Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

The Summer season gives many homeowners excellent opportunities to reduce their carbon footprint, an increasingly pressing issue in American households, where energy consumption has reached new heights.

According to Abcnews.com, "On average, every American is responsible for about 22 tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year, according to statistics compiled by the United Nations. That is far above the world average of 6 tons per capita. Thus, experts say there's lots of ways to reduce your carbon footprint inexpensively by taking some simple steps at home."

But how do I know what my contribution to the problem is? The Nature Conservancy, the leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people, has an online calculator that can be very helpful.

And to help ease the strain on the environment, consider picking up a these seven simple "go green" habits.

1. Turn up the AC. Even a few degrees can make a big difference in the amount of energy used. If your house is empty all day, then turn the temp up even more until you get back home.

2. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Summertime is famous for backyard barbecues. Reduce your footprint by using reusable plates and cups!

3. Buy local food. When you buy local, you are drastically reducing the amount of emissions put into the environment to ship your food to your local store.

4. Keep tires inflated. This is a simple tip that increases your gas mileage, which means you use fewer fossil fuels in the long-run.

5. Late Sprinkler. Water the lawn during the early morning or late evening, before the heat of the day evaporates the water before it can quench the plant's thirst.

6. Eco-friendly products. There are a wide range of household cleaners available in eco-friendly versions.

7. Window Caulking. Improperly sealed windows can leak out cold air. Be sure to fix caulking to keep your air conditioning from working double-time.

Even small changes can make an impact on the environment. Good luck on reducing your carbon footprint!