5 things you can do to reduce global carbon footprint

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

For an environmental issue as big as climate change, the smallest things still do matter. Homeowners can take these five simple steps so that they can do their share in reducing the carbon footprint human activities leave on this planet. The carbon footprint is a measure of how great an activity has toward contributing to greenhouse gases, a major component of climate change.

Inquirer Property recently asked a landscape architect, a civil engineer and its resident green architect for their practical suggestions.

1. Reduce energy consumption via light. Landscape architect Dickie Altavas suggests that homeowners switch to outdoor LED (light-emitting diode) lighting to reduce energy consumption.

Even if you hardly see the difference in your bills, at least youre doing your part, Altavas said.

A few other energy-saving lighting tips, according to 365 Ways to Live Green, are:

Avoid opaque light shades that require stronger bulbs; use light-colored paints and flooring to reflect light; clean dust from light fixtures so their light will shine through; and when reading or performing tasks requiring focused lighting, turn off background lights and rely on a small focused lamp.

Choose compact fluorescent lights over incandescent light bulbs. The former is four times more energy efficient.

2. Choose white for your roof. Use white-colored roof and roof insulation to cut down energy use by preventing heat transmission, said Inquirer Property columnist and architect Amado de Jesus of the Green Architect Movement.

3. Surround your house with greens and birds.

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5 things you can do to reduce global carbon footprint