I read a nice piece in the New York Times on what you can do about climate change.
I tend to not be very political in general, and my mostly non-controversial position on this issue is as follows: Whether or not you believe in man-made climate change, it can’t hurt to do what you can to reduce your carbon footprint.
I’m almost religious about recycling paper and plastic and have been doing so since my mom taught me about recycling bottles and cans when I was a kid in the 1970s.
Here are some of the suggestions from the Times piece:
- Take public transportation, ride a bike, walk, or carpool rather than driving alone to work.
- Don’t waste food. Food waste occupies a significant chunk of our landfills and, more important, wasted food adds to the amount of food that needs to be produced. Plan your week’s meals and shop accordingly. Freeze food and defrost what you need rather than having it go bad in the fridge.
- Use Skype rather than a plane or car trip to have a business meeting.
- Replace your gas guzzler with a car that gets better mileage. Also, keeping to the speed limit and properly maintaining your vehicle (keeping your tires inflated and having your engine tuned up) will result in better mileage.
- Buy less stuff, and waste less stuff. Recycling is fine, but it’s better not to consume the raw materials in the first place, so think carefully before you buy. Another benefit from buying less stuff is it helps you to be happier.
And here’s one more suggestion from me: Turn down the heat in your house, especially when you are sleeping. I wrote about that here.
How are you taking a leadership role by reducing your carbon footprint? Please join the conversation with your comments…
Best regards,
David