Credit: © iStockphoto.com/Thinkstock
READ MORE ABOUT:
This Earth Day, you're almost guaranteed to see green everywhere you go—along with plenty of suggestions for making eco-friendly changes in the years ahead. But while most of these tips are easier said than done, we've come up with three concrete changes you can make in the next 12 months to cut your carbon footprint by at least 25%—including one that will let you go entirely carbon neutral without changing your daily routine at all. For more tips, tricks, and ideas from environmental visionaries, check out our full Earth Day 2010 coverage.
Remember Your Reusable Bags Once a Month
Plastic comes into your life in hundreds of ways: cereal bags, windows on business envelopes, yogurt containers, take-out boxes, freezer bags, disposable silverware...do we need to go on? And no matter how diligent you've been about recycling, a huge amount of plastic still ends up in the ocean: 14 billion pounds every year, which, for people in the U.S., comes out to about 15 pounds per person annually.
Make a dent in your plastic habit by remembering your reusable grocery bags when you to to the store—even if it's only once a month. The average family winds up with about 60 plastic bags each month—about 720 each year—the production of which requires enough petroleum to run your car for more than 50 miles. And when you take into account all the bags being produced in a year (not just for you, but for your neighbors, friends, and family), you're left with enough solid waste to fill the Empire State Building—2.5 times.
If cutting out 15 bags a month sounds daunting, just remember that they add up quickly: Don't let the supermarket employees double-bag frozen items; decline the bag for that pack of gum you bought with your coffee; and DIY some bags for carrying produce home from the grocery store. By trimming your use by just 15 bags each month, you'll save 180 bags this year.
Take Three Fewer Flights This Year
Cutting just a few trips is a simple way to make a big impact on your carbon footprint: You can trim as much as five tons and, since the average American has an annual carbon footprint of 20 tons, a 25% cut really adds up.
If you travel mostly for business, try replacing every fourth site visit with a teleconferencing appointment or conference call instead; if you're overseeing a team, have your employees alternate trade show assignments instead of sending everyone to everything. Traveling for personal reasons? Get a webcam and replace those monthly flights to see your in-laws with weekly chats (bonus: you can still show off their grandchildren without the in-person stress).
Spend your vacation time closer to home to avoid replacing flights with drive or train trips; try a staycation in your own city, checking out the tourist attractions that draw visitors, or blowing your accommodations budget at a local, eco-friendly hotel. And for the trips you absolutely can't escape, buy carbon offsets to balance out the environmental impact.
Plant a Tree
Suggesting that you plant a tree may come across as one of the biggest Earth Day cliches around, but for long-term impact, few things compare to rooting those seedlings—and with 80% of the world's forests already gone, every sprout matters.
In 50 years, one tree creates more than $30,000 worth of oxygen—and provides the equivalent of $62,000 in air pollution control—by absorbing carbon and releasing oxygen; every tree you plant will negate about 1 ton of carbon, so plant 20 this year and you could end up carbon neutral. Trees also provide much-needed living space for hundreds of species in every climate and, over half a century, prevent more than $30,000 in damage from erosion. If you're more concerned with your neighborhood than the forests, try planting trees to shade your air conditioner (making it 10% more efficient) and home in the summer and block wind in the winter. Short on cash? We've got four ways you can plant a tree (or ten) for under $10, for maximum impact on minimum income.
More about Earth Day
Earth Day 2010: Time for Visions, Visionaries, and Volunteers
Earth Day 365: Going Beyond Earth Day
How to Go Green: Earth Day
