environment
Tips for less CO2 in everyday life
Those who buy regionally are doing good for the environment.
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The CO2 emissions have a major impact on climate change. Those who consume consciously are doing something good for the environment.
Climate change is a global threat that affects all people in the world equally. Everyone can reduce their personal CO2 emissions through conscious behavior and thus make a contribution to reducing the potential negative effects of climate change.
Climate-friendly consumption
The manufacture and transport of products require energy and resources that lead to carbon dioxide emissions. The greatest CO2 savings are therefore achieved by refraining from consumption. Borrowing an item is better than buying it, and buying used items is also preferable to buying new ones.
In the case of food, transport is one of the most important items in a product's carbon footprint. This is why regionally produced food is almost always more climate-friendly than food that has to travel a long way to retail. The time of consumption is not to be neglected: Non-seasonal food, even if it was produced locally, must be stored in a cool, energy-consuming manner, which results in high CO2 emissions.
Compared to other foods, meat has a particularly bad carbon footprint: animal feed in the form of feed soy has mostly come a long way from the tropics, while high-quality soy for human consumption mostly comes from Europe. The clearing of rainforest for the cultivation of animal feed also damages the environment massively. Protein-rich substitute products such as beans, chickpeas and legumes can be quickly integrated into everyday life and lead to significantly lower CO2 emissions.
Energy and mobility
In addition to consumption, mobility and energy supply are decisive for the personal CO2 balance. Green electricity from renewable sources is less damaging to the environment than conventional electricity and is only slightly more expensive today. In standby mode, every electrical object consumes electricity, so it should be unplugged from the socket when not in use. Brief ventilation leads to a pleasant room climate and reduces the loss of heat from the heating system and thus CO2 emissions.
When it comes to traffic, doing without means the greatest savings in CO2. Short distances in everyday life should be covered if possible on foot or by bike; for longer distances, train and bus are the more climate-friendly alternatives to cars or planes. Those who form a carpool use less carbon dioxide per capita than people who sit alone in the car.