Reduce your carbon footprint

Everyone’s heard of the so-called ‘carbon footprint’. But what exactly does it mean? Basically, it’s the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions caused by a person, organization/business, or event.

The drastic increase in the emission of CO2 (carbon dioxide) is the main cause of global warming, also known as man-made climate change. There are certain things you can do to lower your carbon footprint. By doing so, you’re helping the planet more than you may think.

Before I go through the ways you can reduce your greenhouse gas emissions, it’s essential to understand that CO2 is a consequence of burning carbon-based fuels such as gasoline/petrol, diesel, kerosene, coal, oil, and gas.

Even in centrally governed states such as Belarus in eastern Europe, the need for producing fewer greenhouse gasses and working in a more responsible way are now implemented in most of the country’s industries despite the fact that the country is so steeped in traditions and change is so hard to achieve.

The goal is to reduce the use of devices that are powered by carbon-based fuels. I know it sounds daunting but as they say, starting is half the battle. Here are 5 tips that will help you get started:

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Green Degree

While taking care of the earth and working towards a cleaner, greener future for all would ideally be the goal of every college student, it goes without saying that many students do not have the environment in mind at all when worrying over all the other details of university life, from scholarship applications to course schedules, social engagements to dorm life. However, for those students who seek to be more environmentally aware, here are a few ways to accomplish earth-focused goals.
Online Options

Increasingly more popular due to the demands of the general student population, online university credit courses are definitely one option for going green while gaining a degree. The beauty in choosing online class options whenever possible is that the carbon footprint of your academic career doesn’t have to be dependent upon your major.

Every online university course should help students cut back on commuting times since they won’t need to be driving to classes, and this reduction in fuel emissions is the common result of all online courses. In this way, online electrical engineering courses can be just as green as online biology classes.

Consecutive Classes

When online classes aren’t a reasonable possibility, students can still choose to make their class schedule as green as possible by choosing to fill their course schedules with consecutive classes. Alternatively, students could also commit themselves to only driving to and from campus once a day.

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GMO Foods: What’s the Controversy?

Genetically modified (GMO) foods have been in the headlines a lot lately. These foods have a gene inserted into them to help develop a certain characteristic, usually in relation to disease resistance or pests. Despite all the articles about these foods, it is hard to know what exactly the controversy is. What it all boils down to is one question: are GMO foods safe?

  • The Issues

People who oppose GMO foods claim that they are not safe. One potential concern is that the food themselves are toxic and will harm humans. Another concern is allergies. Will a gene from a peanut inserted into another plant cause a reaction in someone allergic to peanuts?

Are the genetic changes going to result in other species dying out? There are few studies about this issue, and many of them are inconclusive.

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