CRI-Q#2 - What can people do to reduce their carbon footprint?
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Q#2 - What can people do to reduce their carbon footprint?
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Here’s the question again…
Q#2 - What can people do to reduce their carbon footprint?
Don’t forget to leave your name , organization name, and your location_\!/
As a Beijinger, the subway system is becoming perfect, so taking subway or bus instead of driving a car are good options. but at rush hour, millions of commuters are crowded into the subway…which is another problem needed to resolve. maybe we can find a job close by our home therefore we could walk, ride a bike, skate or parasail to work.
People may make statements such as ‘Eco Chic’ amounts to greenwashing. I tend to agree with this, and envoke the green revolution of such ideas of ‘hand me downs’ in clothes and geek chic from Oxfam stores in the UK, where bands such as Blur and Pulp dressed up in clothes they found in charity shops or borrowed from their friends’ parents’ moth inhabited wardrobes. This happens in some places.
By the way, I think we need to make people aware of ‘greywater*’ and stop it being seen as such handwash your clothes and then use the water, put it in pots and then use it to flush the toilet. What’s the (’pot’ential problem?)
*Water also linked to energy. Don’t know the connection yet? Where have you been?
Personally I prefer to ride bike, but in Beijing it is getting more and more dangerous. The reputation of cyclists in China is not as high as in other countries such as Denmark, Netherlands, France, Switzerland… Anyway, after decades of neglect Beijing finally has a good subway system. Busses are also acceptable, but i have the impression that the lines won’t change within some centuries (despite the vast amount of new streets which are mostly ignored by bus lines).
Our company evaluated car-sharing system with most advanced technology (mostly from Google maps). We have excellent technology, maybe we meet someone who can offer financial funding. Anyway, many things are impossible (we are not Toyota) for us / for the time being, but we should not forget our main goals: environmental protection, carbon reduction, sustainability, some kind of moderation etc.
· Turn it off when not in use (lights, television, DVD player, Hi Fi, computer etc. etc. …)
· Turn down the central heating slightly (try just 1 to 2 degrees C)
· Turn down the water heating setting (just 2 degrees will make a significant saving)
· Check the central heating timer setting - remember there is no point heating the house after you have left for work
· Fill your dish washer and washing machine with a full load - this will save you water, electricity, and washing powder.
· Fill the kettle with only as much water as you need.
· Do your weekly shopping in a single trip.
· Hang out the washing to dry rather than tumble drying it.
· Only buy the amount of food you need and if there are leftovers, get creative. For instance, make them into a soup. Ask to take food home from restaurants if there’s some left, but remember to take your own container to avoid using a disposable carton.
· Find out what the recycling options are in your area. Then make sure you keep items such as paper and plastic bottles separate so that they can be recycled. There are places where you can recycle electronic appliances and batteries. Make sure you find them.
· Conserve energy by using efficient light bulbs. They use about one-third of the energy of normal bulbs and last 10 times as long.
· This is obvious, but essential: switch off all appliances when you’re not using them. This includes lights
· Only print things out when necessary, and print double-sided and reduce the margins.
· Take your own mug and cutlery to work. This saves throwing away disposable cups and containers - but that could be outweighed by washing your cutlery. So, pay attention to how you use water when washing your dishes.
· Food production eats up lots of energy. When you buy food, go local rather than imported, and get fresh vegetables instead of frozen.
· Look for reusable, recyclable, biodegradable items and remember to carry your reusable shopping bags!
Contact Information:
Company: Millennium Ark Capital Management Center
Position: Chief Partner
Adress: 25/F., Twin Towers, B-12, Jian Guo Men Wai Avenue, Chaoyang District
Telephone: +86 10 59103597
- first of all, Chinese have the awareness in environment protection as facing the environmental challenges (air, water, etc) in people’s daily life. For reducing carbon footprint, there needs to be more education in why and how, personally I believe. To make people self-motivated to reduce carbon footprint, as well as other resource, e.g. water.
- What can people do? lots of arguments, e.g. to reduce consumption (purchase less, eat less, esp eat less certain kinds of food, etc), to change daily life behaviour.
Personally, would suggest to inspire people to always take “carbon footprint” as one of the key considerations in people’s daily life, e.g. when purchasing new products, when using products in office, or at home, when choosing food to eat, etc.
Jing Guo - WWF China , Beijing http://www.wwfchina.org
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Eat less meat and more vegetables; take public transportation; smoke less; travel less; chose low carbon products; plant trees; consume less
Brian Ho, Director, China, CSR - ASIA
http://www.csr-asia.com
Eat less meat and more vegetables; take public transportation; smoke less; travel less; chose low carbon products; plant trees; consume less.
Brian Ho, Director, China, CSR - ASIA
Promoting Corporate Social Responsibility in the Asia Pacific Region
Engaging with the issues as they emerge
First,we should have the awareness that we are world citizens.We should contribute as much as possible to the benefits of all human beings.Then,we should form a low-carbon living habit.Moreover,I personally suggest that the goverment should launch more effective policies to reduce carbon emission.And the media could make more efforts to change the public life style into a low-carbon one.
Ellen, Student in Beijing
One of my colleague comes to work by bike everyday.It takes about 40 minutes. That is the low-carbon lifestyle he choose.
Being Conciousness of the impact on the envrionment of human activities and trying to reduce this kind of impact are the key points in reducing carbon footprint.
No matter what kind of actions you take to reduce the carbon footprint,just bear that in mind.
National Geographic Traveler China promotes this kind of actions, such as choosing bike to be the travel transportation. We made a special feature in our March issue: LOHAS and LOHAS Travel. We interviewed a lot of famous and ordinary people who lead a low carbon and lohas lifestyle. We also give our readers many choices on living lohas and traveling lohas. In this feature, our senior editor LU YI told us his bike travel story in East China which attracks many of our readers.
National Geographic Traveler China
Beijing
http://www.ngtraveler.cn
One of my colleague comes to work by bike everyday.It takes about 40 minutes. That is the low-carbon lifestyle he choose.
I think the key components in a low-carbon lifestyle are:
Being Conciousness of the impact on the envrionment of human activities and trying to reduce this kind of impact are key points to reduce carbon footprint.
No matter what kind of actions you take to reduce the carbon footprint,just bear that in mind.
National Geographic Traveler China promotes this kind of actions, such as choosing bike to be the travel transportation. We made a special feature in our March issue: LOHAS and LOHAS Travel. We interviewed a lot of famous and ordinary people who lead a low carbon and lohas lifestyle. We also give our readers many choices on living lohas and traveling lohas. In this feature, our senior editor LU YI told us his bike travel story in East China which attracks many of our readers.
National Geographic Traveler China
Beijing
http://www.ngtraveler.cn
While there are literarily tons of things we can do at daily life to reduce our own carbon footprint, to name a few, using CFL light bulb, public transit instead of car, energy efficient appliance, avoiding over consuming, recycling, etc, we have to realize that a lot of people don’t really have the acknowledge of carbon footprint and how to reduce it. Therefore, public education is really the key to promote awareness of carbon footprint and share daily tips which public can easily practice at home, workplace, school, and community.In addition to taking personal action to change daily life style, we also need active public participation for better resource management, environmental protection and management, etc.
Lanlin Bu, Leader of China Program, Harmony Foundation of Canada
http//:www.harmonyfdn.ca
First,we can save energy. we should pay more attention to turning off lights and useing energy efficient light bulbs.
Second, save water resources. Many waste water can be recycled.Third, save paper. Recycling of paper can be avoided from the landfill methane release, but also less felling of trees. According to statistics, recycling one ton of waste paper to produce 800 kilograms of recycled paper, you can cut 17 trees less, save paper is to protect forest resources, protect the environment.Fourth, reduce emissions. Traffic exhaust and industrial emissions are a major source of emissions of life. We try to take a bus or taxi to go out, you can also ride a bike, as little as possible on board a private car.
The ways of People to reduce their carbon footprint is related to wide-ranging contents, which including production, life, work, travel, tourism and other areas, but eventually implemented in the two segments of the “production” and “consumption”. Mainly be summarized as energy-saving emission reduction, the corresponding is to reduce demand of energy consumption, improve energy efficiency and reduce C emissions.
For ordinary people, reduce their carbon footprint have two meanings, namely: from small things to start and long-term adherence. Such as using energy-saving lamp bulb, air-conditioned at 26 degrees, take public vehcile, buy local food, more exercise and no smoke,as little as possible to try cosmetics, etc., which are very small things. But if we can be persist in these small things, which means is one of very great actions.
The reduction of Chinese carbon footprint compared with foreign countries, there are inherent characteristics of passive inside, which is determined by economic fundamentals, awareness and habit formation; so it may be described as the management of energy-saving or the system of emission reduction, which contrast to foreign active individuals behavior. Over the years, In China? nearly 6 million residents are positively impacted by the promotion and practice of “LivCom” contest ,how to reduce personal carbon footprint,and how to create a healthy lifestyle, etc.. We are also trying to organize domestic and foreign experts to filing a set of standards,which were aimed at cities and communities to implement low-carbon technologies and carbon management, to achieve standardization in the planning, construction, operation and other segments, its main role is also to prositively impact people to reduce their own carbon footprint consciousness, his thoughts and behavior by these forms.
Billy-Li Xiang , General Manager / Director, Jia Cui (China) Environment and Development Promotion Center, Shenzhen, China. http://www.livcom.org
1.I don’t eat any animals, I’m vegetarian (Check out some of the latest National Geographic shows about strange changes in the environment, it always comes down to the reduction of certain animals, mostly fish, causing a whole environmental disaster)
2. I unplug (and turn off) everything I do not use
3. All my light bulbs are energy saving ones.
4. Do laundry only with a full load
5. The first option is always to walk, then buses and subway, taxis only when there is no other choice.
6. In the compound where I live, we are encourage to separate waste (we have 3 different trash bins outside each building AND we were given FOR FREE 2 trash bins for each apartment and bags with 2 different colors to separate waste by ourselves.)
7. Use what I have. For example, I haven’t bought shampoos in over a year, why? Because living in Beijing (or China for that matter) you have people coming and going all the time, visitors who did not take their stuff and somehow I always end up with more shampoos that I can consume. Is not being cheap, is being environmentally conscious! The less you buy, the less trash there is! Please go and check ow many shampoos are there in your shower.
8. “What you don’t have you don’t need it now” was it Bono who said that? So true, seriously, how much stuff do you have in your apartment that you haven’t used in the last year? I do a check-up in my apartment every 2 months or so to see the things I have (many times we forget what we have) and according to it shop and donate.
9. Eat organic and locally!
10. Read the labels when shopping. Not that you have to spend 10 hours in the supermarket with your dictionary each time you go buy something, but start slowly: the first time do it for a couple of items, next time for a couple more and before you know it, you already know what to buy and what not. The ingredients used as well as the packaging of the product are VERY important, trust me, there are brands out there that DO care about the environment and is our job to popularize them.
11. Shopping bags! True, we all use plastic bags for garbage, but doing the math and managing to re-use some of them (by separating waste) I only use an average of 15 plastic bags per month.
12. I’m a member of Freecycle!
There are so many more things that I do on my daily like, but basically, recycle whenever possible! And learn what things are used to create what you are about to buy!