flying requires
a tremendous amount of fuel and thus produces a lot of greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover,
planes release emissions higher into the atmosphere
than other sources of pollution, which results in a more
potent greenhouse effect, an effect known as the
Radiative Forcing Index. Because of these factors,
flying has a large impact on peoples’ carbon footprints:
just one round-trip flight from New York to Tokyo is
over 25% of the average American’s annual carbon
footprint! Thankfully, there are many ways to reduce
your carbon footprint from flying, while likely saving
you money.
Simply don’t fly The easiest way to reduce your flight related
carbon footprint the most is to not fly.
Replacing a flight with teleconferencing can
reduce your carbon footprint from the flight
to nearly zero. It is likely that there is no other
action you can take to reduce your carbon
footprint by as much or as quickly. You will
also save a lot of money by avoiding the
flight. However, many people consider in-
person interactions unreplaceable – having
Thanksgiving via video call just isn’t the
same – so if you do still fly, consider these
tips…
Take direct flights Getting a plane off the ground and up to
cruising altitude can use as much fuel as the
rest of the flight and layovers typically
increase the total distance the plane has to fly.
Both these factors increase the carbon
footprint of indirect flights. Most people
don’t enjoy having flights with layovers, so
why do people take such flights? Because it
is cheaper? According to the New York
Times it was cheaper only until 2006 and
since it is generally cheaper to fly direct
(RAMPELL, 2009). So, when possible, fly
direct.
Fly economy If you care about the environment and your
finances more than legroom and boarding a
plane earlier, switching from business or first
class to economy class is an easy way to
reduce your carbon footprint. Business class
and especially first class take up more space
on the plane and attribute more weight
towards the passenger resulting in the need
for more fuel compared to an economy
passenger. Plus, business class is typically
four times as expensive as economy and first
class is typically eleven times as expensive
(Wikitravel, 2014).
Take a train You might be able to make it to your meeting,
family gathering, or vacation spot via another
form of mass transit. Trains are the most
efficient from a carbon footprint perspective,
so see if you can take the train. Replacing a
500 mile round trip flight with a train will cut
CARBON CREDIT CAPITAL 4
your emissions for the trip by 84% in the
United States.
Reduce Your Emissions from Driving
The average American’s carbon footprint from driving is 4.84 metric tons of CO2. However, this
number is taking into account all Americans, including those that don’t drive. If you drive a vehicle
with the average domestic fuel economy of 23 miles per gallon the average 15,000 miles a
commuter drives, your carbon footprint would be larger - 5.8 metric tons. Owning, maintaining,
and fueling a car is already expensive, so it is fortunate that there are many ways to reduce your
greenhouse gas emissions from driving that will also save you money!
Drive efficiently (free) Drivers typically are good about paying
attention to the road, traffic lights, and other
cars on the road, but not everyone pays
attention to their speed consistency,
acceleration rate, and breaking. Doing so is a
great way to significantly improve your fuel
economy and thus reduce emissions and save
money. In fact, the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) claims efficient drivers can
get 22% better fuel economy than aggressive,
inefficient drivers (EPA, 2014). For the
average driver that is a difference of over
$400 a year on fuel costs and an entire metric
ton of CO2. So keep a consistent speed, don’t
pass other drivers aggressively, accelerate
slowly and evenly, slow down slowly and
gradually, and drive efficiently!
Obey the speed limit (free) No, this is not a message sponsored by the
local sheriff’s department. The faster you
drive the greater the resistance from air you
will have to overcome. In physics speak, your
car is pushing against the mass of air in front
of it which increases with the square of your
car’s speed (Murphy, 2011). Your lead foot
is, therefore, actually costing you money at
the pump and amplifying your carbon
footprint. For a typical driver this can be
about 11% of your fuel economy (EPA,
2014). All it costs is a bit of extra time to
reduce your carbon footprint by driving
slower!
Remove cargo racks and cargo boxes (free) Sure you can carry more stuff with a rooftop
cargo box, but it could also be reducing your
fuel economy by 2-17% depending on the
speed you drive (EPA, 2014). It might seem
annoying to take cargo boxes on and off, but
if the average driver left one on all year it
would cost them about $280 and add an extra
0.8 metric tons of CO2 to the atmosphere. So
when your road trip is over take the cargo
rack and box off!
Keep your tires properly inflated (free) When your tire pressure gets low it increases
the rolling resistance of your vehicle and thus
reduces your fuel economy. Keeping your
tires inflated will improve your fuel economy
by about 3%, which would save a typical
driver about $65 a year and reduce their
carbon footprint by nearly a fifth of a ton. So
look up your car’s recommended tire
pressure and make sure you check your tires!
Carpool (free) Do some of your coworkers commute along
the same route to work as you? Can you put
up being in a confined space with them for
slightly longer each day? If “yes”, then you
should really considering carpooling as a way
CARBON CREDIT CAPITAL 5
to significantly reduce your carbon footprint
and gas expenditure – and your coworkers
will also save. Having just one other person
ride with you will cut both of your
expenditures on gas and carbon footprints in
half for the distance traveled. If a typical
driver in an average car has a 20 mile one-
way commute everyday of a basic work year
(250 days) and carpools with another typical
driver instead of driving alone they would
both save about $750 a year on gas and both
reduce their footprints by 1.93 metric tons.
Not bad.
Keep your car tuned up ($$)
A car that runs well is better for the climate.
Basic car maintenance can improve fuel
economy by about 4%, which would save the
typical driver about $90 on gas and reduce
their carbon footprint by a quarter of a ton
(EPA, 2014). Unlike the previous tips this is
not free to do, but will likely extend the life
of your vehicle and thus save you money in
the long run. So keep that car tuned up!
Ride a bike or take public transportation ($) Riding a bike or taking public transportation
are great ways to reduce your carbon
footprint and save money, although many
cities in the United States lack high-quality
bike lanes and sufficient public
transportation. The initial investment in a
bike might seem like a lot, but if you use it
enough it will pay for itself with saved fuel,
not to mention better health. The cost of
public transportation varies greatly across the
country, but the average cost per passenger
mile is $0.22 for subways/metros and $0.26
for buses, less than the $0.28* per mile an
average vehicle gets and also more
convenient, lower stress, and way better for
the climate (US DOT, 2013).
*Fuel cost of $3.46 per gallon at 23 miles per
gallon is $0.14/mi, while the AAA estimates
maintenance costing $0.06/mi and average
insurance cost per mile works out to another
$0.07/mi totaling $0.28/mi with rounding
(Valdez, 2011). Your car would have to get
38.4 mpg to be as cheap as the subway.
Make sure the next car you buy is more efficient ($$$$) It is not every day that you buy a car, but
when you need to replace your car getting one
with better fuel economy is a great way to
save money and reduce your carbon
footprint. However, replacing a car before it
needs to be replaced is not necessarily a great
idea. Also, consider buying a used car (but
make sure it is not a lemon!) to help avoid
carbon emissions that would go into
producing a brand new one.
CARBON CREDIT CAPITAL 6
Home Energy
Your home can have a very large carbon
footprint, or a very little one. A lot of the
variation is based on where your home is, what
kind of building your home is and how big it is,
and when and how your home was built. For
example, a big single-family house in
Michigan will require far more energy to heat
than a single-family house in California. A
modern apartment in New York will use less
energy than a single-family home. Houses that
use the same amount of energy but get it from
different sources will also have different
carbon footprints. Fuel oil is dirtier than natural gas. Electricity depends on the fuel sources used
to produce it. Washington has cleaner electricity than Wyoming. However, you also have a huge
impact on your home’s energy consumption. You can control how much energy is used and how
efficiently it is used. Below are some tips for reducing your home’s carbon footprint and saving
money. Tis are organized into the following categories: heating and cooling, lighting, electronics
(other than lights), water heating, and other.
Heating and Cooling
Space heating is the largest energy use in most homes, accounting for over 60% in some states in
cold climates. Even in sunny Florida 10% of the average home’s energy use is towards heating.
Cooling can be up to 25% of a home’s energy use in Arizona, but nationally is about 6%. We
group heating and cooling together because many of the things you can do to reduce your heating
bill and footprint will also reduce your cooling bill and footprint (or vice versa).
Turn down the heat in the winter, and up in the summer (free) It is interesting that many people have their
heat set higher in the winter than they do in
summer. This really does not make sense and
is completely backwards to how temperatures
should be set. To save energy you should set
your thermostat as low as you can
comfortably in the winter and set it was warm
as you can in the summer. For each degree
you lower the temperature in winter and raise
it in summer you will save about 3% on your
respective bill.
Close your drapes/curtains on the sunny side of your house in summer and the non-sunny sides and at night in the winter (free) Summer sun coming through your windows
can contribute a third towards your home’s
heat gain in the summer. Blocking much of
this light with curtains or drapes is an easy
and (if you already own them) free way to
significantly reduce your cooling bill and
carbon footprint. During the winter a lot of
heat is lost through windows. Close your
CARBON CREDIT CAPITAL 7
drapes during the night and on the sides of
your home not getting direct sunlight to
reduce heat loss by about 10%. Leave them
open on the sunny sides to get the heat you
want to prevent in summer!
Use a programmable thermostat ($) The majority of homes that have control over
their temperature do not have programmable
thermostats, and nearly half of those that do
have programmable thermostats don’t use
them. These cheap and easy to use devices
allow you to raise the temperature in winter
when you need it warm, lower it when you
don’t, and ensure that you are only air
conditioning when you need it.
Programmable thermostats typical can
reduce both heating and cooling energy needs
by 10% which should pay for the cost of the
thermostat in as short a time as one year!
Apply window shrink wrap during the winter ($) Similar to closing the drapes, window shrink
wrap lets you reduce heat loss through your
windows but still lets you see out. Because
shrink wrap forms a better seal than drapes it
works slightly better. You can also consider
doing both. Try carefully to remove window
shrink wrap when spring arrives so you can
reuse it and not generate too much trash.
Make sure ducts and vents are properly sealed ($-$$$) If you have central heating and cooling it is
important to make sure that your ductwork
and vents are properly sealed. Leaky ducts
can cause you to lose 20% of your heating or
cooling before it gets to you! You can
probably do a simple DIY job with a roll of
metallic tape, but larger jobs might require
you to hire professionals.
Install an EnergyStar air conditioner ($$-$$$) Nearly half of all air conditioners are over 10
years old and perform significantly worse
than modern efficient ones. When it is time
for you to upgrade to a new one, or purchase
your first one, make sure you get one with a
high SEER number. These are typically more
expensive, but more than pay for the
difference through energy savings over their
lifetimes. A more efficient air conditioner can
reduce your cooling energy bill and carbon
footprint by about 15%.
Install an EnergyStar furnace ($$$) Majority of home heating units are over 10
years old which means most are low
efficiency. Although replacing a furnace is
very expensive, there are typically rebates
available – check with your state and utility.
Replacing an old inefficient furnace with one
that is at least 90% efficient can reduce your
heating energy needs by around 33%, saving
you money every year and significantly
reducing your carbon footprint (DOE, 2014).
Plant deciduous trees on the sunny side of your home and evergreens on the windy north/northeastern side(s) of your home ($$-$$$) Trees not only look nice and significantly
raise the value of your property, they can also
lower your heating and cooling bills and
carbon footprint (Arbor Day Foundation,
2014). Deciduous trees will shade your home
during the hot summer, but let the sun
through to warm your home in the winter.
Evergreens will break the wind in winter
keeping your house warmer. However, it will
take a few years of growth before the trees
can have much of an impact.
CARBON CREDIT CAPITAL 8
Lighting
Lighting typically accounts for around 5-10% of a household’s energy consumption (ACEEE,
2010). The amount of energy used for lighting depends on many factors, such as: time of year,
when people are home, rooms lit, type of lights used, and, of course, the people using the lights.
Determining where you can improve your lighting efficiency is easy: you can literally see the
waste! This makes lighting one of the first places many people turn to when looking for ways to
reduce their energy costs and carbon footprint.
Replace Incandescent Bulbs with CFLs or LEDs ($) Incandescent bulbs are not much different
from when Thomas Edison invented them.
Fortunately compact florescent lights (CFLs)
and light emitting diodes (LEDs) have both
emerged as superior technologies – they last
longer and use much less energy. Although
there is a higher upfront cost for both, the
energy savings of the bulbs will more than
cover it. In fact replacing a single 800 lumen
incandescent bulb with an 800 lumen LED
would save you about $60 over the first ten
years, and more after that (Horowitz, 2010)!
Turn off Lights when not in Use (free) When you leave lights on in rooms that you
are not occupying you are wasting energy and
not benefiting anyone! However, many
people do leave lights on when they are not
needed. The energy, money, and carbon
savings are well worth making sure you turn
off lights. So get in the habit of spending an
extra second or two to turn off the lights when
you leave a room.
Use Motion/Occupancy Sensor Lights ($-$$) An easy solution to turning off lights when
they are unneeded is to install motion
sensors, also known as occupancy sensors.
These will ensure that lights are only turned
on when needed. They also save you the
hassle of finding light switches in the dark.
These sensors can significantly reduce your
energy bills by ensuring the most efficient
use of your lights.
Electronics
Electronic appliances (not including lighting and air conditioning in this category) account for a
larger proportion of an American home’s energy use than ever before (EIA, 2012). Game counsels,
televisions, computers, wifi routers, cable boxes, DVRs, battery chargers, kitchen appliances,
printers, refrigerators, stereo systems, and so on really add up. This is partly because the cost of
most appliances has come down in recent years
allowing homeowners to have more goodies.
Buy the most Efficient Devices ($-$$$) Thankfully electronic devices are steadily
getting more and more efficient, so newer
appliances typically use less energy than their
predecessors. Some of the most efficient
appliances may cost marginally more at the
checkout, but will quickly pay for the cost in
energy savings. So the next time you look for
CARBON CREDIT CAPITAL 9
a new gadget make sure you get the most
efficient one available. Look for efficiency
labels like Energy Star and check your local
utility for potential rebates for larger
products.
Unplug unused Electronics (free) Electronics that are unused but left plugged
in can be responsible for around 5-10% of a
home’s electricity use, and this can be
realistically reduced by about 30%
(Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,
2014). Consider using a power strip to easily
and completely disconnect devices from the
wall and make sure that any chargers are
disconnected when they are done charging
their devices. Unplugging devices can be as
easy as turning lights on and off!
Hang Dry Clothes (free) Clothes Dryers can use quite a bit of energy,
while hanging your clothes up to dry uses
none. Dryers are also expensive to purchase
and maintain so hang-drying clothes can
extend the life of your dryer by reducing ware
on it. If you have to pay a laundromat or your
building management to use a dryer hang-
drying will also save you a lot of cash
directly. If you feel you need to use a clothes
dryer make sure you use the lowest setting
that will get the job done, clean the lint filter
before each load, and do heavy and
lightweight items in separate loads.
Use Cold Water to Wash Clothes (free) Most of the energy needed to wash clothes is
used to heat water – as much as 90%
(Alliance to Save Energy, 2011)! Many
people still think they need hot water to get
their clothes clean, but modern detergents are
often designed for optimal use with cold
water. Switching to using cold water to wash
your clothing is a great, and free, way to save
energy, save money, and reduce your carbon
footprint! Also make sure you are doing full
loads, not over washing, and only washing
clothes when they are dirty.
Water Heating
Water heating can be a significant part of a home’s energy consumption since it is active 24/7 and
it takes a lot of energy to heat water. Thus water heating accounts for about 17% of an average
home’s total energy use – second only to space heating (Energy.gov, 2014).
Lower the Temperature on your Hot Water Heater (free) Many hot water heaters are set to 140 degrees
Fahrenheit. This is so hot it can scald your
hands after a few seconds and typically
requires mixing with cold water to be usable.
Setting the temperature on your hot water
heater to 120 degrees is thus a great, easy, and
free way to save on your energy bill, reduce
your carbon footprint, and possibly prevent
painful burns. If you are comfortable with a
lower temperature you can save even more!
Insulate Hot Water Heater ($) If you have a conventional hot water heater,
one that uses a tank to store hot water, it is
likely not well insulated. This lets the water
in the tank cool, which wastes energy. An
easy and cheap fix is to add an insulation
blanket to the outside of the tank. These
typically cost around $20.00 and can reduce
energy use by as much as 9% (Energy.gov,
2014). Thus, the blanket should pay for itself
though energy savings in the first year!
Insulate Hot Water Pipes ($) Much like an uninsulated hot water heater
tank, exposed pipes allow heat to escape,
CARBON CREDIT CAPITAL 10
costing you money. Insulating pipes only
affects the water that is moving through them
so it has a smaller impact on energy than
insulating your tank; however, it will make
water loose less heat between the tank and
where you want to use it. This can allow you
to set the temperature on your hot water
heater even lower, but still have the water be
the same temperature as before at your faucet.
Switch to a Tankless Hot Water Heater ($$$) Conventional hot water heaters have to keep
the water hot all the time to be ready for when
you need it. However, you may only need hot
water a few
times a day.
Tankless hot
water heaters
heat water only
when you need
it, which can
reduce the
energy needed
for hot water
heating by about
30% - or about
5% of the
average home’s
total energy use
(DOE, 2014)!
These devices
have a fairly high upfront cost so it may be
best to invest in one when your conventional
hot water heater needs to be replaced anyway.
Use less Hot Water (free) It is probably pretty intuitive that using less
hot water will result in less energy being used
to heat more water. Try to take shorter
showers as a way to quickly reduce the hot
water you use. When washing dishes it is
likely not necessary to use hot water unless
the dishes are greasy, and be sure to turn the
tab off in between dishes. Also make sure that
your faucets and shower heads don’t leak or
drip. As a bonus, all of these good habits will
also save water!
Install a Solar Water Heater ($-$$$) Solar hot water heaters use the free energy
from the sun to heat water for your home.
Typically these heaters are used in
conjunction with a storage tank style water
heater to preheat
the water so that
less energy has to
be used. This can
reduce your
water heating bill
by 50-80%
(Energy.gov,
2012)! Homes in
warmer climates
may be able to
get by with only
a solar water
heater, although
the residents may
have to adjust
when they
shower. The cost of installing a solar hot
water heater is very variable, depending on if
you build and install your own or purchase
one had hire a contractor to install it for you.
CARBON CREDIT CAPITAL 11
Lifestyle The way you live has a huge impact on your carbon footprint. In the previous chapters we
examined flying, driving, and home energy which all have fairly clear impacts: you have to pay
for the gas you burn in your car; you pay your utility bill which directly relates to your footprint;
and one of the main costs associated with flying is for jet fuel. This section looks at parts of your
carbon footprint that are not so readily apparent, but can be a very large part of your climate impact.
In technical terms, all of the greenhouse gas emissions in this section are considered scope 3: they
are someone else’s emissions but are caused as a byproduct of your behavior, be it purchases or
trash – if you don’t buy something the emissions from its production would not occur. In fact, the
average American’s annual carbon footprint from the food they eat, goods they buy, and trash they
produce amount to 9.49 metric tons of CO2 equivalent, just under half!
CARBON CREDIT CAPITAL 12
Diet
There are few things more personal than the food you eat. It is likely you have foods you love,
foods you dislike, and foods you are allergic to that can be very different from your best friends.
The lifecycle of food is one of the leading sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the United
States. In fact, just the CH4 and N2O emissions from agriculture account for 8.1% of the USA’s
total greenhouse gas emissions, not accounting for emissions from on-farm energy use, food
transportation, food storage and refrigeration, or food processing and preparation. These
differences in diet preference and the high emissions associated with getting food to our plates
results in carbon footprints that vary greatly. For example, the average American adult male’s
carbon footprint is a whole metric ton larger than
the average American adult female’s carbon
footprint. Below are some tips on how you can
shrink your diet’s carbon footprint, but they are just
suggestions meant to be easy or small changes - be
sure to consult a dietitian before making any
serious changes to your diet.
Avoid Food Waste Almost a third of consumable food is thrown
out: 10% by retail stores and about 21% by
the end consumer (Buzby, Wells, & Hyman,
2014). If the supply chain carbon emissions
needed to get this food to you are included, it
would increase the average American’s diet
carbon footprint from 2.63 metric tons to 4.05
metric tons, not counting the emissions from
throwing the food out (see “Waste” section)!
Try to plan what you buy and the meals you
prepare to avoid having food spoil, also save
leftovers and remember to actually eat them
later.
Replace Red Meat with White Meat If the average American simply replaced all
the calories they consume from red meat
(ruminant animals like cows, buffalo, and
sheep) with white meat (such as pork,
poultry, or fish) they would reduce their
diet’s carbon footprint by about half a metric
ton, or by close to 20%. Adult males typically
eat more red meat than adult females so the
reduction would be larger, about 0.71 metric
tons or 22% compared to 0.38 metric tons or
17%, respectively. Replacing red meat with
white meat is a good way to quickly reduce
your carbon footprint without making a
major altercation to your diet.
Reduce Meat Consumption Rather than replace red meat with white meat,
you could also consider replacing meat with
other food categories such as nuts, grains,
dairy, vegetables, and fruit. You can choose
how much to reduce – consider anything
from “meatless Mondays” to vegetarianism.
Cutting meat out one day per week, but
leaving everything else unchanged would
reduce the average American’s carbon
footprint by 0.085 metric tons, or about
3.25%. Going vegetarian would reduce
emissions by 0.6 metric tons, or about 23%.
A more drastic option is to cut out all animal
products, including eggs and dairy which we
assume vegetarians still consume. This
would reduce the average American’s diet
CARBON CREDIT CAPITAL 13
carbon footprint to 1.82 metric tons – a
reduction of 0.81 metric tons or about 31%.
Avoid Overeating Americans are well known for overeating.
According to the USDA the average
American consumes 2,299 calories per day
(USDA, 2014). If someone was to eat 25%
more than this, but distributed the same way,
their carbon footprint would be 0.65 metric
tons larger. Everyone has different dietary
needs and has different caloric intakes best
suited for them. If you eat a healthy amount
for your needs, stick with it, but if you eat
more than you should, consider climate
change as another reason to cut down.
Eat Organic Foods There are plenty of reasons to eat organic
food, including doing so to reduce climate
change. This is because foods grown
organically avoid using synthetic nitrogen
fertilizers which are one of the main sources
of N2O, a potent greenhouse has. Eating
organic food could potentially reduce your
diet carbon footprint by about 5% (Audsley,
2009). However, it is important to remember
that different types of food are affected
differently by switching to organic, the
preceding reduction is an average across all
food types.
Eat Locally Grown In-season Foods, Many people assume that transportation is
one of the main sources of greenhouse gas
emissions in the production of food;
however, transportation is a relatively small
source of emissions. Transportation accounts
for about 4% of the lifecycle emissions of
food before being bought by the consumer
(Christopher & Matthews, 2008). In fact,
driving to the grocery store and back can
result in more emissions than getting the food
to the store. It is also important to buy in-
season foods because foods grown in
greenhouses in the winter can require far
more energy for heat and light. However,
there are still many great reasons to buy
locally grown in-season foods beyond the
still-important climate benefits.
Goods and Services
The production of almost everything results in greenhouse gas emissions being released into the
atmosphere and climate change increasing. It is important to remember that, although companies
are producing the greenhouse gases, they are producing them to serve you. Thus, the responsibility
is shared by both the consumer and the producer. It is easy to ignore the emissions associated with
the production of goods or the carrying out of services as one may feel disconnected from the
process, but it is this consumption of goods and services that ties you to the companies you buy
goods and services from and their emission. Plus, it is likely the largest source of a household’s
emissions. Therefore, it is also a category in which one can significantly reduce their carbon
footprint.
CARBON CREDIT CAPITAL 14
Reduce Consumption The simplest, although not always easiest or
most fun, way to reduce your carbon
footprint from goods and services is to simply
buy fewer things. However, the average
American is exposed to hundreds to
thousands of advertisements every day trying
to get them to buy a good or service. The trick
is therefore to avoid buying things that you
don’t need.
Purchase from Sustainable Companies Companies, even those that produce very
similar products, can behave very differently
when it comes to corporate social
responsibility. Some corporations strive to
produce the cheapest good possible which
drives them to cut corners in environmental
protection, workers’ rights, and greenhouse
gas mitigation. Other companies invest a lot
in energy efficiency as a way to save money
in the long-term while also reducing their
impact. The best companies go above and
beyond by investing in sustainability
measures that don’t necessarily directly
benefit them economically. The next time
you have to buy a good or service try to find
the most sustainable company that provides
it. This will reduce your impact, while also
helping to push the market towards
sustainability by punishing companies that
don’t do enough.
Purchase Secondhand Goods or High-quality Goods Modern consumption is based on producing
disposable goods or cheap low-quality goods
that wear out easily. This leads to the need to
manufacture new goods resulting in higher
emissions. By buying high-quality goods that
will last longer, or can be sent back to be
repaired rather than replaced, you can help to
cut down on greenhouse gas emissions from
raw mineral extraction, product manufacture,
and shipping. Buying used goods is an even
better way to do this while saving you more
money.
Waste
Waste is fairly closely tied to one’s diet and consumption of goods and services. The average
American generates about 4.3 pounds of trash per day (EPA WARM, 2014). This amounts to about
251 million short tons of trash, 34.5% of which is recycled or composted, every year (EPA, 2014).
Most of the remainder is sent to landfills where it slowly breaks down anaerobically which releases
methane, a potent greenhouse gas. This methane is either vented into the atmosphere, captured and
flared, or captured and used to generate electricity, the latter two of which convert the methane to
carbon dioxide (EPA WARM, 2014). This winds up resulting in about 0.76 metric tons of CO2e
per person per year. Below you will find some tips on how to reduce your carbon footprint from
waste.
Generate less Waste If you produce less trash you will contribute
less to landfills which in turn will produce
fewer greenhouse gas emissions – pretty
straight forward. But how do you make sure
you generate less waste? Some of the tips for
reducing your impact from goods and
services also work: if you buy fewer things
you don’t need you will have less to throw
out; if you buy higher quality things you will
be able to keep them longer; and if you
purchase secondhand goods you have
prevented them from reaching a landfill. If
you can reuse something or use it for another
purpose do so. Also consider donating things
you no longer want, but still work, to
charities. Or sell them to earn a little extra!
Don’t Waste Food Be careful what food you buy, and how you
prepare it: about ten percent of all food that
CARBON CREDIT CAPITAL 15
reaches retail winds up getting thrown out
and another 20% is thrown out by consumers,
or about 161.6 billion dollars’ worth of food
and nearly a third of all food produced
(Buzby, Wells, & Hyman, 2014)! That is
over $500 per person per year, clearly an
issue worth addressing as a way to both
reduce your carbon footprint and save you
money. This thrown out food contributes
another 0.133 metric tons of CO2e to the
atmosphere per person per year, in addition
to the emissions discussed in the “Diet”
section.
Recycle A lot of the trash American’s throw out can
be recycled but winds up in the landfill
anyway. In some cases this is due to a lack of
recycling infrastructure in communities, but
more often is a result of lack of knowledge on
what can be recycled or laziness. Make sure
you look up what can be recycled – and what
cannot be recycled – in your neighborhood
and how or if you should sort it. Then take the
time to actually recycle. It can have a
tremendous impact on the environment and
climate: every short ton of aluminum
recycled saves over nine metric tons of CO2e
from reaching the atmosphere (EPA WARM,
2014)!
Compost at Home Composting properly will allow organic
waste to break down aerobically, preventing
methane emissions, and will result in
excellent fertilizer. If you have a place to
compost at home then you will even cut out
the transportation emissions associated with
moving food waste and yard trimmings to a
public composting facility. Moreover,
composting at home can cut greenhouse gas
emissions from what you compost to zero,
since all the CO2 released from the aerobic
decomposition will be reabsorbed when
plants regrow.
CARBON CREDIT CAPITAL 16
Other Ways to Reduce your Carbon Footprint
Most of the tips above have been ways to address your immediate impact on the climate. However,
due to the long residency time of greenhouse gases and the well-mixed nature of Earth’s
atmosphere over these timescales, the actual location of emissions is not important. This means
that reducing greenhouse gas emissions
in any location has the same effect as in
any other location. As such, you can
reduce your carbon footprint by
supporting carbon reductions anywhere
around the world. Often reductions can be
achieved more cheaply and efficiently
this way. These carbon footprint
reduction tips should be done in
conjunction with reducing your
immediate impact.
Purchase Clean Electricity Most utility companies offer customers the
ability to pay slightly more for their
electricity to claim they are supporting clean,
renewable power. The extra money you pay
the utility will go towards operating and
expanding energy sources such as wind and
solar. However, you should remember that
you are still getting the exact same electricity
as everyone else – there is no way to filter
electrical distribution so you don’t only get
electricity generated by renewable sources, it
is all mixed together. As such, purchasing
“green” power is offsetting your electrical
emissions by supporting projects elsewhere.
Purchase Carbon Offsets Carbon offsets allow you to finance
sustainable projects that are proven to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, and are typically
the only way to become carbon neutral.
Because these projects could not happen
without your support you are allowed to
claim the carbon reduction you fund via
third-party verified and traceable credits. In
many ways this is similar to
purchasing “green” electricity: your money is
financing a project and you are, in turn,
claiming the benefit. Moreover, many carbon
offset projects have amazing cobenefits for
the local communities and ecosystems. If you
choose to purchase offsets be sure to shop
around for the project you like the most. If
you don’t know what project the credits are
supporting or if they just support a “bundle”
of projects, you may want to avoid them.
Don’t support legislators that mislead the
American people about climate change. Even
the biggest oil and mining companies around
the world recognize climate change as a
manmade problem (Rio Tinto, 2012) (Exxon
Mobil, 2014) (BHP Billiton, 2014) (BP,
2014) (Shell, 2014) (Chevron, 2014). So
write to your congressional representative
and encourage them to lead America along a
path of sustainable, low-carbon growth. The
costs of inaction are higher than action, and
the uncertainty caused by political
intransience is bad for business.
CARBON CREDIT CAPITAL 17
References ACEEE. (2010, 06). Lighting. Retrieved from ACEEE: http://www.aceee.org/consumer/lighting
Alliance to Save Energy. (2011, 10 05). Efficient Laundry: Wash Clothes in Cold Water to Save Energy.
Retrieved from Alliance to Save Energy: https://www.ase.org/resources/efficient-laundry-wash-
clothes-cold-water-save-energy
Arbor Day Foundation. (2014, 09 09). The Benefits of Trees: The Value of Trees to Communties.
Retrieved from Arbor Day Foundation: http://www.arborday.org/trees/benefits.cfm
Audsley, E. B.-B. (2009). How low can we go? An assessment of greenhouse gas emissions from the UK
food. FCRN-WWF-UK.
BHP Billiton. (2014). Climate Change. Retrieved 11 13, 2014, from BHP Billiton:
http://www.bhpbilliton.com/home/society/climatechange/Pages/default.aspx
BP. (2014). Climate Change. Retrieved 11 13, 2014, from BP:
http://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/sustainability/the-energy-future/climate-change.html
Buzby, J. C., Wells, H. F., & Hyman, J. (2014). The Estimated Amount, Value, and Calories of
Postharvest Food Losses at the Retail and Consumer Levels in the United States. USDA:
Economic Research Service. Retrieved from www.ers.usda.gov/publications/eib-economic-
information-bulletin/eib-xxx.aspx
Chevron. (2014). Climate Change. Retrieved 11 13, 2014, from Chevron:
http://www.chevron.com/globalissues/climatechange/
Christopher, W. L., & Matthews, S. H. (2008). Food-Miles and the Relative Climate Impacts of Food
Choices in the United States. Washington DC: Environ. Sci. Technol.
DOE. (2014, 06). Furnaces and Boilers. Retrieved from Energy.gov:
http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/furnaces-and-boilers
DOE. (2014). Tankless of Demand-Type Water Heaters. Retrieved from Energy.gov:
http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/tankless-or-demand-type-water-heaters
EIA. (2012, 06 06). RECS data show decreased energy consumption per household. Retrieved from EIA:
http://www.eia.gov/consumption/residential/reports/2009/consumption-
down.cfm?src=%E2%80%B9%20Consumption%20%20%20%20%20%20Residential%20Energ
y%20Consumption%20Survey%20%28RECS%29-f3#fig-2
Energy.gov. (2012, 05 30). Estimating the Cost and Energy Efficiency of a Solar Water Heater. Retrieved
11 13, 2014, from Energy Saver: http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/estimating-cost-and-
energy-efficiency-solar-water-heater
Energy.gov. (2014). #Ask Energy Saver: Home Water Heating. Retrieved from Energy.gov:
http://energy.gov/articles/askenergysaver-home-water-heating
Energy.gov. (2014). Savings Project: Insulate your Hot Water Heater Tank. Retrieved from Energy.gov:
http://energy.gov/energysaver/projects/savings-project-insulate-your-water-heater-tank
CARBON CREDIT CAPITAL 18
EPA. (2014, 09 08). Driving More Efficiently . Retrieved from Fueleconomy.gov:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/driveHabits.jsp
EPA. (2014, 02 28). Municipal Solid Waste. Retrieved from US EPA:
http://www.epa.gov/waste/nonhaz/municipal/
EPA WARM. (2014, 06). Solid Waste Management and Greenhouse Gases:Documentation for
Greenhouse Gas Emission and Energy Factors Used in the Waste Reduction Model (WARM).
Retrieved from US EPA: http://epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/tools/warm/SWMGHGreport.html
Exxon Mobil. (2014). ExxonMobil’s views and principles on policies to manage long-term risks from
climate change. Retrieved 11 13, 2014, from Exxon Mobil:
http://corporate.exxonmobil.com/en/current-issues/climate-policy/climate-policy-
principles/overview
Horowitz, N. (2010). Your Guide to more Efficient and Money-Saving Light Bulbs. Washington DC:
ecova.com.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. (2014). Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: Building
Technology and Urban Systems Department. Retrieved from Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory: http://standby.lbl.gov/faq.html#much
Murphy, T. (2011, 07 17). Do the Math: 100 MPG on Gasoline: Could We Really? Retrieved 09 08,
2014, from UCSD Physics: http://physics.ucsd.edu/do-the-math/2011/07/100-mpg-on-gasoline/
RAMPELL, C. (2009, 02 27). The Economics of Airline Layovers. Retrieved 09 08, 2014, from The New
York Times: http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/the-economics-of-airline-
layovers/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0
Rio Tinto. (2012, 08). Rio Tinto’s Climate Change Position Statement. Rio Tinto’s Climate Change
Position Statement. Rio Tinto.
Shell. (2014). Climate Change. Retrieved 11 13, 2014, from Shell:
http://www.shell.com/global/environment-society/environment/climate-change.html
US DOT. (2013). Transit Profiles: 2012 Year Summary. Washington DC: Office of Budget and Policy -
US Department of Transportation. Retrieved from
http://www.ntdprogram.gov/ntdprogram/profiles.htm
USDA. (2014, 07 15). Commodity Consumption by Population Characteristic. Retrieved from USDA:
http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/commodity-consumption-by-population-
characteristics.aspx#.U6RjULGF-AQ
Valdez, D. (2011, 06 15). The Costs and Savings of Bicycle Commuting. Retrieved from Forbes:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/moneybuilder/2011/06/15/the-costs-and-savings-of-bicycle-
commuting/
Wikitravel. (2014, 09 08). First and Business Class Travel. Retrieved from Wikitravel:
http://wikitravel.org/en/First_and_business_class_travel
