How to reduce the carbon footprint in your home?

Opening the shower key, charging your cell phone, driving or using the clothes dryer are everyday activities that emit CO2. Although we think that our individual contribution to global warming is not excessive, on average, each person produces four tons of CO2 per year. If we reduce our carbon footprint we can contribute to taking care of our planet.
Carbon dioxide is a natural component of the air that is responsible for creating a greenhouse effect on the Earth that prevents the heat from disappearing and the earth from cooling. However, the excess of this component is harmful since it intensifies the natural greenhouse effect and precipitates global warming.
Currently, about 40 billion tons of C02 are released per year, largely due to the burning of fossil fuels; mainly coal, gas and oil. However, there are other factors, such as the increasing destruction of natural areas and forest areas, which releases billions of tons of greenhouse gases in a short period of time.
While to decrease most of this release requires greater commitment on the part of companies, it is also important to start with the change in our own home. For this reason, Carolina Bustos, head of Sustainability and Environment at Sodexo, offers simple tips to reduce the carbon footprint in the house.
Use the bicycle: Individual transport using fossil fuels is one of the main sources of CO2 emissions in the world. In Chile there is a car every 3 people and according to the latest Annual Survey of Circulation Permits, published by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), a total of 5,591,145 vehicles circulated in Chile in 2020. Every 5 thousand kilometers walked, 590 kg of C02 are produced, so it is recommended to prefer cycling, walking or using electric cars.
Decreases the use of plastic on a day-to-day basis: To achieve this, the essential thing is to stop using single-use plastics. That is, change plastic bottles for glass bottles and thermoses, use cloth bags or similar materials, do not buy products that come wrapped unnecessarily, such as vegetables and fruits that come in polystyrene trays, among others.
Add more plant foods to your diet: While it’s hard for many to switch to a 100% vegetarian diet, it’s important to reduce meat consumption. This is because the livestock industry is one of the most water consuming in the world. In addition, the gases of cows and their feces are great pollutants. This is why opting for a more vegetarian diet is much more friendly to the environment.
Disconnect the charger from your cell phone: As obvious as it may seem, many people leave the charger plugged in all night or even all day even if it is not in use. The average time in which a cell phone is charged from 0% to 100% is two hours and the average hours that people sleep are 8 hours, therefore there are 6 hours in which energy is being consumed that is not needed. In addition to consuming energy, it must be taken into account that it also generates an unnecessary economic expense. So, plug in your charger only when you really need it.
 Prefer efficient appliances: If you are thinking of buying a new appliance look at the energy efficiency label and opt for those that are class A + to A + + +. This is important because, if we managed to make all our appliances low consumption, the energy expenditure of a single house would be reduced by 55%. Now, if you do not plan to make a change in your appliances make sure they are not plugged in when they are not in use, do not use the dryer if there is sun and do not abuse the air conditioning systems.
By following these simple tips, we can contribute from our home to the problems of climate change.

Original source in Spanish