The carbon-heavy habits we all need to STOP

In June, Go Compare Energy created a carbon footprint calculator [1]
to measure the nation’s carbon emissions.

Now the results are in and they’re shocking:

* UK adults burn the equivalent of 11,000 pounds of coal a year EACH
* Men produce more CO2 than women
* UK households don’t recycle roughly 2/5 of their waste

1 in 4 people believe their actions have no impact on global warming –
to help we’ve come up with some easy lifestyle changes.

Was hoping you’d consider this maybe as online content?
Love to hear your thoughts,Miranda

Are you guilty of these carbon-heavy habits?

*

UK adults burn the equivalent of over 11,000 pounds of coal, per
year, EACH
*

Men produce 10% more CO2 than women
*

Two fifths (43%) of household materials are not recycled

Research from GoCompare Energy’s carbon footprint calculator [2]
found that the average UK adult emits 11.19 tonnes of carbon dioxide a
year*, the equivalent to burning over five tonnes of coal**

While one in four (24%) people believe their actions don’t have any
impact on global warming or climate change, the tool reveals
otherwise.

Below, GoCompare Energy highlights how much carbon dioxide certain
lifestyle choices are adding to the average person’s footprint, and
the changes they can make to reduce it.

Cut down on meat

The research revealed one in five (19%) people eat meat every single
day, producing 2.6 million grams of CO2 per person, per year – just
under a third of the total output from an average adult.

The data shows the average carbon footprint of those who eat meat
every day (13.91 tonnes) is much higher than those who live by a vegan
diet (9.92 tonnes).

It also revealed that women are much less likely (13%) to eat meat
every day than men (28%), and are more than twice as likely to be
vegan (28%) and vegetarian (15%) than men (11% and 7% respectively).

Recycle all materials

Recycling means less material needs to be produced from scratch, and
cuts down on the carbon dioxide emitted in the production process.

Two fifths (43%) of UK household materials which could be recycled
are thrown into landfill each year. Just one in five (19%) men and one
in four (28%) women admit to recycling all possible materials, with
textiles (35%) and metal (45%) least likely to be recycled.

The number rises for paper (70%), glass (70%), and plastic (67%),
with two-thirds of people recycling at least one type of material
regularly.

Ditch the latest phone model

Three quarters (76%) of UK adults buy a new smartphone each year.
While day to day phone usage doesn’t require much electricity, the
energy it takes to produce handsets is much higher. The majority (78%)
of the carbon footprint from a single mobile phone comes from the
manufacturing process, which means keeping up with the latest release
produces four times more carbon dioxide (around 56kg for a 32GB iPhone
7)*** than if you were to stay with your current model.

If you must keep up with the latest smartphone, recycling or selling
your current model, rather than adding it to a drawer of
long-forgotten knick-knacks means the energy used making it in the
first place will be put to better use.

Cut down on water waste

Less than one in ten (8%) of those who tested their carbon footprint
prided themselves on having low water usage, despite the fact that the
water industry is the fourth most energy intensive industry within
Britain****. Turning the tap off while brushing your teeth, replacing
your boiler, and using only enough water for the cups you want when
filling the kettle can make an impact.

Ben Wilson from GoCompare Energy said: “Cutting down your energy
usage can be a good way of trimming down your energy bills. By making
‘eco-friendly’ choices like using less water or switching off unused
lights and appliances you could make a really difference to the cost
of your energy.

“When choosing an energy supplier, take care to find one that offers
the tariff features you want – like paperless billing, online account
management and the like – at the best possible price. Once that’s
done, you can focus on these small daily changes that can help make a
difference to how much you’re paying.”

To test your own carbon footprint, head to
www.gocompare.com/gas-and-electricity/carbon-footprint/ [3]