Written by Jan Ivar Czaplicki.
This article has been written by Jan Ivar Czaplicki, Co-Founder & Chief Customer Officer at CarbonClick – a Certified B-Corporation company that helps businesses and individuals offset their carbon meaningfully, slow down global warming, and keep the planet cool. (You know, just stuff that a cool business would do.)
With the planet heating up and the impacts of climate change hitting harder every day, at CarbonClick, we help the average person understand what exactly ‘carbon offsetting’ means and how small daily changes can help.
First things first – what are carbon emissions?
Carbon emissions result from any use of fossil fuels for:
- Electricity and heating
- Agriculture
- Forest clearings
- Construction
- Shipping, manufacturing and more.
When you crunch the numbers, you’ll see that almost all daily activities contribute to carbon dioxide emissions on some level. But, the biggest contributors in our everyday lives are – drumroll please – energy use and transportation, with flying taking the cake for having one of the highest carbon footprints. This is why celebrities often face scrutiny for using private jets – it highlights how even small personal efforts to reduce our carbon footprint, like recycling, can feel diminished. (Basically, we might be doing everything right on the ground, but those planes in the sky can have a massive impact.)
What is a carbon footprint and how can I calculate mine?
A carbon footprint is the amount of carbon emissions a product, activity or a person produces. You can calculate your individual footprint via CarbonClick’s personal footprint calculator. It looks at things like:
- Where you live
- How much energy you use
- How much meat you eat
- How often you fly
- How you commute
- and lots more.
What’s great is that it also shows how much you can reduce your footprint by changing or cutting back on certain habits – like eating less meat.
Carbon emission myths, busted
Keep reading to learn some of the most popular myths about carbon emissions.
“Reducing carbon emissions isn’t my responsibility.”
While government policies play an important role, we all need to consider our impact. Small changes in daily habits, like reducing energy consumption, using public transport, and supporting sustainable products, collectively make a difference. While it’s no secret that large corporations certainly make significant contributions, individuals and households also play a role – so it’s really up to all of us.
“Recycling alone is enough to live sustainably.”
Recycling is super important, but it’s not a magic solution and should be part of a broader strategy for sustainability. Sustainable living also involves reducing consumption, reusing products, choosing renewable energy sources and reducing overall waste.
“I drive an electric car because they have no environmental impact.”
Electric cars have a lower carbon footprint than traditional vehicles, but they still have an impact. Battery production, the source of electricity and the vehicle’s entire lifecycle all have significant environmental impacts. Using renewable energy and improving battery technology are essential for maximising their benefits.
“Buying ‘green’ products is always better for the environment.”
While choosing eco-friendly products is generally a good idea, it’s important to consider the entire lifecycle of a product. Some products labelled as “green” may still have notable environmental impacts in terms of production, transportation or disposal. It’s also important to prioritise reducing consumption over simply replacing items with “greener” versions.
“Using renewable energy means zero carbon emissions.”
When compared to fossil fuels, renewable energy sources like solar and wind have much lower carbon footprints, but they’re not completely carbon-free. Emissions occur during the manufacturing, installation and maintenance of renewable energy systems. However, over their lifespan, these emissions are significantly lower than those from fossil fuels.
“Switching to a plant-based diet will eliminate my carbon footprint.”
A plant-based diet does significantly reduce your carbon footprint, especially compared to a meat-heavy diet. However, not all plant-based foods are equally sustainable. Factors like transportation, packaging and farming practices are also worth considering when you’re calculating your overall environmental impact.
How can I make more sustainable choices and reduce carbon emissions?
While choosing eco-friendly products is a smart and obvious step toward sustainability, it’s important to consider the entire lifecycle of a product. For example, some products labelled as “green” may still have significant environmental impacts in terms of production, transportation, or disposal, so do your research before purchasing. Some other ways you can reduce your personal carbon emissions include:
- Reducing consumption and therefore creating less waste
- Repairing items when you can
- Eating less red meat
- Opting for public transport instead of driving your car
- Switching to a greener energy provider
- Purchasing locally-made produce and goods where possible
How is Blu. partnering with CarbonClick to offset my cookware purchase?
At Blu., we collaborate with several partners to offset the carbon emissions generated from our production, shipment and overall business operations. Through our partnership with CarbonClick, we’re able to offset production and shipment emissions, and you get the opportunity to participate by offsetting additional emissions by adding a $2 donation at checkout. The money transparently goes to one of their certified carbon offset projects – such as planting trees, protecting forests, and investing in renewable energy across Australia, helping to absorb or reduce CO2 emissions. Pretty great, right?
We’re already seeing the effects of climate change, and waiting to act just makes it tougher and even more costly to deal with it. We need urgent action from everyone – individuals, communities, businesses, and governments – to mitigate the most serious effects of climate change.
