Want To Reduce Your Carbon Footprint? Here Are The Gadgets You’ll Need

What is a ‘Carbon Footprint?’

A carbon footprint is an approximation of the pollution an individual or group of people cause during their routine activities in a given period of time. This estimate tells you your mark on the environment around you. The value is expressed as metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) produced per person annually. The average value varies from country to country, with it being as low as 0.3 tons in some African countries like Kenya and reaching close to 20 tons in developed countries such as the USA. That is roughly the weight of 3 fully grown African Bush Elephants worth of emissions!

Note that an individual’s carbon footprint is the sum of both his direct and his indirect impact on the environment. When one drives a conventional car, fossil fuels (e.g. petrol) are burnt to provide the energy needed and CO2 is directly produced as a result. However, the amount of pollution caused by the mining, refining and transport of the fuel, along with that caused during the production of the car, are all taken into consideration as well.

We can make the use of several modern gadgets to aid in the reduction of this pollution. Some of them include the following:

 Energy Window Fashion’s Motorised Blinds:

A large chunk of electricity is used for air conditioning by many people. No doubt this becomes a necessity, particularly in the extreme heat of summers in many places of the world. One way in which we can reduce our energy demand is by lowering the temperature in our homes in alternate ways that do not require electricity. This eliminates or at least decreases the need for air conditioning. Energy Window Fashion’s (EWF) Blinds help you do just that. 

These blinds replace the curtains on your window and do an excellent job in screening against sun rays. They are specially designed to prevent the room from getting too heated in the summers. Therefore, there is less need for air conditioning in the house and less power is consumed. They do this without compromising on aesthetics and if you ever want to let sunshine in, it’s just the push of a button away. 

Amazon Kindle:

Paper is a necessity that serves a lot of purposes. It’s needed for everything from printing paper in offices to books for leisure and education. Unfortunately, paper is made from wood and tons of trees that normally absorb and remove CO2 from the atmosphere need to be cut down to make it. Thus, by using paper we increase our carbon footprint. Amazon Kindle is a revolutionary device that can be used to decrease paper usage.

The Kindle is a relatively cheap tablet that is a substitute to traditional books. Unlike mobile phones or laptops, the Kindle’s screen has significantly less glare, meaning it feels like reading a normal paper book. Unlike those, you will not be bothered by constant notifications while reading and you will have a much longer battery life. With the ability to store over a thousand books on a single device, you essentially have a library in the palm of your hands.

Efergy Fixed Showered Pack:

Believe it or not, something as simple as taking a shower increases your carbon footprint. How? Well, the water you use consumes energy when getting treated, transported and used. You can read more about this here. Thus, by using less water we can reduce our impact on the environment. The Efergy Fixed Showered Pack aims to help you in this endeavor.

Often times when bathing we lose track of time and the running shower keeps wasting water. This simple little gadget attaches to your shower and monitors the amount of water flowing through it. You can set an alarm that goes off when a predetermined amount of water has been used, or when a certain amount of time has passed. This way you know exactly how much water you are using and you can begin saving it.

Lutron Maestro Occupancy Sensing Switch:

Have you ever left a light bulb on for several hours without actually needing it? I know I have. As you can guess, this wastes energy and negatively impacts the environment. As a rule, you should switch off lights and all other electrical appliances that are not in use. However, doing this manually is a tedious task and one can often forget. Gadgets like the Lutron Maestro Occupancy Sensing Switch hold the solution.

This is basically a motion sensor connected to your lights switch. So when there is somebody in the room, it detects their presence through their movement and turns on/ leaves the light open. When there is lack of movement, the lights automatically turn off. These type of switches are already common in office spaces but Lutron Maestro’s version makes it an affordable option for regular home owners too.

Voltaic Generator Laptop Bag:

You can either use less electricity or produce clean power when you do need it. Clean electricity means that it hasn’t been generated by the burning of fossil fuels. Solar power is one prime example. The Voltaic Generator Laptop Bag gives you a clean power source on the go. It functions to carry your laptop, just like any regular bag, except that it has solar panels on its exterior surface. These are used to charge an inbuilt 24,000 mAh battery which can in turn charge your laptop, tablet or phone. To add to this, the bag is made from recycled fabric.

On a side note, solar panels should also be installed in homes and offices to produce at least some of the electricity. Scoop.solar is a service that provides assistance with the solar operations and maintenance if you choose this option.

Conclusion:

Not only do these devices help reduce your carbon footprint, they also end up saving you a lot of money in the long run. This can be in the form of lesser electrical and water bills for example. Other than that you can implement several modifications to your routine to lead a cleaner and greener lifestyle. It is our duty to do the best we can to limit pollution so that this planet is conserved for ourselves, nature and future generation.

ABOUT Alycia Gordan

Alycia Gordan is a freelance writer who loves to read and write articles on healthcare technology, fitness and lifestyle. She is a tech junkie and divides her time between travel and writing. You can find her on Twitter: @meetalycia