How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

​Why Carbon Footprint?

Thinking about carbon footprints is a simple way of thinking about ways and means of reducing environmental pollution. By reducing one’s carbon footprint each one of us can contribute to making the earth a safer, better place to live in.

Of more immediate concern to skeptics may be the global negotiations in Copenhagen aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in industrialized countries. It is likely that the billions of dollars that will be needed to enforce these cuts may have a debilitating effect on the economy or cause many more manufacturing jobs to migrate to less developed nations. It, therefore, makes sense to invest in technologies that would reduce the carbon footprint allowing developed countries to continue to grow without a commensurate increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

Reducing the Carbon Footprint – Follow the Three Rs.

Fortunately, there are actions we can take to reduce our carbon footprint. We can fly less often. Use electric cars. Drive more fuel-efficient cars. Ride a bike whenever possible. Go paperless with digital visitor registration. Use Energy Star-rated products. Replace old appliances. And convert old light bulbs to LED.

Remember the three R’s – “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle”.

Carbon Footprint and Electricity

Estimates suggest that almost half of our carbon footprint profile comes from the use of electricity. And 17% is associated directly with our use of lighting. Our dependency on electricity in our daily lives is undeniable.  Electricity is generated by nuclear, natural gas, and coal. It can also be produced by renewable generation, such as solar, wind, geothermal, and hydro generation. The carbon footprint of a typical household or human is directly correlated with the amount of electricity used and its generation source. The table below shows the CO2 grams equivalent produced when 1 KW/H of electricity is produced from different generation sources.

• Coal: 955 grams of CO₂ per 1 kW generated


• Oil: 893 grams of CO₂ per 1 kW generated


• Natural Gas: 650 grams of CO₂ per 1 kW generated


• Nuclear Energy: 60 grams of CO₂ per 1 kW generated


• Hydro Electricity: 15 grams of CO₂ per 1 kW generated


• Solar Energy: 40 grams of CO₂ per 1 kW generated

According to the United States Energy Information Administration, here’s the breakdown of how we produce electricity in the United States:

• Fossil Fuels (Total): 60.8%


• Nuclear: 18.9%


• Renewables (Total): 20.1%

Save Electricity – and – Reduce Carbon Emissions

For every 1 kWh of electricity produced, it is calculated that 830 gm of carbon equivalents are released into the atmosphere. Therefore, it follows that if we reduce our consumption of electricity, we will then reduce our carbon emissions.

How can we save money on our electric bills? Replacing old, outdated appliances, using motion sensors on lights, and adding timers and photocells to lights so they are only running at night – all reduce energy consumption.

Reduced Energy Consumption = Reduced Carbon Footprint = Money Savings for you

Replacing Metal Halide with LED

LED lights use 50% -75% less energy than metal halide bulbs designed to replace. On top of that, lifespans for LED bulbs are 3-5X longer than Metal Halide without any costly recycling fees at the end of life.

• Power Consumption (Watts): Metal Halide: 455 Watts (400 W + Ballast Factor) – LED: 105 Watts


• KWh (Units of Electricity Used Each Hour): Metal Halide: 0.455 – LED: 0.105


• Hours of Operation Per Day: 12


• Carbon Emissions (Tons) Per Year/Lamp: Metal Halide: 1.4 – LED: 0.323


• Reduction in Carbon Footprint (Tons) Per Lamp: LED: 1.077

How can a business dramatically cut its carbon footprint? Convert to LED. Think about that, converting 400 Watt Metal Halide over to LED reduces carbon emission by over a ton per year. And that’s per light. A large facility will see that multiply for every light in the facility.

Now let’s put it into economic terms. That same 400 Watt Metal Halide to LED Conversion is a 75% reduction in your electricity bill. Now, do we have your attention?