The carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere as a result of the production and use of a product or service. The individual carbon footprint depends on a person's daily activities and consumption.
There are different sites where you can calculate your carbon footprint, but then how can you reduce it?
Usually what contributes the most to your footprint is transport, housing and food. So let's give you several tips to reduce it.
Transports
Ride Less by Car
Exchange the car for the bicycle, public transport, or whenever possible go on foot. If you didn't drive a car for 1 year, you would save 2.6 tons of carbon dioxide.
Fly Less Times
For longer trips, look for more ecological alternatives to the plane, such as the train. When it's impossible, there are already several companies that offset your CO2 emissions, such as Atmosfair.
Driving Efficiently
Avoid sudden acceleration and braking, on longer trips use cruise control, avoid using air conditioning and check your tire pressure. If all Portuguese people regulated the pressure of their tires, we could save up to 1,794,647 tons of CO2 per year.
Opt for Greener Cars
When buying a new car, try to opt for options that have lower consumption, whether hybrid or electric. It also takes into account the emissions associated with the use and production of the car.
Power
Reduce your Food Waste
It is one of the most impactful changes to reduce CO2 emissions. Every year 1.3 billion tonnes of food are wasted - equivalent to 1/3 of all food produced worldwide. This waste represents 8% of CO2 emissions. Some tips to reduce this waste is to plan your meals, freeze meals, use the oldest fruits and vegetables, and the ones that are more mature use for smoothies and soups.
Reduce your Meat Consumption
Adopting a vegetarian or vegan diet has a big impact - to produce 75g of beef, 8kg of CO2 is emitted. The Mediterranean diet can also be a good option - if we all change our diet to this one, CO2 emissions decrease by 15%.
Prefer Local and Seasonal Products
Seasonal foods don't need conservation methods - they don't use as many cold chains or preservatives - so they have fewer emissions associated with their production. The main advantage of consuming local products is the low CO2 emissions associated with their transport.
At Home
Turn off Lights and Electronic Devices
When you finish charging your cell phone or computer, remove the charger from the plug, when leaving a room in the house, turn off the lights and electronic devices that have a night light (such as dryers), as they continue to consume power even when not in use, so it is also important that they are unplugged. LED lamps consume 90% less energy than normal lamps. Since in Portugal our energy does not come entirely from renewable sources, this is a change that reduces your carbon footprint. A solution for the most forgotten are the timer sockets, where you put how long you want them to work.
Change the lamps for LED
LED lamps consume 90% less energy than normal lamps. Since in Portugal our energy does not come entirely from renewable sources, this is a change that reduces your carbon footprint.
Appliances
Do not place your fridge and freezer at temperatures lower than recommended.When you're going to buy a new appliance, choose the most energy efficient ones
Start Recycling
In 2020, 409 thousand tons of packaging were recycled, which is equivalent to a reduction in CO2 emissions of 158 thousand tons. Still, only 13% of municipal waste is recycled. Home Appliances Start Recycling
These are just some of the many changes you can apply in your daily life to reduce your carbon footprint.