Carbon Neutral

What does it really mean to become "carbon neutral?" Carbon neutral means "to reduce your greenhouse gas emissions to zero." While that may seem close to impossible at first glance, there are a lot of easy things that you can do to reduce your greenhouse gas emissions and reduce your carbon footprint today.

Once you have done everything you can to shrink your environmental impact, it's pretty likely that you will still have, small as it may be, a carbon footprint. Lucky for you, there are a growing number of options, namely carbon credits, to make up for greenhouse gases that you can't eliminate.

Below are the "Top Ten" ways that you can make a difference to reduce your carbon footprint. Depending on your situation, you may not be able to do them all. However, by using a combination of these strategies, you can in fact become "carbon neutral."

Top 10 Ways to Become Carbon Neutral

  1. Reduce your energy usage
  2. Reduce your water consumption
  3. Increase your fuel efficiency
  4. Drive less
  5. Eat less meat
  6. Reuse and recycle
  7. Buy eco friendly products
  8. Decrease the number of times you fly
  9. Use alternative sources of energy
  10. Purchase carbon offsets

Reduce Your Energy Usage
There are a ton of ways that we use electricity in our everyday lives - most of which contribute to greenhouse gases and a larger carbon footprint. Here are some easy ways that you can start to reduce your environmental impact.

Reduce Your Water Consumption
Convenient sources of clean water are taken for granted in countries like the United States even though millions of people around the world are not so lucky. The water we use takes energy to filter and more energy to heat, which in turn contributes to a larger carbon footprint. Take steps today to conserve the precious resource.

Increase your Fuel Efficiency
Cars are among the biggest polluters on the planet. While buying a fuel efficient car is one of the best ways to reduce your carbon footprint, there are lots of other things that you can do to minimize your environmental impact.

Drive Less
Okay, so you've done everything that you can to maximize your car's fuel efficiency. The next step, if you are serious about reducing your carbon footprint, is to see how you can reduce the amount that you drive. Check out these quick tips.

Eat Less Meat
No, you don't have to give up meat entirely, but you may be surprised to find out how much energy and other resources go into raising meat for food. Eating just one meatless meal every week can make a difference.

Reuse and Recycle
While recycling has become a pretty standard program in most cities, it's amazing how many people still throw recyclable goods in the trash. Find out what kinds of things are recyclable and what you can do to make a difference.

Buy Eco Friendly Products
Your environmental impact is definitely related to your economic impact. The more that you buy products that are made from recycled materials, the more of a demand you create for these products. While it's obvious that Americans love to shop, you can shop smarter by choosing recycled and recyclable products.

Decrease the Number of Times you Fly
While you might not do it as often, the only form of transportation worse than getting in your car is getting in an airplane. While air travel has given us endless options for traveling the entire globe, it also has a giant carbon footprint. Think before you fly and consider some of these alternatives.

Use Alternative Sources of Energy
Solar energy is becoming an increasingly viable and affordable source of energy. Find out about how you can get utilize, clean, alternative sources of energy to reduce your carbon footprint.

Purchase Carbon Offsets
Okay, so if you've reduced in every way that you can, there is one last strategy to becoming carbon neutral - carbon offsets. Find out how you can invest your money in clean energy projects to make up for the greenhouse gases that you produce.

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