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Offsetting by
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Due to the recent popularity of
reducing carbon generation in the home, many new
household appliances have been created than run more
efficiently than older models, thereby reducing the
electric usage in your house and effectively saving
the environment and preserving your pocketbook at
the same time. When purchasing new appliances it is
important to compare their electric usage. While a
refrigerator, water heater, or washing machine may
have a cheaper sticker price than another comparable
model you must determine the cost in electric
wattage or natural gas that it requires to operate
over the coming years. As energy prices continue to
climb, so will the cost of operating that equipment
so a product that runs more efficiently may in fact
be a better buy financially than a cheaper one. At
the same time, this will also help you to reduce the
carbon footprint of your home.
Aside from just purchasing better appliances, you
can also reduce your carbon footprint by changing
your eating habits. In a study conducted by the
University of Chicago and published in 2006,
scientists found that the average American diet,
which includes beef, produces an extra ton and a
half of greenhouse gases in the form of CO2, methane
and other harmful greenhouse gases. These gases are
generated mostly during the process of raising the
cattle. During their life cattle produce enormous
quantities of manure that produces methane as it
decomposes. This methane gas is even more
destructive as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
Fortunately, you do not have to become a vegetarian
to save the earth. Reducing the amount of meat in
your diet by just one or two pounds a week can have
a dramatic effect on your personal carbon footprint.
Eating less red meat is not only good for the
environment, but can be quite good for your heart as
well.
There is also the CO2 generated from the trucks that
must carry the cattle to the slaughterhouse and then
carry the meat across the country to your local
store. For this reason, purchasing meat or any food
that is produced closer to home reduces the carbon
output generated from shipping it across the
country. Whether it is meat, fruit or vegetables
getting it from the local farmers market will not
only help to drastically reduce the carbon output,
it will benefit your local economy as well.
Even the organically produced food, which may seem
like it is better for your body in the long-run,
negates what little health benefit it provides
because of the CO2 generated in the shipping
process. You should also realize that although the
farmer does not use any pesticides or hormones
during the growing process, that does not guarantee
that the food is not contaminated during the picking
or shipping process. In fact, the trailer that is
used to deliver the foods to your store may also be
used to haul the harmful pesticides and other
products that you were trying to avoid in the first
place. The same fruits and vegetables that are grown
locally may not be certified organic, but that does
not mean that they are not grown naturally and with
the same care and consideration. Your local famers
market often provides you with the opportunity to
talk to the farmers directly and find out how they
grow their crops.
The most notorious generators of CO2 and other
greenhouse gases are cars and trucks. These machines
pump CO2 directly into the air. One recent report
found that cars and trucks generate over a ton of
CO2 for every 2,000 miles they drive. Manufacturers
have begun building cars that run on a combination
of fuel and electricity to try to reduce this
figure. They offer much higher gas mileage than many
cars currently on the market but unfortunately this
efficiency comes at a hefty price. There is also a
great deal of carbon generated during the
manufacturing process of these new model cars.
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