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Learning about the world, and the effect that we have on it can be mind-blowing. Here at AM Solar we try to do our part by supporting green or alternative energy, such as solar energy. Now that 2017 has fulling arrived, and people have either kept or not kept their New Year’s resolutions, we’re here to suggest another. What if you pledged to reduce the impact you have on the environment? The best way to learn about your impact and come up with ways to reduce it, is to learn about what a Carbon Footprint is.

What is it?

Carbon dioxide is a color-less and odor-less gas that occurs in the atmosphere. It occurs naturally from the life cycle of oceans, soil, plants and animals. It’s also caused by human activities, and released into the environment at harmful amounts. The majority of human-caused carbon dioxide is from the burning of fossil fuels, decay of solid waste and combustion of wood products. If narrowed down, the top three sources of carbon pollution are electricity, transportation and big industry.

How to help

Of course, we can all pitch in by turning the lights of, making sure extra appliances aren’t plugged in all the time. Taking a bike or walking to work if possible is a great option. Taking public transportation isn’t a perfect solution, but it does help. Some cities have even pledged to use more environmentally friendly fuel (like biofuel) in their public buses, etc.

Carpooling is another great way to at least reduce the carbon emission that you personally put out. It takes a car relatively the same about of energy to get one person to a destination as it does to get 3 others. Sometimes there are even other perks to carpooling, such as programs offered by an individual state or city, or faster commuter lanes.

There are a lot of things you can do to help conserve energy, like investing in energy efficient appliances, weatherproofing windows and being conscious of the energy you do use. Recycling is also helpful to reduce energy.

Going Solar

It’s hard to feel like one family or one home or one RV can help make an impact on the growing carbon footprint, but you can. Taking small steps to using alternate energy methods does help. Try using a solar powered phone charger, or solar powered crank flashlight.

Another great way to test out solar options, is to outfit your RV to be solar. It’s not as big of a commitment to solar energy as your home, but it will give you an understanding of what the freedom of solar power can do.

Any way that you can contribute to a reduction in energy used will help reduce carbon emissions. One family, home, or RV can make a difference.