Going Carbon Neutral

Greenhouse gases, global warming and climate change have become terms used in many households worldwide. We hear about them from the media, teachers, scientists, and politicians. We now know that human civilization has impacted this planet for millennia and our actions, especially over the last two centuries, have made significant changes to the environment. Natural cycles have been altered and levels of greenhouse gases are abruptly increasing. Although humans have impacted the planet in some negative ways, it makes sense that by changing how we use resources, we can impact the environment in a positive way. There is hope!

Graph showing carbon emissions by region. How is your region
contributing to carbon emissions?
Created by Robert Rohde for Global Warming Art

North America has made a large contribtution to the increased carbon dioxide levels the world is experiencing, and now we must make a contribution to correcting the problem. One way in which companies and individuals can take an active role in reducing their impact on the planet is to become “carbon neutral.” This involves taking responsibility for the carbon emissions that we each create by reducing them as much as possible, and then buying “carbon credits” for those emissions we are unable to eliminate. Going carbon neutral may seem like an overwhelming task, it does take a lot of effort, but by taking action now, we can make a huge difference for the future.

Canadian and personal sources of greenhouse gases. Courtesy of, and created by the Canadian Centre for Pollution Prevention from data from the Pembina Institute.

How to do it

The first step in taking action is reducing your emissions where you can. Although it is hard to stop all fossil fuel emissions completely, you can do a lot to reduce your emissions. Canadians produce large amounts of greenhouse gases in transportation and in the home, so starting to reduce in these areas can make a major differences.

Transportation is a major source of greenhouse gases. Driving less, biking and taking public transit are all ways to reduce your carbon emissions. Hybrid vehicles that use less fossil fuel also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Power production and electricity use in the home is another major source of greenhouse gas emissions so simple actions such as turning off lights when out of the room, and buying energy efficient appliances can reduce your energy consumption. Even lowering the thermostat a degree or two in your home and putting on an extra sweater during cooler weather can help reduce your emissions. Many people are also using solar panels and small wind turbines to generate renewable electricity for their homes that is fossil fuel emission free. Every reduction you can make will help reduce the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere [1].

Middengrunden wind farm outside Copenhagen, Denmark

Second, once you have reduced your emissions as much as possible, you can become responsible for your remaining emissions and compensate for them. This involves calculating the remaining greenhouse gas emissions you create each day. Once you know what your total emissions are you can purchase carbon credits. These credits put money into reducing emissions, or removing carbon from the atmosphere in other ways. This can include developing alternative power sources such as wind and solar, methods to capture methane to prevent it from reaching the atmosphere, and technologies to remove existing greenhouse gases. For all the emissions you contribute to the atmosphere, the carbon credits work at taking them out in another form [1].

Taking the lead

In Canada, becoming carbon neutral is presently a voluntary act that may become obligatory in the future, although many citizens, organizations, government agencies and businesses are already taking the lead. Sporting events such as the Olympics, the World Cup Soccer and many National Hockey League (NHL) teams are wroking at become carbon neutral. Airlines around the world are developing strategies to offset their carbon emissions. Even the Rolling Stones are taking important steps to make their concert tours carbon neutral. Everyone can do it, if the time and effort are put into making it work [1].

As an individual, there are several different ways you can become carbon neutral. As consumers, we make powerful choices every time we spend money. Choosing groceries at supermarkets committed to being carbon neutral and purchasing local products that do not require transportation from distant sources are just two ways that our purchasing power can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Special events such as weddings and family vacations can also be carbon neutral by purchasing extra credits to match the emissions associated with the events. Many people are also working at making their homes, workplaces or schools carbon neutral. You can choose to do one or all of these in order to reduce emissions. Each step we take at reducing out emissions is one more step towards protecting the earth's ecosystems, and the important thing is that we all become active in our own lives and aware of how we affect the environment around us.

To find out more about becoming carbon neutral visit the David Suzuki Foundation at www.davidsuzuki.org.

1. What you can do: Go carbon neutral . 2007, David Suzuki Foundation.

Carbon Neutral lesson plan