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Reducing your carbon footprint involves energy conservation and efficiency and making use of renewable, non-fossil forms of energy.
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Carbon reduction
Carbon reduction occurs when you reduce and/or replace the use of carbon-based fuels – especially fossil fuels.
The three main strategies for reducing the use of fossil fuels are
- energy conservation
- energy efficiency
- energy alternatives
Energy conservation
This is simply about using less energy. An example of conservation is turning the light out when there is no one in the room. Another example is to take a short shower or to walk or bike instead of taking the car. In business, conservation is about finding new way to do things. A business might be able to reduce the amount of packaging used on a product.
Energy efficiency
Efficiency is really about reducing waste. An incandescent (traditional) lightbulb wastes most of the energy delivered to it as heat. A compact flourescent tube uses 20% of the energy to produce the same amount of light because it does not waste much energy as heat. A combustion engine typically wastes 90% of the energy delivered to it as heat and friction. An uninsulated house waste heat by losing through walls, ceilings and floors.
Energy alternatives
There are a number of alternatives to carbon-based fuels, such as:
Hydro energy, wind energy, marine energy, geothermal, nuclear fision, photovoltaic, hydrogen fuel cells
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