What is your carbon Footprint

• Having a young daughter, I often wonder how what we are doing today will effect her during her lifetime. You have probably heard the term Carbon Footprint. I was interested in what mine was and what I could do to make my impact on the earth less. For her and future generations. What is your carbon footprint? Basically it the amount of greenhouse gases we emit into the atmosphere each year from things we use in are every day lives. These gases are then trapped in the atmosphere which could causes a serious impact on the climate and global temperature. So here are a few simple things we can all do to help decrease our Carbon Footprint        1.    Buy things in smaller packaging - Packaging is just waste . What you really want is the things inside . More packaging requires more weight which requires more energy to get it to you . Then there is waste . Landfills can release large amounts of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas . So reducing trash also helps fight your carbon footprint. 2.Recycling - Recycling common goods such as aluminum cans, glass bottles plastic bottles and paper reduces greenhouse emissions  and consumes less energy by cutting down on the amount of manufacturing required to create an object from raw materials. Reusing and recycling products reduces carbon footprint.    3. Ride Sharing  - This has been around for awhile not only does it save you money it keeps carbon dioxide out of the air.   4.  Drive slower on highway-   Think about how much more energy you use when you run compared to walking. Same in your car Think how much more gas (energy) you use driving 70mph compared to 55 mph.  5.  Hang laundry outside-  Hanging laundry outside is a great way to save money. About 5% of all electricity used in US homes is used to dry clothes.Air dry save 5% on electric bill.   6.  Choosing cleaning products wisely - House cleaning can be a drain on the environment if you use toxic chemicals. Before you start working , start collecting some "green" cleaning products. Harsh products like chlorine bleach and chemical based all purpose cleaners emit toxic fumes.  Just by doing small things it helps us save money and save the environment for our children and future generations.