Our Super Cool Tips To Lower Your Carbon Footprint

At Super Cool Totes we’re in the business of reusable cotton bags, supplying all natural cotton tote bags with an intent to rid streets of those nasty plastic bags that litter and pollute our earth. We’re constantly looking for new ways to lower our carbon footprint, whether it’s making better buying decisions, recycling smarter or improving our workflows. Here we share our favourite ways you can get started on your path to improving your relationship with mother nature.

The Setup

Spending a little time setting up your recycling operation is a great place to start, and will greatly reduce the time commitment needed to keep up with the daily operation. Start by designating what you’re going to recycle and where it needs to go. Does your local council take away your recycling? If so when is the collection? Or if you live in an apartment complex, where is the recycling point and what items does it accept? Most populated areas have schemes in place so there’s no excuse not to find this information. Next, prepare your in-house recycling bins, any large container will do the trick. If you have any spare cupboard space in your kitchen, this makes for a great place to hide your recycling boxes.

Getting Into The Habit

Next time you visit your local supermarket or shop, spend a little extra time considering what you are buying, and if any improvements can be made with purchasing decisions. For instance, is the same product available with less packaging, or more recycle-friendly packaging? There’s certainly optimisations that can be made straight away that are sure to cut down on the amount of recycling you’ll need to do, and simply not creating the waste in the first place is the best practice for lowering your footprint. Anticipate how you will need to dispose of each item, and question if it is possible or if there is an alternative available.

Conscious Living

Little decisions around the home or workplace make a massive difference to your overall output, and it’s highly likely you can reduce your carbon footprint without seeing any detrimental effect on your living standards. First, take the time going round your home and examining the timers on your boiler, radiators, appliances, lights and any other objects that consume electricity. Reduce the time of operation if possible, especially during the night time, or during the day if you are out of the house. There’s a decent chunk of money that can be saved from simply doing one audit of your home. Simply not having stuff on when it’s not needed or in use is a no brainer.

Food Consumption

Whilst we don’t recommend that every person switches to a solely plant based diet, it is worth noting that many modern agricultural farming methods are hugely detrimental to the environment. Cutting back on the low-grade beef and dairy is a good place to start, and at least attempting to find more organic and locally produced food will lower your carbon footprint drastically. We realise that dreams of a organic/clean diet for all are an unrealistic virtue, often pushed by people who don’t have the financial constraints of the majority of the population, but this does not mean that improvements cannot be made. Any attempts to locally source and find organic alternatives will not only rid your body of nasty, disease causing chemicals, but will lower your carbon footprint in the process.

The Joy of Movement

A personal favourite of mine, and probably the simplest thing you can do, walking instead of driving is a great way to improve yourself and lower your output. Walking is a great exercise, and is a great exercise for people that don’t like exercise. There’s also mental health benefits to be had from ditching your car in favour of a stroll. If you only have a mile or two to go, consider walking instead, and watch your health improve. Get your favourite music or podcast ready, and head out on foot!

It’s not just your weekly shop that requires responsible disposal, but other household items and furniture too need to be considered. Batteries are a big problem when it comes to disposal, as a non-recycled battery is extremely harmful to the environment, leaking noxious chemicals into the soil over time. Make sure all batteries are put into dedicated battery recycling bins. These can often be found in your local supermarket, so keep an eye out and take a mental note when you see one nearby. Your old media such as books, CD’s and DVD’s probably deserve another shot, so be sure to take them to your local charity shop instead of just throwing them away. Furniture is the most commonly fly-tipped type of rubbish, we’ve all seen a fridge in a field or a bed in a bush because irresponsible people didn’t take the time to dispose of them properly. There’s actually many ways to get rid of your own furniture responsibly, either by calling your local council for a collection, hiring a man & van to do a tip run for you, or simply taking your rubbish to your local tip. Most tips have dedicated areas for each type of furniture and will help you dispose of them correctly. Electronics are the most important items to dispose of correctly, due to the possibility of chemical pollution if simply dumped. When you buy a large piece of furniture, you are taking on a responsibility, so consider if you really want that responsibility before purchasing.

Got your own ideas for lowering your carbon footprint or living a healthier, more environmentally friendly life? Chime in below with your own ideas!