1.  Get a White Roof

     Next time you are in the market for a new roof, why not try to liven things up?  Maybe you would consider trying a white roof on for size?  White roofs drastically cut back on the amount of heat energy your house creates.  Instead of absorbing most solar energy and converting it to heat energy like most black roofs do, white roofs are much more reflective.  This prevents extra heat energy from contributing to the melting of ice caps, which in turn creates more global warming.

2.  Try Riding a Bike

     This may sound boring, but this would make a tremendous difference.  If you only live a mile or two away from work, why not try to save the earth while shedding a few pounds?  You can get into good shape without really spending a whole lot of extra time exercizing during the day.  Who knows, maybe you will save a buck or two on gas too!

3.  Fiberglass Does Wonders

     I know, I know, it can be a lot of work trying to add new insulation to your house, and having a professional do it can cost a lot of money.  But this tip will not only help save the world, but also your pocketbook.  How much money do you spend on heating and air every month?  In older homes, adding a little insulation can cut the heating bills in half!  If you dont want to insulate everywhere, focus on putting it in the roof.  This really won't take as much time as you think.  And while you're at it, some new triple paned windows would also help on your bill, but they can be slightly more costly...

4.  Unplug

     Yes, I know this is a pain in the butt.  But this really does help.  Unplug your TV, computer, microwave, and whatever else is just using idle power in the night.  Almost everything plugged into the outlet uses energy during the night.  If you can avoid having something plugged in during the night, then by all means do it.  This will also help to drastically save on your electrical bill.  If you have a laptop, you should do this anyway.  Keeping your battery plugged in constantly will ruin it!

5.  Bundle Up

    If you live in Ohio like I do, you know that the winters can be cold.  It is very hard to resist turning the heat up when you feel like you are freezing.  But if you can fight this temptation, you can wear a few more layers during the winter.  This is another one of those save your enviroment while saving your pocket book ideas.

6.  Buy Used

     This may sound counterintuitive, but when you buy a used car, you could be cutting back on emissions.  I know that many used cars do not get quite the gas milage of some of the newer ones, but think about all of the emissions that went into creating the new car?  Or maybe each of its individual parts?  When you think about it, they really add up.  If you find a used car in decent shape with comperable gas milage, you would be much better off getting it.

7.  Eat Your Veggies

     I am by no means saying that you should not eat meat.  I love my steaks and hamburgers as much as the next person.  However, it might not hurt to eat a few salads instead every once in a while.  Plants are at a lower trophic level, meaning they are a very energy efficient choice of food.  But when you eat an animal, it can be the equivalent of wasting the energy of 90-99 times as much plant mass which could still be cleaning up the atmosphere.  Furthermore, farm with livestock are one of the leading contributers to greenhouse gasses.

8.  Buy Carbon Offsets

     This is probably the easiest method of reducing your carbon footprint.  You can shop around for people willing to reduce the amount of carbon they produce each year.  However, this comes at a cost.  You must pay these clients per ton of carbon dioxide they quite producing.  But the bonus is that it is all in your name!  You can find a complete list here: www.carbonoffsetlist.org.

9.  Give Your House Some Shade

     You know how you feel when you are sitting under a nice tree in the hot summer sun?  Its a nice feeling when a tree helps to keep you cool.  Well your house feels this same way.  When you plant a tree next to your house, you are not only helping to get rid of more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, you are reducing the cooling costs of your house in the summer.  The trees help to keep extra sunlight off of your house that definitely would have contributed to making you turn the air up a little bit more every summer.

10.  Be Sensable

     Your final tip is just to do what feels right.  You should know that you shouldn't burn a big pile of garbage or drive around an SUV that gets 11 mpg.  However, people still do these things.  These tips should be common sense to you.  Maybe a little change in lifestyle, a trip to the recycling center or to a junkyard might be right for you.  Maybe adding a few fluorescent lightbulbs to your house, or letting natural light into your house in the winter is right for you.  Whatever you need to do, there is always a way that you can minimize your carbon footprint.

By: Steven Billups