Five Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

Earth Day is right around the corner. It’s not too hard for us to put a new, greener foot forward to be better stewards of the earth.

 Here are five easy ways to reduce your carbon footprint:

1. Trade in your store-bought  bottled water for a reusable bottle. Many of the plastic bottles do not end up being recycled. They also are shipped all over the world, expending fuel. Also, try filling your recyclable bottle with filtered tap water instead of the store-bought kind.
2. Window Shop. When we take the time to window shop, we think twice about buying things we don’t need. Then we use fewer consumer goods. Each item in a store has a footprint no matter how small.
3. Plan a route when you run errands. If you take the time to plan your route, you will use less gas than if you drive around, having to traverse the same streets over and over.
4. Shop locally whenever possible. Locally grown and produced goods do not have to be shipped from other locations, reducing fuel costs. Supporting local businesses also means being a better neighbor.
   
5. Use native plants when gardening or landscaping. The plants will not have to be shipped from far away. Also, use organic soil, which is more eco-friendly to the environment.