Going Green with Mary Odermatt

What is a carbon footprint and what can we do to reduce it?

These days there is a growing concern for our climate and global warming. A term that keeps popping up is “carbon footprint” so what does it actually mean? A carbon footprint is the measure of the effect our activities have on the environment and climate change, in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced by the fossil fuels that are burned daily for everyday life.  A carbon footprint is measured in units of carbon dioxide.

A person’s carbon footprint is both direct and indirect. The largest direct emissions are things like: transportation and electricity. Secondary emissions refer to your indirect impact on the environment; the amount of CO2 emissions used to farm the food you eat or to manufacture the clothes you wear.

The average carbon footprint worldwide is 4 tons (of CO2) per person per year. Obviously the average differs from country to country, and can even differ from one area to the other (think Tulum versus Playa del Carmen).  The average person in Mexico emits 4.24 tons per year; compare that to Canada at 20 tons per person per year! According to scientists each person’s carbon footprint should be be reduced to 2 tons per person per year.

What are some things we can do to reduce our impact on the environment?

Well, here are a couple of things you can do right away: reduce the amount of electricity you consume by using energy saving light bulbs, use the air-conditioner less, hang your clothes out to dry instead of using the dryer, be conscience of your water consumption, recycle as many old items as possible, ride your bike, walk or use public transportation.

Another way to reduce your carbon footprint, which is actually being called a way to “offset” your carbon footprint, is to plant trees. Trees are like machines that act as filters or like the lungs of our planet, they absorb CO2 and release O2, so the more trees we plant the more CO2 will be absorbed.

I have given some thought to my own lifestyle here in Playa del Carmen and realize that I have a much smaller carbon footprint here than I did in my previous home of Vancouver. I ride my bicycle or walk throughout Playa del Carmen and Playacar, for longer distances of course, I take the bus.  In addition, we use energy efficient light bulbs, and try to use our A/C sparingly (sometimes that’s really hard!!). We have been growing plants and trees on our balcony and have given some away to friends who have garden space. Our neighbor in the apartment building where we live has created a common garden area and we have been adding some plants there too, including a mango and an avocado tree! It is very satisfying to watch these trees grow from a small seed. It is also fairly easy to grow most things here thanks to the climate; even someone with a thumb as black as mine has been able to sprout mango trees.

One of the other things I have recently trained myself to do is to bring my own bag when grocery shopping. I have a plain shoulder bag that works great, even the bag boys at our local grocery store, Dac, are slowly getting used to me declining the plastic bags.

Alternative energy is another excellent natural way to reduce your direct impact on the environment; the sun and wind are natural and constant resources.

If we all do our part to be more conscious of our activities and how they affect the environment we can make a positive impact on changing the environment.

So imagine what you can do with your own jungle retreat in the eco-friendly development “Rancho Mayab Xpu-Ha” near Puerto Aventuras in the Riviera Maya. Plant trees in a climate where plants and trees grow easily. Use solar and wind energy in a place where the sun almost always shines and the sea breeze is constant. Last but not least, seriously reduce and offset your carbon footprint!

“It doesn’t take the earth to save the planet.”

Please stay tuned for more articles on “Going Green”! Click here for July's article.

Mary

Rancho Mayab

www.ranchomayab.com

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