Green Living where Global Warming is considered a Hoax

So I’ve been thinking a lot about how my garden might be offsetting my carbon emissions and decided to do some research about it. 

As you all know, we all leave a carbon footprint.  Someone out there had a capital idea and started a business of offering offsets for businesses and individuals’ footprints.  These offset businesses take your money and invest it in renewable energy, conservation and so on.  This investment in the environment is supposed to offset your carbon emissions leaving you with a neutral footprint. 

Al Gore offsets his $1300 a month electric bill for his Tennessee mansion through one of these businesses. 

Buying offsets is a booming business for Corporate America, Hollywood and the like but, is it a realistic choice for individuals. 

With the economy in it’s current dire straights how, besides buying offsets, can the average individual, or family, offset some of their carbon emissions with out choosing between that and the mortgage?  So first thing you would need to know is your carbon footprint, right? 

There are a lot of calculators on the web and most of them are from offset co. but I did find a rather fun one that is set up like a game, called Consumer Consequences.  It’s not too detailed but you can get the jest of where you are emitting the most carbon. 

So you’ve played the game and now know how many Earths we would need if everyone lived your lifestyle.  You’re probably feeling pretty sick and frightened now.  This is what these offset co. are banking on, now they have you primed to spend some money. 

My primary problem with this, besides the fact that I think they are using shock and awe tactics, is that if your expecting someone else to put your heart into their work your buying fool’s gold. 

Here is an analogy for you: who takes better care of your kids than you?  No one right?  Well, your kids are your life and your carbon footprint is your life too.  No one is going to do as good of a job as you of cleaning it up. 

So you’re on board; where to start?   Before you start thinking of offsets, think of reduction.

Everything we buy leaves a footprint, think of your groceries: all that packaging created a lot of carbon emissions to create it, not too mention the shipping, the emissions of the people who had to get to work to get it to the store, on the shelf and eventually to you. 

Your table or kid’s lunch box is just a drop in the bucket of that bag of chip’s journey. 

Think small and start reducing your waste and reusing as much as you can.  Instead of buying individually warped chips, buy the big bag and a reusable plastic container (and if you’re going to be putting the same thing in that container everyday, don’t waste water washing it, just wipe it out with a dish rag, it’s just chips). 

Stop eating out, pack leftovers for work. 

Don’t wash your towels after every use, let them dry out between uses and use them 2-3 times. 

It’s all very small scale but if you start thinking like this, you will reduce your carbon emissions and not have to offset so much. 

Start buying locally.  Remember the further an item has to travel to get to you, the heavier its carbon footprint is.  There are farmer’s markets everywhere.  Look around in your area and start supporting your local growers.  The food taste better, your helping to support a real person’s life and your reducing your foot print. 

So your living a green life, you just bought a hybrid and installed some solar panels on the roof but your still emitting carbon, how can you offset some of those emissions with out padding the wallets of some offset co. CEO? 

Look no further than you own yard.  Plant trees, plant flowers, better yet, plant a garden; grow something to eat (a very short trip to the table). 

Put up a clothes line and offset the electricity you use to wash your clothes by drying them naturally. 

Once you start thinking like this you will come up with ideas that work for your life.  Please share them with others.  It may seem simple, and really it is; with a little extra work here and there you can get close to a neutral footprint without breaking the bank (you’ll actually end up saving money).