Want to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint? Try Planting Trees!

In today's article, we let you in on one of the simplest ways to reduce your carbon footprint. Now, being a 'greenie' is just a click away!

Carbon Footprint? What’s that?

You’ve probably heard the term “carbon footprint” being thrown around a lot in any discussion related to environmental issues. You also know what it means – the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organization or individual through various activities.

But what does it really mean to you, in your day-to-day life?

To understand your carbon footprint – the amount of pollution you personally cause – you need to take a step back and look at the things you do that don’t involve your own muscle power. The things that are powered by fuel so you don’t have to lift more than a finger. Your washing machine, for instance. Or your car, your two-wheeler, your kitchen appliances, electrical gadgets and more. There are also the devices designed to make your life more comfortable – air conditioners, fans, heaters, geysers… you get the idea.

And let’s not forget travel. You like to go places, so think of all those times you journeyed by bus, or train, or flight. Remember that time when the weather was amazing so you decided to jump in your car and take a long drive? That was you, leaving behind a huge carbon footprint.

Is my Carbon Footprint really that bad?

Every time you switch on an appliance, power up an engine, or even flick the light switch on, you burn fuel. Or it is being burnt for you, somewhere. Every time you burn fuel, you’re releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Which is not such a bad thing, because trees and plants need carbon dioxide (CO₂) to survive, right? Unfortunately, so many forests have been destroyed in the past few decades that there just aren’t enough trees left to absorb all the CO₂ that you are releasing.

What happens to all the excess CO₂? Nothing! It stays right here, around you, trapped under the earth’s atmosphere. It increases the overall temperature of your surroundings, changing the natural climate of earth.

Ever notice how hot the summers are getting? That’s global warming at work because of the excess CO₂. Because of all your appliances, machines, and vehicles.

Okay, I get it. But I’m just one person. What can I do?

Fortunately, a lot. There’s a lot you can do as an individual to reduce your carbon footprint and help reduce global warming. You can be more mindful of how much electricity and fuel you use. If the weather’s great, why not go for a walk? Why not take a cold shower for a change and switch off devices when they’re not in use?

But if you really want to make a difference, here’s the best thing you can do – plant more trees. Because frankly, we need them. The more, the better. Without them, we pretty much cannot survive on this planet.

“If we don’t do something about this now, the future generation will look back at us with great animosity. The easiest, simplest, and most effective solution is planting trees.” – Sadhguru

Editor's Note: Be a Greenie. Now, it’s just a click away! Project Green Hands (PGH) plants and nurtures your trees and lets you track their exact location, down to the name of the farmer who grows them for you. All it takes is Rs. 100/- or US $2 per tree and you can literally watch them grow. The cost includes post-planting care and re-plantation for two years until your trees can sustain themselves.

Plant a tree today with Project GreenHands. For more information, visit: projectgreenhands.org/.