Reducing our Carbon Footprint,

Step by Step

Christin J Mohammed

Naparima Girls High School

16 years old

4 La Pique Road, San

Fernando

16 Sattar Ave, St. Croix Rd, Princes Town

652-2049

476-0954/ 765-2901

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Students Signature

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Parents Signature

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Principals Signature

The term carbon footprint has become increasingly popular in the world today; it is now
taught in schools and the public is being constantly encouraged to reduce their carbon
footprint. But what is meant by carbon footprint? According to the ISA UK Research
Report 07-01 the term carbon footprint has multiple meanings ranging from the
amount of carbon dioxide emitted due to your daily activities-from washing a load of
laundry to driving a carload of kids to school (BP 2007) to The total amount of CO2
and other greenhouse gasses, emitted over the full life cycle of a process or product.
(Britains Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, POST 2006). The carbon
footprint is in fact a measure of the amount of greenhouse gases or chlorofluorocarbons ,
whether it be CO2, methane or ozone, that are emitted into the atmosphere due to the
direct or indirect support of human activities. Direct support of human activities, for
example, is the emition due to the use of manmade products and appliances such as cars,
lighting, heating and cooling systems. The Indirect support of human activities refers to
the emition given off in the production of goods and products like water bottles,
computers and even the American Cheeseburger (the production of each cheeseburger
emits 3.1 kg of CO2 into the atmosphere).

The increasing carbon footprint in the atmosphere has already lead to and continues to
lead to many detrimental consequences to the environment and by extension the human
population. Some of these consequences include global warming: the rising of sea levels,
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coral bleaching, drought; smog, acid rain and also an abundance of respiratory diseases
such as asthma. The presence of this carbon footprint is therefore something that should
not be taken lightly especially considering that once these gases are released into
atmosphere and start affecting the environment, it is almost impossible to contain them.

Reducing your carbon footprint refers to the process of minimizing the amount of
carbon emitions that are given off due to your daily activity and use of man-made
products. Simple choices that you make can affect your daily amount of greenhouse gas
emition such as driving a distance that you can walk, and using more energy saving and
environmentally friendly appliances that may also be more expensive. Simple actions,
like replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent and LED bulbs, might not
seem to make a drastic difference but if many people engage in this activity then
excessive results would be seen.

Continuing on this point, the use of energy efficient products, although sometimes more
expensive, usually last longer than other products and may help to reduce expenditure in
the future. Placing solar panels on the roof of your home costs a more than conventional
electricity power lines, but many providers offer financing options which minimize
upfront costs. Individuals must realize or be shown that one should not just simply buy a

product but first consider if it is necessary to have that product and which product is more
valuable and useful in the long run.

It has been estimated through various surveys that 29% of greenhouse gas emissions
result from the provision of goods, which means the extraction of resources,
manufacturing, transport, and final disposal of goods which include consumer products
and packaging, building components, and passenger vehicles, but excluding food. By
buying used products and reselling or recycling items you no longer use, you
dramatically reduce your carbon footprint from the provision of goods. It has also been
estimated that 13% of greenhouse gas emissions result from the production and transport
of food. Buy local and eat a more diversified diet including less meat and dairy to reduce
your carbon footprint resulting from the use of fossil fuel-based fertilizers, pesticides, and
gas required to produce and transport of the food you eat.

Sir Arthur Lewis noted that there is the need for the population to recognize that
development requires that enough people in the society have an attitude which reflects a
willingness to make sacrifices. If sacrifices of luxury are made and energy is conserved
in homes, businesses and workplaces, in addition to purchasing more resource-friendly
products, then in time the fear of loss of comfort would be reduced and the general

public would better understand the importance of working towards a reduction in the
carbon footprint due to personal choices.

Now that you know how to reduce your carbon footprint, are you willing to take the
necessary steps? Think about the benefits of the reductions and consequences of the
increase of the greenhouse gases that are put into the atmosphere every minute. Each step
leads to another, to reduce our carbon footprint we must do it step by step. It only takes a
spark to start a flame, take a step, make a difference, and who knows, you may start a
revolution.

References

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/carbon-footprint

http://timeforchange.org/what-is-a-carbon-footprint-definition

http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/carbon_footprint/

https://www.google.tt/search?q=sulphur+mountain&hl=en&site=imghp&source=lnms&sa=X&ei=8FQGV
LXNHdG0ggTysYLIAg&ved=0CAUQ_AUoAA&biw=1366&bih=673&dpr=1#hl=en&q=reducing+carbon+foo
tprint

http://cotap.org/reduce-carbon-footprint/#sthash.2kqo7FSN.dpuf

http://www.carbonfootprint.com/minimisecfp.html

Wiedmann, T. and Minx, J. (2008). A Definition of Carbon Footprint. In: C.C. Pertsova, Ecological
Economics Research Trends: Chapter 1, pp. 1-11, Nova Science Publishers, Hauppauge NY, USA.
https://www.novapublishers.com/catalog/product