so say the lyrics to a tune by one of my favorite bands, Satchel Grande. Clearly, I need more Funk and less CO2. I used the carbon calculator found on Carbon Footprint and calculated my monthly CO2 footprint. When inputting my data I tried to be as accurate as possible. I used my most recent utility bills for my numbers and kept an estimate of my mileage driven in both vehicles for the month of July. What I came up with was 3.81 metric tons of CO2 in July, which averages to 22.40 metric tons of CO2 a year. This is slightly larger than the national average of 20.40 metric tons. In case any of you are wondering where you stand, I have placed the calculator I used at the bottom of this blog. All courtesy of Carbon Footprint.
Sooo, there are some areas with a large amount of room for improvement. I could just mosey over and buy myself a Carbon Offset and plant tree's in Kenya. That's a helluva lot of trees and way too easy. I'm not making any changes so I'm essentially perpetuating the cycle. So what am I doing personally?
Well, I have committed myself to using public transportation and walking more. Last week I walked to Walgreen's and a local watering hole cerca de mi casa. There isn't enough room here for that adventure so I will save it for a later post. I also rode the bus in Omaha for the first time yesterday. I had originally intended to write about that tonight complete with pictures, but my phone isn't cooperating. I'm hoping to have that up by tomorrow. Overall, it wasn't as difficult or as unpleasant as I had anticipated. I did NOT anticipate a 115 degree heat index. I will discuss that in further detail when I post the pictures. So drive less and walk, ride, and commute by bus more. Check.
Cutting down on my water usage. This includes not running the water the entire time I'm in the shower. My CR peeps will get this. I never run the water the entire time I'm brushing my teeth so why should I do it in the shower? I've also turned down the temperature.
I'm not running my air conditioning as low as before. This has been a bit of a struggle but I'm working on it.
Recycling. My first attempt was quite anti climactic. They didn't pick it up. The following week I forgot to put it out. So we'll see what happens this week. I'm actually sort of surprised at how much glass I have accumulated in two weeks.
I am going to use the carbon calculator each month and track my progress. I will also photo blog about each thing I under take to decrease my carbon footprint. That will give me plenty of material to discuss.
On that note, I'm gonna hit the sack and get some zzzz's. I leave you with a link for some FUNK!
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