Erasing your carbon footprint, from baby steps to leaps and bounds

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Millions around the world participated in the Global Climate Strike this past September, trying to make their voices heard as they called for action.

A reported 7.6 million people took to the streets, the biggest climate mobilization in history. From small villages to big cities, people spoke, walked, joined hands and used their voices in defense of the climate and an end to reliance on fossil fuels.

Many of those who participated in South Lake Tahoe left with either a new mission to affect change on a big scale or a quest to figure out what they could do in their own lives, how to be more responsible in their actions.

South Tahoe Now will be taking a look into how people can make changes in their lives, households, and community to help secure a better future and take action to address the climate crisis.

Many locals who left the Climate March in South Lake Tahoe felt overwhelmed on how they can reduce their carbon footprint and sought a "how-to" guide as they navigated unfamiliar territory.

We will be looking at going solar, creating a more efficient kitchen, starting groups or clubs to both review and address climate problems, habits, education, recycling, and other things we can do, both large and small, to help future generations and our planet.

What happens next is up to us. No matter where you live, there’s a way to take action, that first step. Even for those not sold on the fact there is climate change, these steps are easy to take to reduce your carbon footprint and effect on the earth.

The first entry in our guide is the low-bearing fruit, the easier step and one that many may already be tackling: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Reducing is cutting back on the amount of trash we make, reusing is finding a new way to use trash so that we don't have to throw it out, and recycling is using trash to remake new goods that can be sold again.

Reduce
The word itself says it but it is also the single biggest step in the 3Rs. Each American goes creates about 4.5 pounds of trash every day. It's the banana peels, frayed toothbrushes, busted electronics, plastic wrappers, pizza boxes, to-go coffee cups...and it adds up quickly. That can add up to 258.5 million tons of stuff tossed a year in the US alone.

Reduce what is used from energy-efficient lightbulbs to buying/using less and creating less waste. Reducing is the best method for keeping our earth clean because it stops the problem at the source. By making less waste in the first place, there's less in the landfills on earth.

When packing lunch or meals for the day, eliminate the plastic snack and zip-lock bags and use a lunch bag/box instead of a disposable bag. Use reusable containers instead of disposable ones.

Turn off lights when you're not using them. Make sure faucets are not dripping water. Take an evaluation around the home and office on what can be done to reduce waste.

Carry reusable water bottles and coffee mugs in the car or keep at your desk. Get stainless steel or other reusable straws for your smoothies and iced coffee.

In the kitchen:
- Use washable towels and cloth napkins instead of using paper towels and napkins.
- Ditch the plastic wrap, small plastic bags, and aluminum foil when possible - instead, opt for reusable food containers, washable fabric pouches (great for dry nibbles like popcorn and nuts), and reusable food wraps.
- Drink tap water instead of bottled - Tahoe Tap is best. If you love fizzy water, invest in a seltzer maker with reusable bottles.
- Avoid dishwasher tablets or other products, like sponges, that come individually wrapped.

When compared to landfilling, recycling is a clear environmental winner but waste prevention is even better. Start by cutting down on what is used in the first place. Reduce should always be the top priority.

Reuse
Shop at thrift stores, garage sales or utilize the social media version of a "for sale" ad. Reusing is taking old items that you might consider throwing away and finding a new use for them. Reusing helps in situations where it isn't possible to reduce.

Donate clothes that no longer fit you to a consignment store or a charity so that your clothes will find a home. Donated unwanted toys (but clean and usable) to thrift stores or friends who could use them. Cut up clothes that cannot be worn again as cleaning rags for the garage, car or home.

If you found that plastic grocery bag, continue its life as a trash bag or use it to pick up after your dog on that walk.

South Lake Tahoe has already eliminated single-use bags at the grocery store so shoppers are getting accustomed to bringing their own reusable bags. Take your own bags into retail stores as well, or just carry out purchases. Once home with items, many throw away the plastic bags anyway, right?

Recycle
In South Lake Tahoe the refuse company gives away blue bags for households to separate the recyclables for weekly pickups. When South Tahoe Refuse (STR) the blue bags the people sorting on the line at the Material Recovery Facility slow down the conveyor belt and pay more attention to what is in the bags. People took the time to recycle so it is gone through and sent to the appropriate location for further reduction.

A big culprit in filling trash cans with items that cannot be recycled is unused food and food containers. STR recommends using the disposal in sinks to take the food and send it through the pipes. Items on the line that are contaminated by food cannot be recycled.

Better yet, start looking at buying habits and don't end up with unused leftovers or start composting/making homemade mulch which takes food waste to help the garden.

When disposing of containers that once held food, wipe (so you don't waste water) or wash them out before putting in the recycling bag or garbage can (if not recyclable). The idea of cleaning out a used mayonnaise jar may not be the most glamorous task, but it works for the environment. Or, better yet, save the containers for other purposes.

We can add a few "R" words here as well: reclaimed and remade. Many things we use every day can have a future life in another form...but cannot happen unless recycled to begin with.

What can go in the recycling:
Paper (Office, glossy and colored paper, envelopes, cardstock, newspaper, magazines and telephone books)
Cardboard (Corrugated cardboard, cereal and other food boxes, etc. All cardboard should be broken down)
Plastic (If you had to buy it, look at the number on the bottom of the container - #1 through #7 go into blue bags. Try to break up with your plastic.)
Plastic bags and wrap (Try not to have it in the first place, but grocery bags, wrap, etc.)
Rigid plastic (Toys/chairs and items that can fit into the Blue Bag and free of metal)
Aluminum (Beverage cans, etc.)
Tin (Rinse pet food cans and remove labels)
Glass - Jars, bottles, etc. (clean with no lids), No sheet or window glass

Styrofoam (Packing foam, foam cups, foam plates, egg carts, etc.) is not accepted at the South Lake Tahoe recycling facility so try not to use it in the first place.

STR also recycles paint, fluorescent bulbs, batteries, thermometers, pesticides, used motor oil and antifreeze at their Ruth Avenue Hazardous Waste Facility. They also have a buy-back program where people can turn in aluminum, glass or plastics marked with a CA Redemption Value (CRV), CA Cash Value and CA Cash Refund.

Besides what is listed above, here are other ways to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle from Conserve Energy Future:

1. Avoid the use of disposable goods such as lighters, paper cups and plastics. Throwing these objects contribute to greater problems and they have to be replaced over and over again. Once these goods are disposed off in the landfills, there is the probability that they may form breeding sites for diseases. Besides, once these materials are used there is need to replace them each time which is very expensive and costly.
2. Purchase products made from recycled materials. A product that has the recycled symbol means that either it has been made from recycled material or it can be recycled. This is common in plastics that have this recycling symbol usually with a numbered code which shows the type of plastic resin that this container really is made of. Recycled timber can be used for functions such as making furniture.
Use cloth bags when buying groceries or reuse grocery bags. Only take a bag from the grocery store if you need it.
3. Adopt the use of recycled paper for copier paper, letterhead and newsletters. With recycled paper there is reduced waste, they are cheaper, and are even with high quality.
4. Ensure you buy products in bulk. Purchasing products in large quantities or economy-sized ones usually use less packaging and even cost less per amount. Once a person purchases goods in bulk it will take long before they buy new ones. Besides, lee packaging will be used as it is only packaged once.
5. Avoid those goods that are over-packaged. There are some goods that are packed with so much material such as plastic, foil and paper. While these materials may be best for their use one has to pay more for these packages which is so expensive.
6. Encourage people to buy products that are made from material which is collected particularly for recycling from the community. If the community has decided to recycle some objects so that they can be reused by people, it is right that people are informed about these products to increase their awareness about these products and use them more.
7. Learn to reuse products in different ways. For example, plastic microwave dinner trays can be used as picnic dishes. Similarly, coffee cans can be used to pack lunch. When an object can be used for one function or purpose, it can similarly be used to perform other functions. This helps save on the costs of purchasing another material to perform other functions.
8. Products can be reused for the same purpose. Broken furniture, appliances and toys can be repaired. We can also save on plastic bags and paper. A person can carry their own water bottle or even reuse water bottles.
9. Instead of using paper napkins cloth napkins can be used. Additionally, people can use refillable form of products such as the cleaning products, body sprays and even foodstuffs like juices.
10. Use electronic mail instead of using papers and envelopes. When conveying some information to someone at work or out of the office papers may be used especially when writing the notes manually. So much paper is used, instead of such wastage electronic mails may be used which does not involve any wastage or something that may destroy the environment.
11. Instead of using several files for various individuals adopt central files. When making files for each individual a lot of paper is involved unlike when a central file is used. Here all the information in regards to the individuals is located at one central place and thus not so much paper is used.
12. In the workplace, instead of making one-sided copies, one can use two-sided copies. If one-sided copies are made there will be more use of the papers which is a wastage of resources when one-sided copies can be used which are less.
13. Goods that are durable should be preferred. Durable goods with warranties tend to last long thus a person saves money in the long run and also saves landfill space. It takes very long for well-built products to be broken thus there is reduced disposal of the items.
14. The plastic soda bottle once used can be reused to make disposable funnels from the half of the bottle. The bottom half can be used as plant greenhouse and similarly a scoop from the bottom half can be made.
15. Old newspapers can be reused in a number of ways. Firstly, they can be used as wrap packages in food stores. Secondly, it can be used in shoes that are large to make them tight. Thirdly, old newspapers can be used to protect wet clothing and even muddy car seats. Old newspapers can also be used to firstly dry and then polish windows after washing. They can also be used to start fires.
16. At the workplace, one should speak with the managers and ask them to purchase products that can help cut down on waste like products that are not over-packaged or even recycled products. Recycle products are cheaper as compared to the ones that are not even though the quality is still high. When products are over-packaged, their costs reflect in the final cost of the product. The customer, therefore, is the only one who bears this cost.
17. Recycle the small used materials. Small patches of used soaps can be collected and reused for other activities so that they are not thrown away.