Many of us are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of making some eco-friendly choices as a consumer, not just for the very justifiable reason of doing your bit to try and save the planet, but also because it often turns you into a more savvy consumer.
Choosing a make and model of car that delivers good fuel economy and emission figures, like the Dodge Dart for example, is a good way of making a positive impact on your carbon footprint, and there are plenty of other ways to become more eco-friendly.
Reducing and offsetting
If you are looking for a mantra that you can apply when trying to be more environmentally-friendly with your choices and actions, try to work on reducing your energy consumption where plausible and then look at offsetting your carbon footprint if Plan A is not feasible.
Take positive steps to reduce the carbon footprint of your vehicle
The vast majority of us would struggle to function without access to a car, so working on the basis that ditching your car altogether is a complete non-starter as an idea, it makes sense to try and take steps to at least reduce your carbon footprint, starting with your car.
There are various studies around that mostly reach a similar conclusion, which is that an improvement in your driving habits has the ability to improve the MPG performance of your car by as much as 30%, simply by driving more consistently and conservatively.
Try accelerating more smoothly and slowly and maintaining a more steady speed. In addition, keeping within the speed limit and anticipating your stops and starts without so much reliance on your brakes, should all help you to bring your CO2 figure down.
Keep it simple
When it comes to efforts to reduce your carbon footprint around the home, there are many simple but effective steps you can take.
Here are some of the ways that you can make a positive impact on your carbon footprint and save some money in the process.
Try to rely on natural lighting wherever possible and if you do need to switch the lights on, turn them off when you leave the room.
Keep your temperature setting at a modest level on your climate control system wherever possible, and don’t waste energy by keeping your windows open while you are also cooling down the room electronically.
Be mindful of your appliances that are plugged in. If you can keep the number of appliances in use down to a minimum, you will make some noticeable energy savings. Remember that many common household items like your TV, use a small amount of energy even when they are in standby mode, so unplug at the socket if you want to make a difference.
Always try to turn off your computer when you are not expecting to return to it for a good few hours or longer. You could use up to 65% less energy when your computer is turned off and not left on standby.
These are just some of the ways to reduce your carbon footprint, so challenge yourself to see just how eco-friendly you can become with your choices and actions.
Chelsea Douglas is an eco-friendly Mommy of 1 five year old with another daughter due in the coming weeks. Chelsea is using her maternity leave to pen some articles on parenting and leading a green lifestyle in the busy, modern world.