Climate change and global warming are two hot topics right now - pun intended - and the question on everyone’s mind is: how can we help solve the climate crisis? And while a lot of people feel like they might not be able to help, reducing your personal carbon footprint and encouraging others to do the same is hugely impactful on the environment.

A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases a person emits, so your personal carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases that you personally emit. According to the Nature Conservancy, the global average carbon footprint for one person is approximately four tons, while the average carbon footprint for one person in the United States of America is sixteen tons.

You can calculate your carbon footprint by taking an online quiz. A variety of different websites offer this quiz, including the Nature Conservancy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Ecological Footprint Calculator (which, notably, tells you how many earths we would need to sustain the population if every single human lived just like you do). Here is a list of ten simple things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint in different areas of your life.

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Food

• Eating Vegetarian/Vegan

The meat industry - especially red meat - is one of the biggest emitters of greenhouse gasses. People avoid supporting the meat industry by going vegetarian, and many choose to go one step further by eating vegan and boycotting all animal products (meat, eggs and dairy).

Becoming vegetarian or vegan is beneficial to the environment, but also to animals, because with fewer people buying meat, those companies won’t have to kill as many animals to keep up with demand. Vegetarianism and veganism can have positive impacts on your health, too, including reducing the risk of chronic diseases.

• Eating locally

Buying food from non-local vendors means that your food has to be shipped using planes, trains, boats, or cars. When you buy locally grown food you eliminate all of the carbon emissions from shipping. You can find locally grown/made food in a nearby farmer’s market, at family farms, or markets that carry local food. Shopping locally in general, even for non-food products, helps reduce your carbon footprint dramatically.

Eating local food has many other benefits too, such as supporting local, small businesses instead of big corporations. It can have positive impacts on your health as well, as food bought at farmers’ markets is more likely to be organic.

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Transportation

• Carpooling

Transportation emissions are hugely detrimental to the environment. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), emissions from transportation made up almost 30% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the United States in 2022. Although carpooling does not cut out transportation emissions entirely, it reduces the amount of transportation emissions per person.

When you carpool with someone, you share a vehicle and travel together, which means instead of using multiple vehicles you only use one. Carpooling can also be faster because you are able to use the carpool or HOV lane on the highway, which is typically faster.

• Walking or biking

Walking or biking, rather than driving in a car, reduces all carbon emissions from transportation. It is unreasonable to expect people to walk and bike all the time as many trips are long distances, people often need to carry luggage, and of course, there is weather to take into account. But, when you can, walk or bike to reduce your own carbon emissions. It's also better for your health because you are moving and exercising.

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Shopping

• Thrifting

Next time you are in need of some new clothes, go thrift shopping! Shopping at a thrift store - or donating clothes that you don’t need anymore to a thrift store - is a great way to reuse and recycle. Plus, you can find some cool clothes usually for a less expensive price than buying new clothes.

Often there are some vintage and retro clothes available, which can be a chance to boost your style and wardrobe. And this goes beyond clothing; there are many things you can buy second-hand/used, including books, furniture, cars, and more.

• Buying environmentally friendly products

Many companies, online and in-person shops, sell products that are environmentally safe, meaning that they are made using eco-friendly materials and are produced with limited carbon emissions. Companies take a variety of other measures to help save the environment besides just using eco-friendly materials, including: shipping goods with electric vehicles, planting trees, raising awareness, and using renewable energy.

It’s important to support companies that are trying to make a difference, as they often have more power and influence than individual people.

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Outdoors

• Planting trees

During the process of photosynthesis, trees take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and produce oxygen, which they release back into the atmosphere. Therefore, trees play an important role in reducing CO₂ levels in the atmosphere. Planting a tree is not only beneficial to the atmosphere, but it also positively impacts the environment, as trees can provide food and shelter for a variety of animals.

It can also be a fun and therapeutic hobby to plant and care for a tree. Trees can obviously live outdoors, but they are also able to thrive indoors in small pots if they are young and/or small.

• Gardening/growing your own food

Gardening and growing your own food is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. As mentioned above, plants take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, so by putting in and taking care of plants through gardening, you are helping to reduce carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Plus, not only are you supporting organisms that take CO₂ out of the air, but that also means you aren’t buying food that has been shipped from other places, so your carbon footprint reduces that way as well!

Gardening and growing your own food is also a fun hobby and is a great way to ensure you are eating healthy and organic food.

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Home

• Turning off lights when you aren’t using them

Possibly the easiest way to reduce your carbon footprint is to simply turn off lights when you aren’t using them or don’t need them! Most of your electricity is likely generated through burning fossil fuels, so reducing your electricity usage by turning off your lights can decrease your carbon footprint.

Anytime you leave a room - or if you feel like natural light is enough to keep the room bright - make sure to turn the lights off. This also means that your electricity bill will be lower, even if ever so slightly, so it won’t cost as much.

• Taking shorter showers

Another large contributor to carbon emissions is water usage in your home. Lots of energy is used to get that water pumped, treated, and heated so that you are able to use it in your home. Taking shorter showers is just one of the many ways to reduce the amount of water you use every day. Try to eliminate any unnecessary time spent in the shower; you can also turn the shower off while applying shampoo, conditioner, or soap to save water.

Aside from reducing your carbon footprint, there are many actions that you, as a teenager, can take to make an impact at your school, including:

• Speaking out in front of classmates to raise awareness of climate change
• Joining an environmental club (or starting one, if necessary)
• Putting up signs to encourage environmentally friendly practices

Our climate crisis becomes more severe every day, and though some might feel like the situation is hopeless, there are many small adjustments you can make to reduce your carbon footprint and make your contribution to solving climate change.