Think Beyond Your Own Footprint And Take Broader Action
It is important to think beyond your own carbon footprint and take broader action when possible. Reducing your carbon footprint can be fast, cheap, and simple. This is the final day of the 30 day shred. If you made it this far, thanks a lot for watching. It’s been a real pleasure to make these videos. The whole idea behind the 30 day shred is to get started cutting your carbon footprint in the most reliable way.
Recap Of The Easy Wins
Here are some things we’ve looked at that are easy, cheap, and enjoyable: cycling somewhere new, starting a veg patch, improving your fuel economy, eating more plants, getting the right light bulb, reducing your heating bill, composting your food scraps, cutting your electricity bill, going solar in your home, decluttering a room, planting flowers for bees, and the joys of purposeless walking. The power of consumers to reduce carbon emissions is great!
After Easy Wins, Go For Broader Change
Personal consumption accounts for about 70% of global carbon emissions, so it’s important to make an effort to reduce your own emissions. But it’s also important to support broader change by lobbying government and corporations to take more stringent action on climate change. You can also invest in companies that are bringing forward sustainable technologies, like Tesla, Yingli, or Rockwool.
For example, if you’re forest land owner or agriculturist, you’re eligible to apply for conservation innovation grants that advance these broader sustainability changes. A very similar program gives out grants for advancing conservation causes.
If you’re not a land owner, and you have a great idea for sustainability, then consider other resources. A sponsorship program run by Patagonia gives out sustainability grants in different areas as well.
Continue Your Education
For readers who are at the right stage of their lives and careers, considering moving into work that will bring you closer to carbon footprint reduction. Direct type of work is hard, but indirect work through sustainability, consulting, energy, etc, these will bring one to the right place to have the right impact. Consider a collection of 10 types of internships that promote sustainability and through that, ways to reduce carbon footprints on a broad scale, beyond individual impact.
For example you could redirect your education towards agricultural sustainability with the help of a wide range of agriculture internships for sustainability by universities and the USDA (US Department of Agriculture).
Take advantage of modern social media to teach others or use your free time to continue learning by listening to podcasts about sustainability and carbon footprint reduction.
Formal education and Masters or Doctorate level research is for the real hardcore researchers. Government and private support is available in sustainability, energy, and food. The area of food safety (for which food safety grants are available) is particularly interesting because it intersects information technology, food producers, supply chains etc.
Divest Your Money From Fossil Fuel Interests
You can divest your money and wealth from fossil fuel interests by joining a group like Go Fossil Free. Finally, if you enjoyed the series, you can support our work by buying the 30-Day Shrink Your Footprint Guide. It brings all the best tips and ideas in the 30-day series together in the form of a compact eBook, and also has additional information and thoughts as to what you can do. I really hope you enjoyed the series and good luck shrinking your footprint!
Back To the 30 Day Shrink Guide: Introducing the Shrink
Lindsay Wilson
I founded Shrink That Footprint in November 2012, after a long period of research. For many years I have calculated, studied and worked with carbon footprints, and Shrink That Footprint is that interest come to life.
I have an Economics degree from UCL, have previously worked as an energy efficiency analyst at BNEF and continue to work as a strategy consultant at Maneas. I have consulted to numerous clients in energy and finance, as well as the World Economic Forum.
When I’m not crunching carbon footprints you’ll often find me helping my two year old son tend to the tomatoes, salad and peppers growing in our upcycled greenhouse.