If you listen to the news at all or even just dabble slightly in social media, you will know that the world is focusing on reducing carbon footprints.
It is now upon each of us, in our capacities, to reduce our carbon footprints in an attempt to lessen the effects on the earth and the atmosphere.
Online Casinos and Your Carbon Footprint
A carbon footprint is defined by the following: “The amount of carbon dioxide which is released into the atmosphere as a direct result of the activities of a particular individual, community or organization”.
So this might be the carbon dioxide you release into the atmosphere by driving your car (the fumes from your car exhaust) or by the fossil fuels burned to light up your home.
Other pollutants and carbon dioxide trap heat in the atmosphere and add to global warming, these pollutants are called greenhouse gases.
What is the relation between your carbon footprint and online casinos?
So this might seem like a stretch to a few, but think about it – one of our biggest contributors to greenhouse gases are the fumes let out by exhaust pipes when we drive.
It just makes sense then that by staying at home and playing online casinos instead of driving to land-based casinos, we are omitting these gases altogether.
Land-based casinos aren’t on every corner, so it could take some travelling to get there. Instead, stay at home, stay in your pyjamas and use your mobile phone to play some great casino games. You can still win real money!
Think about the lights and energy used to run land-based casinos. It is a monumental amount. This requires mass amounts of fossil fuels to be burned to provide this energy.
Avoiding the casinos and staying home to play online stops you from being a contributor towards this as well.
How To Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
There are many ways to reduce your carbon footprint. You just have to be aware of your activities and which activities cause the release of harmful pollutants that harm the atmosphere.
It doesn’t have to be a drastic change all at once. You can slowly introduce new routines and practices into your life that over time will have a significant reduction on your carbon footprint.
Here are some ways to reduce your carbon footprint.
Reduce your meat consumption
For those who love a piece of good steak, this might be a tough one. But agribusiness is one of the biggest contributors of greenhouse gases, and therefore one of the biggest contributors to global warming and climate change.
Red meat is the biggest culprit of them all.
Red meat consumes 11 times more water than poultry and emits 5 times the amount of greenhouse gases.
If you find it almost impossible to cut red meat out of your diet, start with meat-free Mondays.
Commit yourself to only eating a plant-based diet on Mondays, free of meat, and take it from there.
Stop driving everywhere
Public transport is there for a reason, try using it as often as possible and as much as you can. You need to take advantage of this and try to cut out how often you drive yourself around.
Instead of driving to the shops close to you, cycle or take a walk. This is an added exercise and it cuts out carbon emissions. Another option is to start a carpool with someone at work who lives in your area.
Even though you are still driving, you will be cutting one less car from the road. The emissions from car exhausts emitted daily contribute heavily to the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Renewable energy
Investing in renewable energy can be a bit of an expense at first, but it will more than pay itself off in the long run. It all depends on the extent of your renewable energy usage but done to the fullest, you could even cut out your electricity bill.
There are also some great tax incentives involved in using renewable energy. Here are the different options to look into:
- Rooftop solar panels – these fit onto your roof and could generate enough energy to power your entire house. Solar shingles are actually being used to replace rooftop tiles. The effectiveness is dependent on the amount of sun which your rooftop receives.
- Wind turbines – these are often found offshore or on wind farms, but people who own large pieces of property can install a small wind turbine to generate energy. The problem is that they are noisy, large and don’t look so great.
- Solar water heating – This is a great place to start for those who just want to try out renewable energy. Solar panels use energy from the sun to heat up reserves of water which could be sent to radiators in the house or to faucets and shower heads.
Reduce your household energy use
There are some simple habits to put into place at home which can help reduce energy and your carbon footprint.
- Purchase eco-friendly cooling and heating equipment
- Seal cooling and heating ducts to reduce the usage of heating and cooling equipment
- Switch to only using LED light bulbs
- Unplug devices not in use to minimize standby power usage
- Check appliances and lights are off before leaving the house or going to bed
- Use cold water to wash clothes and hang them up to dry.
Change Your Habits
There are so many ways to reduce your carbon footprint. You just have to make the decision and change your habits! You will be doing your bit for the environment and you can rest assured that you are playing your role in reducing climate change.
Be an example for others to follow. And you get to stay home and play online casinos! It is a win-win!
