Viridescence - be green!

Be kind to the environment when you travel this holiday weekend. Are you traveling for the holiday weekend?  Read about how to reduce carbon emissions while traveling . Do you plan on flying to your destination?  Read about how to reduce your carbon footprint when flying . Will you be exploring the great outdoors?  Read about how to leave no trace and how to respect wildlife . Will you be exploring nature with your pet? Read about traveling with a pet .

Reduce Consumption – Reduce Waste -  Reduce Carbon Emissions A great way to reduce carbon emissions is to purchase fewer goods. In other words, buy less stuff . In 2017, U.S. consumers purchased $3,513 billion of retail goods. [ 1 ] That's a lot of stuff! Every part of a retail goods life-cycle produces carbon emissions. In that same year, the U.S. produced 6,456.7 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions of which 82% was carbon dioxide. [ 2 ] Nationally, the U.S. generated 262.4 million tons of household solid waste. [ 3 ]  On average, a person living in the U.S. generates 4.48 pounds of solid waste a day . [ 4 ] Source: EPA, n.d. The way to view our relationship with household goods that eventually become waste is: (1) reduce consumption; (2) prevent waste by reusing and composting at home; (3) recycle what cannot be reused; (4) sent to landfill. The Take Away:  By reducing our consumption of retail goods, we reduce pollution

One easy way to reduce your carbon footprint is to air dry laundry instead of using a clothes dryer. On average, a standard electric dryer uses 967 kilowatt hours / year (based on 416 cycles/year) and a gas clothes dryer uses 1,091 kilowatt hours /year. [ 1 ] 1 kilowatt hour of electricity = 1.6 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). [ 2 ] 1 load of laundry dried in electric dryer = 2.3 kWh 1 load of laundry dried in electric dryer = 3.68 lbs. of CO 2 Air drying one load of laundry prevents 3.68 lbs. of CO 2 from entering the atmosphere! When you can, air dry your laundry. You will save money and energy and reduce the amount of carbon emissions entering the atmosphere. References: [1] US Department of Energy. November 2011. ENERGY STAR Market & Industry Scoping Report Residential Clothes Dryers. US Department of Energy. Retrieved from https://www.energystar.gov/sites/default/files/asset/document/ENERGY_STAR_Scoping_Report_Residential_Clothes_Dry