If you've made the decision to help promote a cleaner, greener footprint by reducing your carbon footprint, chances are you might be wondering exactly how to be eco-friendly and which steps you can take to get started. Here are three different things that you can do to personally reduce greenhouse gas emissions here in Canada.
Use Less Energy at Home
The first step to take when figuring out how to reduce your carbon footprint is as simple as the flick of a switch –literally. It may sound like something you would teach a child, but simply turning off the lights in a room when they aren't needed is very important. In addition to that, try unplugging your electronics when they aren't in use. Believe it or not, some experts suggest that unplugging unused TVs, printers, phone chargers and other electronics when they aren't in use can save up to 10% or more on your monthly utility bill. That also translates to a reduction in greenhouse emissions.
In the market for new home appliances? Be sure to select models with superior energy efficiency. The technology behind many appliances, such as refrigerators has allowed for incredible improvements in efficiency. Thanks to green technologies, a refrigerator made today is 40% more efficient than one made only ten years ago.
Eat for Efficiency
You may have heard all about the growing movement toward eating more locally grown or raised food. This is a great way to preserve the livelihoods of local farmers and to enjoy fresher, tastier foods. But did you know that eating locally helps to reduce your carbon footprint?
It's estimated that on average, food travels between 2,400 km to 3,200 km from its point of origin to the consumer. This distance results in an incredibly large footprint. However, if you choose to eat locally from farmers' markets or by joining a CSA (community supported agriculture) system you can help reduce the need for shipping and extraneous packaging.
Ride a Scooteretti Scooter Electric or Bike!
Making a change in your mode of transit is an excellent way to do your part in the reduction of greenhouse gas. When you switch from driving a car to an electric scooter or bike you can save money on insurance, licensing and best of all, you'll be able to reduce your carbon footprint in a significant (and stylish) way.
Electric bikes and scooter are now accepted on most roads in Ontario. They can be ridden at a maximum speed of 32 kilometers per hour, following Transit Canada's regulations for ebikes.
Scooteretti ebikes and scooters are durable, sleek and fun to ride. They're the perfect mode of eco-friendly transportation, whether you live in the heart of the city or in the suburbs.
It started when former closer Brian Wilson mentioned that he liked scooters to team chef Joe Day, who happened to build them as a hobby. Before long, Wilson, Tim Lincecum, Hunter Pence, Sergio Romo, and Brandon Belt were cruising to the ballpark from their nearby downtown homes on their own heavily modified two-wheel electric rides.
The project really kicked into gear after the 2010 World Series. With some free time on his hands during the offseason, Day started pushing his scooter-making skills to the next level at a shop called Rustworks in San Carlos.
A chef by trade, Day, 28, works well with his hands and can offer about as many modifications to his custom scooters as he does ingredients in his cuisine.
"He's just a solid asset to an organization that is caring and affectionate to everybody," Romo said of Day.
Romo's scooter has a custom orange paint job, a turbo button, three-inch speakers that are mounted to a custom plate featuring his number, 54; an iPod dock to crank out the tunes and his name is painted on the baseboard.
"Mine is up there, but I think Timmy's might take the cake a little bit," Romo said.
Lincecum's scooter has all the features of Romo's ride and a special carbon fiber trim.
During Giants telecasts you'll often see shots of Pence cruising around town on his 2 wheel electric scooter. While he gets most of the airtime, his ride is a bit less flashy.
"There are some other guys with some very expensive scooters compared to mine," Pence said. "I have a very low-cost scooter."
Mindful that former Warriors guard Monta Ellis severely injured his left ankle on a moped shortly after signing a six-year, $66 million contract, all of the scooters made by Chef Day include extra large brakes, as well as engines that don't go any faster than 25 mph for added safety. There hasn't been an incident with any of the Giants players.
Day made two scooters for Pence, two more for Belt, and is currently making two for Madison Bumgarner, who is soon to join the scooter-riding ranks. Having a second scooter is key because these guys don't just hum down the Embarcadero to the ballpark, they also take joy rides alongside their significant others. Day says the average cost of the modified scooters is $2,000.
"I found out from Pence, Lincecum and Romo because they all had one," Belt said. "I talked to them about it and they said that they had a blast on them. I thought it might be something cool, since I live in the city this year, that me and my wife could have and drive around on."
Belt's scooter features a larger motor -- because he says he is a "bigger dude" -- with special shocks. While his scooter is orange, his wife Haylee's scooter is powder blue.
Chef Day did some special paintwork on Belt's scooter and they added some decals with his nickname 'baby giraffe' and jersey number for a personalized touch.
Day, a graduate of the California Culinary Academy, has been the team chef for the Giants since 2009. Every day he does his own grocery shopping, meal planning, and cooks up to three meals for about 50 people -- including Giants players, coaches, and clubhouse staff members.
"Every day he has grass-fed beef and kale salad for me ready to go for lunch," Pence said. "He's awesome."
Day is able to find time to work on his side projects when the team is on the road or during the baseball offseason.
His fine cuisine and scooters are currently only available to people inside the Giants organization, but he is willing to branch out. Day recently started a Twitter account: @RocketPed. He says he will make his scooters available to everybody if the interest level is there.
As an adult, an electric scooter for adults might not appeal to you at first glance, mainly because you associate scooters with a time in your life when you were carefree and life was a big adventure that was playful and fun all the time. However, you should note that a scooter calibrated for an adult may very well be the best thing since sliced bread for you, especially if you are working in a big city that is always teeming with traffic and heavily crowded places. The following are some of the benefits that should convince you to buy an adult electric scooter :
Convenience in making your daily commute
One of the biggest advantages that the electric scooter is going to give you is the advantage of arriving at your work place in style, without being sweaty or angry, as most of your work colleagues are probably going to be. Cycling to work is bound to make you sweaty and all heated up, and this might mess up your productivity, especially in the morning. If you decide to drive to work, you will have to deal with the prospect of getting embroiled in a nasty morning traffic jam. You will probably come out of the traffic jam very angry and frustrated; a mood that does not bode well for those who are most productive in the morning.
The chance to be eco friendly
By using an electric scooter instead of any other fuel driven machine, you will be able to get the convenience of using a machine to ease your work while not contributing to the pollution of the atmosphere. In other words, you will be getting what you wanted while reducing your carbon footprint, thus effectively killing two birds with one stone.
Cost effectiveness
The fact that this electric scooter does not use fuel means that you will be able to cut back on a lot of money that would have gone towards buying fuel for driving your car or for bus fare if you decide to use public transport. This is money that can then be funneled into other purposes. Guess what? This electric scooter for adults is available on wheelster.com, the most reputable online shop to get cheap electric unicycles.
