Carbon Neutral Marathon
Someone offered to pay for carbon offsets for me to fly to the New York Marathon in November. I thought this was such a good idea that I will be offsetting all of the quantifiable carbon emissions assocaited with my trip to New York. This will include the flights, taxis, accommodation, etc. and will enable me to do my little part for helping raise awareness of Climate Change and to demonstrate that every individual can do their part.
There are a number of ways that individuals can offset their carbon emissions. A great website that enables you to calculate your impacts and then purchase offsets is Climate Care.
So I'll be running the marathon with some advertising on my outfit announcing that I am running a "Carbon Neutral Marathon".
Of course, if you don't want to run a carbon neutral marathon, there is still plenty that you can do to help reduce your carbon emissions. Some example of what you can do include:
- buy energy efficient light bulbs - they last longer and use up to 80% less electricity than conventional bulbs
- turn your heating and airconditioning down 1 to 2 degrees - this can save 10 - 15% on your heating and cooling bills
- boil water in pots with lids on - no idea exactly how much energy you save, but the water boils faster and with less heat
- ride your bicycle to work rather than driving - you are saving energy and money with every kilometer/mile you ride
- fully turn off your electrical goods - standby uses up to 80% as much as the device actually being on
The list of things you can do is almost endless. If you want some more advice, why not check out some of the following websites: