If the extended cold weather we have had recently has told us anything it could be that climate change is as real as the snow that has cut off so many people from the rest of society in recent weeks. This winter has been the longest on record for over 50 years and has left a lot of people thinking that perhaps we need to take notice and start doing whatever we can to protect our environment.

One of the most effective ways to safeguard our children’s future on this planet is to reduce our current carbon footprint and reduce the amount as harmful emissions that are entering into the atmosphere. Sadly we are not able to reverse the effects that have already occurred but if we act quick enough then we may be able to make a positive change. So here are three great ways to reduce your carbon footprint.

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Behold Biomass –

Most houses these days will either be heated by gas, oil, LPG or electricity and although these are all viable methods of heating your home; they release large, dangerous amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. Even electricity, which you may think has limited emissions, is twice as bad as oil and three times worse than gas due to the amount of waste energy that is generated by power stations.

Biomass is a different kind of boiler system which could increase the efficiency of your heating and drastically reduce its emissions. Biomass boilers are fuelled by plant waste products such as wood pellets and they burn these to create heat. They will then only release the same amount of carbon that the tree absorbed during its life and so no extra carbon is created and a balance remains.

Cut Out The Car –

In 2010 the number of cars on the world’s road hit 1 billion and is predicted to reach a whopping 1.7 billion by 2035. The most alarming thing about this statistic is that the figure jumped from just 980 million in 2009 meaning that the number is growing exponentially and quickly.

With this in mind perhaps you should have a long hard think about whether you need you own vehicle or not. It may seem like a drastic decision to cut out your car but it could save you plenty of money in the long run and help the environment in the process.

There are plenty of alternatives to owning your own car such as public transport, car hire or car sharing schemes, so however much use you get from your vehicle there are options. Car hire is a great way to have the use of a car whenever you need it but without paying out for everything throughout the year such as tax, insurance, maintenance and fuel. By using car hire services just when you need to; your carbon footprint will be massively reduced.

Put Paid To Packaging –

This may seem like a smaller change than the other two but it can still have a big impact on your carbon footprint. Supermarkets are attempting to become more responsible when it comes to packaging their products but some are doing more than others. When you are out shopping try and look for the produce that has the least amount of packaging and then always recycle any packaging you can. Plastic is more recyclable than paper but cloth textiles are even better still.

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Chris Mayhew is conscious about environmental issues and does whatever he can to reduce his carbon footprint. He is working for Collison Vehicle Rental who provide a car hire service perfect for anyone thinking of getting rid of their vehicle.