5 Ways to Reduce Your Family’s Carbon Footprint

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Rhythm. All opinions are 100% mine.

Save the planet AND save money? Keep reading to learn 5 ways to reduce your carbon footprint, starting with switching to renewable energy!

woman gardening; text overlay "5 Ways to Instantly Reduce Your Carbon Footprint"

What is a Carbon Footprint and Why Does it Matter?

The term “carbon footprint” refers to the amount of greenhouse gases that are directly produced by our own actions each year. An overabundance of these gases can trap heat in our atmosphere — and I don’t know about you, but I think the Texas summers are hot enough already!

Sometimes with big issues I’m guilty of thinking “What can I really do? I’m just one person!” However, the good news is that there ARE simple steps you can take right now to reduce your own impact!

These are things that our family does to help reduce our carbon output, and things that your family can do as well!

1. Switch to Renewable Energy

This is one of the easiest things we can do as individuals, and it really does make a difference!

Renewable energy comes from naturally-derived sources such as the wind or the sun. Unlike fossil fuels, renewable energy sources can be replenished and it is more environmentally friendly.

For years I shied away from renewable energy because I was afraid it would be more expensive.That’s why I was so excited to learn about a new energy company that just launched in Texas: Rhythm. They want to make renewable energy easy and accessible to all families in our area!

Rhythm offers Texans affordable, 100% renewable energy plans — and after the winter we all just weathered, Rhythm will even help you “break up” with your old energy provider!

I love that Rhythm actually cares about the same things that my family and other Texans do: healthy air, clean water, and a planet that will still be here for future generations.

holding a candle with purple label

Ready to Switch and Save?

The last few weeks have a lot of Texans taking a hard look at their energy bill.

Here’s another perk to signing up with Rhythm…they’ll help pay your early termination fee (ETF) with your current electricity provider!

To celebrate their launch across Texas, Rhythm will give you up to $150 (in bill credits) to make the switch to their renewable service!

woman sitting in bed with laptop

When you sign up with Rhythm, you can feel confident that what you see is what you get. They offer affordable, fixed rate plans and have a Texas-based customer care team to answer your questions. Plus, there are no hidden fees and no surprises. You get planet-friendly renewable energy plans and great customer service. What’s not to love?

Help protect the planet and save money? It’s time to ditch that old energy provider like a bad boyfriend!

woman blowing kiss

Let’s Do It! Dump your provider. Make the switch to Rhythm

2. Change Your Driving Style

An electric car is a big way to reduce your carbon footprint, but buying a new car isn’t necessarily a practical change for all of us at this time. However, one thing you can do immediately to reduce gasoline use (and therefore reduce emissions) is to be more mindful of the way you drive.

Aggressive driving and speeding reduce your milage by around 33% and waste gas. (source) Driving the speed limit, using cruise control where possible, and gradually stopping or accelerating are all ways to achieve greater fuel economy.

3. Use Refillable Water Bottles

Incredibly, over 100 billion plastic water bottles are sold every year — about 315 bottles per person. (source) Not only do they take up space in landfills, but the production and transportation of plastic bottles requires a lot of energy.

A reusable water bottle not only saves money, but will significantly reduce your carbon footprint. Instead of spending hundreds of dollars a year on single use bottles, you can get a good quality reusable tumbler or flask for about $20. And you won’t be throwing away thousands of plastic bottles in your lifetime!

4. Turn Down the Heat

One of the biggest ways that a household consumes energy is through heating and cooling. But small changes add up to big savings AND a lower environmental impact!

In the winter, you can save about 3% on your heating bill for every single degree that you lower your thermostat! (source) In the summer, you’ll also see savings by increasing your indoor temperature!

By doing this, our family has seen a big difference in our energy bill from last year to this year. We’re talking hundreds of dollars! We all wear long sleeves and sleep with an extra blanket in the winter, so we stay cozy but use less energy. Plus, in times of extreme cold or heat, keeping your family’s thermostat at a reasonable temperature can help Texas preserve energy overall.

5. Eat Local

There are many steps to food production, and each step requires energy. From fertilizing and irrigation, to packaging and shipping — making food and getting it to the grocery store is a major energy user.

By getting produce from your local farmers market or meat from your local butcher, you can cut out some of those steps.

Our family takes it even further by growing some of our own herbs and veggies as well as raising our own egg-producing flock of hens.

fresh sweet potato harvested from garden

Related: Click here to learn about 15 foods you can grow at home from scraps.

My WHY…

It’s up to us to make sure that our planet stays healthy for our children and grandchildren. Our actions will determine what kind of world they live in when they grow up. As a kid, I played outside nearly every day and I dreamed of having a home in the country where I could be close to nature. I want my kids to have those same options too!

These are just a few simple ways that we can make a difference and help protect our Earth for future generations. Now imagine if everyone did the same, what a difference we could make!

You might also like:

little girl in snow in pink snowsuit; text overlay "When is it too cold to play outside?"

Why Kids Should Play Outside in All Weather

Stacey aka the Soccer Mom
Latest posts by Stacey aka the Soccer Mom (see all)

Share this post:

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *