5 Easy Things You Can Do to Curb Climate Change

With the weekly barrage of sad climate related headlines, it’s easy to feel powerless. Extreme weather events like wildfires, catastrophic hurricanes, flooding, and extreme drought have become part of our new reality, and the amount of work humanity must do in order to keep global temperatures from rising can feel insurmountable. However, there is power to be found in many people making small, sustainable changes. You don’t have to get rid of your car entirely and only eat locally sourced food to make a difference; if everyone did these five simple things, it would make a huge difference! Below, we have summed up a handful of easy changes you can make in your day-to-day life to help combat climate change.

1) Eat a little less meat

Largescale farming, also known as factory farming, accounts for as much as 25% of greenhouse gas emissions, with animal agriculture alone accounting for approximately 9% of total emissions (via the National Center for Biotechnology Information.) By opting to skip meat (especially beef) as little as once a week, you can save hundreds of gallons of water and significantly reduce your annual carbon footprint.

2) Walk a little more

Of course, by walking a little more you are driving a little less. Burning at a rate of about 20 pounds of CO2 per gallon of gasoline, the average passenger vehicle produces roughly 6 to 9 tons of CO2 each year. By resolving to walk if your destination is under a mile away, you can reduce your personal carbon emissions significantly (depending of course on the type of car you drive and how walkable your neighborhood is.) If walking isn’t an option, you can opt to take public transit once in a while or bike to your destination. And, if you have a longer commute to work, opting for a more fuel-efficient vehicle will save you money while reducing your carbon footprint.

3) Reduce, reuse, and recycle

We hear it so often, it’s easy to ignore, but recycling is a huge carbon offsetter. According to the EPA, Americans recycled and composted over 87 million tons of waste in 2013, which provided an annual reduction of more than 186 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, comparable to removing the emissions of over 39 million cars from the road in one year. In addition to the clear environmental benefits, recycling creates jobs and benefits the economy.

4) Quit buying bottled water

Humans produce about 300 million tons of plastic waste every year, and plastic water bottles are one of the biggest culprits. According to the UN, humans purchase one million plastic drinking bottles each minute. Thankfully, reusable water bottles come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and styles, and today it has never been easier to get your daily hydration fix without adding to the staggering number of plastic water bottles being used every day. Want to take it a step further? Carry your own reusable metal straw, and make sure you have a set of reusable grocery bags handy when you head to the store.

5) Switch to LED lightbulbs

While the upfront cost for LED lightbulbs is a bit higher, swapping out your home’s most frequently used light bulbs for energy efficient LEDs is a great way to reduce your personal carbon footprint and save money. Compared with traditional incandescent light bulbs, LEDs can last up to 25 times longer and use 25-80% less energy.