Our Mother Earth is presently experiencing so many environmental issues. Problems such as acid rain, global warming, waste disposal, air pollution, ozone layer depletion, urban sprawl, climate change, water pollution and many more impact not just humans but animals and nations on this planet, as well.
For the past decades now, the Earth's exploitation, as well as our environment's degradation, have both reached an alarming rate.
Sadly but true, most humans' actions have not been in favor of the planet's protection. And, because of this, we have witnessed natural disasters that strike us whichever part of the world we live in-more, in the form of cyclones, floods, and tsunamis.
As we near Earth Day's 50th anniversary, Good Morning America and National Geographic present a special feature, "Extraordinary Earth:20 in 2020."
In this feature, 20 amazing places all over the world are set to be visited by the two distinguished media firms in order to learn about the planet's evolution and discover ways to help save the environment.
ALSO READ: Antarctic Ice Walls are Now Cimate's Protectors
Importance of Reducing Carbon Footprints
Reduction of the greenhouse gases flow spurring global warming can stop up to three million premature fatalities each year by the year 2100, this has been suggested by a new study.
Relatively, greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide can trap the heat that helps warm the globe.
This surge in the levels of carbon dioxide because of human activities since the Industrial Revolution is now leading to an overall warming of the Earth that's having effects around the globe.
When it comes to carbon footprint reduction, the steps need not be difficult. You can do them right inside your home. Here are 4 simple tips:
1. Have your carbon footprint calculated.
This is the first step to reduce your carbon footprint-figure out the amount of carbon you and your family put into the atmosphere. You may find the Carbon Footprint Calculator on EPA's website that can estimate your footprint in-home energy, waste, and transportation.
2. Manage your power consumption.
Save over 9,000 pounds of carbon dioxide every year by slightly adjusting things inside your home to ensure you're not wasting electricity. During the hot summer season, instead of completely reducing the house temperature, try to bring it down just a few degrees. And, when washing clothes, choose the cold wash as it works equally efficiently.
If you're used to charging your electronic devices overnight, have the power management set up on your gadgets to turn off the electronics automatically such as the mobile phone, or computer so that it's not turned on all night even after the charging is done.
3. Make driving your last option.
Instead, take public transportation or use the bike when traveling. Lessening your driving can help reduce our carbon footprint by more than 1100 pounds of Carbon dioxide if the reduction of the activity is 10% below the average.
4. Conserve Water
There are so many ways to conserve water. Here are some of the effective tips you can try at home:
- Go Brown - Turn your lawns into a more sustainable one by planting drought-resistant native yards or turf.
- Guarantee No Leaks - The average leaks of a household can be estimated 10,000 gallons of water per year. To avoid this, simply replace your hose's o-rings to save hundreds of gallons annually.
- Choose the car washes over-washing your vehicle at home - When you were your car at home, you can consume roughly 80 gallons of water and that's a lot. With the car was, water consumption can be less than half and most car washes use recycled water when washing the cars.
