Reduce your Austin carbon footprint.  

The impact of climate change is enormous worldwide, and nothing can be done unless a big Institution such as the UN does something about it. The Paris agreement is a good example. However, there are ways to reduce your carbon footprint in Austin as an individual.   

Drive less and ride a bike more.  

Giving up using a car for transportation can save 2.6 tons of carbon dioxide annually. Also, using the public transportation system such as trains and buses is very efficient. However, riding a bike is the best way to commute. Luckily, Austin is among the top bike-friendly cities in the USA. Besides, walking is not just exercise; it reduces 75% of carbon emission then driving for the same distance. Biking and walking do not only reduce carbon emission but its open space and encourage others to do the same.   

Be a fan of local products and shops.   

The more we support our communities is, the more we reduce our carbon footprint. For example, eating locally grown food can save 1,000 miles worth of carbon emissions per year. When we shop from local stores and drink local coffee, we do not require our needs to be shipped from hundreds of miles away. For instance, we should buy our coffee from a local coffee shop instead of Starbucks. Fortunately, Austin has so many local stores.   

What about our homes? 

Every day we have habits that would reduce our carbon footprint. To know these habits, we should know what we spend energy on in our homes. The average American spends 25% of energy on heating spaces, 13% on heat water, 11% on cooling, and the rest on appliances. To reduce the carbon footprint, we should consider the following:

1- Replace lights: LED lights use 85% less power and last up to 25 times longer

2- Turn down the heat  

3- Turn down the water heater  

4- Turn off lights and appliances when we do not use them

Reducing our carbon footprint is our responsibility as individuals, and it only needs our awareness.   

Citation  

Reducing Your Transportation Footprint

https://www.nytimes.com/guides/year-of-living-better/how-to-reduce-your-carbon-footprint