Sustainability Starts at Home

While addressing the complex challenges of climate change will require massive systemic changes, there are contributions that individuals can make at home, right now, to positively impact the environment. These science-backed solutions can make individuals and families more resilient to climate risks while also reducing climate apathy and sparking change in their communities.  

Let’s start with our food choices. Up to one-quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions (GGEs) are generated by our food, agricultural processes and associated land use. Simple actions like reducing food waste and shifting to a plant-based diet, however, can significantly reduce our individual carbon contributions.  

Approximately 15% of GGEs are linked to raising livestock for meat and dairy. Adopting a single meatless day a week saves about 7,000 gallons of water and avoids 416 pounds of carbon emissions over the course of a year. Shifting to locally grown and seasonally appropriate food reduces emissions and pollution associated with transportation, saving fuel resources that are often globally sourced. Purchasing food from local farmers keeps that money in your local economy. Planting your own garden produces food right at home and has added benefits for personal health and environmental quality by supporting pollinating insects. Gardening also reestablishes your connection to the rhythms of nature and to your neighbors.

Food waste is another significant contributor to GGEs. More than 30% of food grown globally is never eaten and is the most common item in trash bound for landfills (24%) or incinerators (22%). When food is thrown away, the energy and chemical inputs required for growing, transporting and refrigerating that food are also wasted. Furthermore, when food ends up in landfills, anaerobic decomposition produces methane, a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.  

Keeping food out of landfills and incinerators should be a top priority. Don’t be afraid of the “ugly” fruits and vegetables, buy only what you will eat and use kitchen scraps to feed a flock of backyard chickens or for home composting. Composting avoids methane production and supports the microbial and invertebrate organisms that, in turn, produce rich organic matter for your garden.  

Enhancing the energy efficiency of our homes is another GGE-reducing solution we can implement. Use cold water in the washing machine and ensure that each load is full. When replacing appliances, water heaters and HVAC systems, choose electric and energy-efficient models. Use smart thermostats to optimize heating and cooling when the house is not occupied. Consider an electric vehicle the next time you purchase a car or solar panels when you replace the roof and consider the impact of your air travel — in the United States, air travel is the fastest growing sector of individual climate emissions. 

We have the solutions to reduce GGEs emissions and to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Now we need to implement them and scale them. Our political and economic systems are slow to change, so a first step can be to change our own behaviors. Doing so positively influences family and friends, clarifies where our personal priorities are and highlights where our systems fall short. This informs where we can focus our advocacy for systemic change at the local and national levels.