Everyone has a carbon footprint because everyone uses carbon dioxide in some way, whether directly or indirectly. As a whole, your carbon footprint is defined as the amount of carbon dioxide that enters the atmosphere because of the electricity and fuel you use on a daily basis. This can depend on how much energy you use to heat your home, the electronics and appliances you use, and what kind of daily transport you may use. Understanding your carbon footprint and how your activities affect the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is important because carbon dioxide is the leading greenhouse gas that is believed to contribute to climate change.

The good news is, it only takes a few easy steps to reduce the size of your carbon footprint:

• Turn off lights when not in use, and replace all incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs.

• Don’t set your thermostat too high or too low.

• Recycle paper, newspaper, glass, and aluminum. Donate items you no longer have a need for, and buy used whenever possible.

• Wash clothes and dishes in cold water, rather than hot, since 90 percent of the energy used in the process goes toward heating the water.

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