Doing my part not only to be carbon neutral but carbon negative

Tuesday, 1 October 2019

Planting more trees in your garden is a great way to offset your carbon emissions.

OPINION: I have taken the most practical suggestions I could find and used them to create ongoing habits that have become second nature to me.

I've created a list of the ways I have embraced a life with lower emissions. I'll admit that I don't always succeed but I certainly strive to.

Minimise household consumption and waste

Become a vegetarian - it’s healthier too.

Recycle whenever you can.

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* Rubbish walks that make you feel good

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* Avoid a compost that smells of sulphur, ammonia and rotten meat**

Rid your life of unnecessary consumption and wastage.

Avoid leaving lights and electronics on in rooms that you are not in or using.

Buy only what you will actually use, and give away or sell things you are unlikely to use again.

Reuse things as much as possible, especially plastic bags and bottles.

If you can afford it, upgrade your home with insulation, LED lights, more efficient heating, double glazing, solar panels or solar hot water heaters and the sealing of all gaps and holes where heat can escape.

Obviously, this would cost a fortune to do but can be done in part or over time, and will result in savings on power bills as well as an increase in the value of your home, possibly by more than the cost of the improvements. If you really can't afford it at all, simply wear more layers when it is too cold and stay in the shade and drink more fluids when it is too hot.

Travel

Buy only what you will actually use, and give away or sell things you you are unlikely to use again.

Fly less. You can still enjoy trips by travelling on a train or bus and since you’ll be flying less you’ll save money and enjoy it more.

When driving try to use the shortest route, carry less weight and do all your errands on a single drive instead of on multiple ones.

Use a steady acceleration and deceleration, use going downhill to your advantage, go easy on the air con and heating, keep your tyres pumped, keep your car in good nick and avoid driving whenever it is busy.

Alternatively, car pool, walk, cycle or use public transport.

Change your habits at work

Minimise printing by doing more electronically. If you do need to print, do everything double-sided and on narrow margins.

Keep all files electronically as well, which will also allows for easy backups.

Avoid trips to meet clients when you can phone or video call them. It will save a lot of time too.

In addition, convert all incoming and outgoing mail in hard copy to email.

Lastly, work from home when you can and even consider implementing a four-day working week (which has been proven to be as effective as a five-day one) to cut back on commuting.

Offset your carbon footprint

Plant more trees in your garden or if this is not an option, plant them elsewhere where permissible.

You can also can donate a mere $10 to a charity like Trees that Count to plant one in your name. This could even be a weekly or monthly thing, if you want. I do $5 a month myself.