During Sustainable Development Week, the General Council of the Alpes-Maritimes publishes a genuine “manifesto”. Read it carefully for an application… without moderation!
Carbon offsetting involves financing an action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in exchange for an action that generates emissions, with the aim of ensuring carbon neutrality.
While offsetting raises public awareness, it only aims for emission stabilization, not reduction.
However, the real challenge is not to offset, but to reduce!
In the fight against climate change, carbon offsetting only makes sense after measuring emissions and implementing a plan to reduce them. Offsetting only comes last, for unavoidable emissions.
Prioritize Local Shops
Products from local stores have a lower carbon footprint than those from supermarkets.
Although the energy consumption per square meter of small shops is higher than that of supermarkets, the electricity used by buildings holds less weight in the carbon footprint of sold products than the fuel needed for the customer’s transport.
Supermarkets, being mostly located on city outskirts, emit, on average, an additional 60g CO2 equivalent per kg of product sold.
By purchasing 10 kg of goods weekly (or 520 kg/year) from local shops, we save 31 kg CO2 equivalent annually and help maintain social connections and urban and rural fabric.
Solar Thermal Panels on Your Roof
Installing solar thermal panels enables heating and the production of hot water.
This reduces our heating consumption by 65% and hot water usage by 60 to 100%.
Depending on the existing heating modes, solar thermal can save approximately:
Electricity: 1.1 tonnes CO2 equivalent per year and €1,700/ Natural gas: 3 tonnes CO2 equivalent per year and €900/ Fuel oil: 4 tonnes CO2 equivalent per year and €1,200.
Put a Lid on Boiling Water
When boiling water, remember to use a lid on your pot.
First, it will reach boiling faster. Also, you’ll reduce energy consumption by 75%: it takes 720 W to keep 1.5 L of water boiling without a lid. Over a year, this reduces your greenhouse gas emissions by – 2 kg CO2 equivalent if cooking with electricity, and – 5 kg CO2 equivalent if using natural gas.
Choose a Phone… That Calls
Why buy a Smartphone when it’s only used for… calling? An iPhone accounts for 45 kg CO2 equivalent emissions, with 26 kg from production. A standard mobile phone accounts for 13.5 kg CO2 equivalent emissions, with 11 kg from manufacturing.
By avoiding Smartphone production in favor of a standard phone, we save 15 kg CO2 equivalent emissions, or about 7.5 kg CO2 equivalent/year.
While some trendy brands already offer simplified, “low-tech” and intuitive phones, others specialize in recycled, “flashy” and designer phones. Find out more!
Biking for Short Distances
In cities, for distances under 6 km, the fastest transportation mode is… cycling.
Yet, in France, 50% of car trips are less than 3 km. Biking every other time for a daily 3 km journey saves us 250 kg CO2 equivalent/year.
Additionally, contrary to popular belief, we reduce our exposure to pollution (5.9 mg/m3 exposure to carbon monoxide on a bike versus 14.1 mg/m3 inside a car).
Pay Attention to “Energy” Labels
When buying new appliances, read their “Energy” labels carefully.
These labels indicate the product’s energy efficiency and help deduce the associated greenhouse gas emissions.
Refrigerators can range from G to A, A+, and A++, with consumptions ranging from 600 to 180 kWh/year.
Switching from a 200L D-class refrigerator (older model) to an A-class one saves 23 kg CO2 equivalent/year. Switching from A-class to A++ saves an additional 13 kg CO2 equivalent/year.
Try Carpooling
If car travel is necessary, why not try carpooling?
Increasingly popular, this practice is facilitated by numerous sites where you can find carpoolers.
On an average 11 km home-to-work route in France, carpooling with 2 others saves 850 kg CO2 equivalent/year.
Find the Right Bin: Sorting is Good, but Sorting Correctly is Better
In France, the national sorting refusal rate is 23%. A single non-recyclable item can “contaminate” a bin intended for recycling, leading to the entire bin being incinerated.
Correct sorting could raise recyclable material from 238 kg/year per person to around 300 kg, saving 35 kg CO2 equivalent per person annually.
The Conventional Bus That Saves a Ton
Whenever possible, favor public transportation: a trip by bus has a carbon footprint that’s three times less than by car.
For every 10 km, you save 2 kg CO2 equivalent.
Assuming this is your work commute (the average home-work distance in France is 11 km), taking the bus saves over a ton of kg CO2 equivalent annually.
Small Cold, Big Impact
Lowering the temperature by 2°C in winter reduces energy consumption by 7%.
For a house averaging about 22 MWh/year, a 2°C temperature drop (e.g., from 22 to 20° C) saves 3 MWh.
This is equivalent to 260 kg CO2 equivalent (and €380) for electric heating; 660 kg CO2 equivalent (and €200) for gas heating; 920 kg CO2 equivalent (and €280) for oil heating.
Prefer Cardboard
If quality remains unaffected, packaging of juice or soda impacts its “carbon weight.”
Take orange juice for instance. A French person consumes 12 liters per year. This consumption corresponds to:
5.3 kg CO2 equivalent if bought in 36 cans of 33 cl/ 1.5 kg CO2 equivalent if in 12 PET plastic bottles of one liter,/ 5 kg CO2 equivalent if the bottles are glass,/ 1 kg CO2 equivalent if choosing 12 one-liter TetraPak cartons, 4.3 kg CO2 equivalent less than cans.
What a Beautiful Floor!
When considering refurbishing your floor, factor in, besides aesthetic and comfort criteria, the emissions from the chosen material.
For a 20 m² room, greenhouse gas emissions associated with each flooring type are: PVC emits 360 kg CO2 equivalent, tiles 260 kg CO2 equivalent, linoleum 180 kg CO2 equivalent, engineered wood flooring and solid wood 130 kg CO2 equivalent, while laminated parquet is the most efficient at 110 kg CO2 equivalent.
By favoring the latter over PVC, you reduce your emissions by nearly 70%, or 250 kg CO2 equivalent.
Stay Calm Behind the Wheel
In driving, smooth driving reduces fuel consumption by up to 20%, saving around €1.50 and 3.5 kg CO2 equivalent per 100 km.
Considering we drive roughly 12,500 km annually, averaging 6.1 L/100 km (mixed route), smooth driving saves nearly 430 kg CO2 equivalent for petrol, 450 kg CO2 equivalent for diesel… and many hours of stress.
What a Steak-House
In France, we each consume an average of 21.2 kg of beef per year, equating to roughly 3 beef meals a week.
Yet, beef in one meal—especially—accounts for between 80 and 90% of the meal’s total Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
Our diet thus has a significant impact on emissions. By eating beef only once a week, savings are 378 kg CO2 equivalent per person annually, nearly one ton for an average French household (2.4 people).
Environmental Recharge
Overall, our annual carbon emissions related to using alkaline batteries are minimal (13 batteries per French person annually, or 21 g CO2 equivalent).
True, using an accumulator reduces GHG emissions by over 99% due to all possible recharges, emitting only 0.2 g CO2 equivalent/year.
But the environmental impact of batteries lies elsewhere: a mercury button cell pollutes 1 m3 of soil and 1,000 m3 of water for 50 years.
Limiting their environmental impact, recycling batteries (only 1/3 of which are recycled in France) is more effective than reducing usage.
Avoid Air Conditioning in Cars and Towns
In cars and cities, favor open windows over air conditioning. Emissions from air conditioning increase by 20% in city centers, whereas having windows open at low speeds doesn’t significantly increase consumption.
Using air conditioning 3 months per year results in increased diesel consumption by 20 liters, equating to 60 kg CO2 equivalent emissions annually.
The most effective way to reduce emissions related to waste treatment is… to limit them!
For unavoidable waste, sorting is necessary. If each French emits roughly 390 kg of waste annually, 90% is recyclable (61%) or biologically treatable (29%).
Yet, 30% of household waste goes to incineration. A large portion could be recycled / composted or reused / repaired.
By burning waste, we waste raw materials and energy used to extract and transform them into consumer goods. This is “embodied energy” of waste, regrettably going up in flames amid a global context of depleting natural resources.
By sorting and avoiding incineration, up to 170 kg CO2 equivalent annually can be saved (difference between “all recycled” and “all incinerated” for a French household).
Wash Clothes at 30 or 40° C and Fill the Drum
Washing clothes at 30 or 40° C uses 3 times less energy than at 90° C, saving 25 kg CO2 equivalent annually.
Additionally, if you used to fill your drum halfway, this savings will double by using it fully, reducing your electricity bill likewise.
Unplug Your Computer
Even turned off, a computer continues consuming electricity to power peripherals, manage network connectivity, and the internal clock.
To completely switch off your computer, two options are available: invest in a power strip with a turn-off switch or just unplug from the socket.
While not a huge source, savings amount to at least 500 g CO2 equivalent annually per computer.
Compost
Using organic waste for composting turns it into fertilizer, beneficial for plants and lightens our bins.
In France, the annual amount of organic waste per person is 115 kg. Associated greenhouse gas emissions are 32 kg CO2 equivalent if mixed with general waste, and 13 kg CO2 equivalent if composted, saving nearly 20 kg CO2 equivalent.
It’s not necessary to live in the countryside to compost. Some buildings offer collective composting systems. Individual composting systems are also available, for example, for balconies.
Choose Stairs Over Elevators
An elevator uses several thousand kWh for operation, equating to over a ton of CO2 equivalent annually.
It’s regrettable, as elevators run 24/7, incurring partly unnecessary consumption.
A study in Ohio showed that in office buildings, elevator consumption during off days/hours accounts for a third of total consumption…
To act, one certain lever remains: stairs.
Energy consumed by the elevator for users is estimated at 0.3 kWh/day per user. Annually, this represents 9 kg CO2 equivalent savings, if one has the physical ability.
Appreciate Wooden Furniture
Wood furniture generally emits low Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG). For example, with two identical desks, 1.80 m by 0.80 m, with the same legs but different tops, choosing a wood top saves 100 kg CO2 equivalent compared to a glass top. To ensure responsible forest management, we favor FSC or PEFC-labeled furniture.
Favor Your Mug Over Plastic Cups
The French drink plenty of coffee, especially at work. By using your own cup instead of machine plastic cups, and based on 4 coffees/day over 230 working days, an employee saves 65 kg CO2 equivalent.
Considering 1,500 cups of coffee are consumed every minute in France, potential savings are… real! Moreover, choosing a filter coffee maker over a capsule machine improves carbon footprint, since aluminum production for capsules is energy-intensive.
Favor Tap Water: -120 kg CO2 equivalent/year
Consuming equivalent tap water instead of bottled water saves about 120 kg CO2 equivalent per year.
Emissions related to water potabilization are minimal, unlike those from manufacturing plastic bottles, which have high carbon impacts, coupled with transportation to distribution points.
Note that chlorinated tap water lacks some necessary health minerals. Health-wise, alternating mineral water with tap water seems preferable.
Remember to Defrost the Freezer: -5 kg CO2 equivalent/year
If you store frozen goods, you likely have a freezer.
Be aware that 5mm of frost increases its consumption by 30%.
In a relatively environmentally friendly freezer (A+ class), this small frost layer results in at least 5kg CO2 equivalent annually, more for older or lower-class freezers.
Buy Local: -220 kg CO2 equivalent/year
Prioritizing local product purchases significantly reduces emissions related to transport. For example, a 20kg product transported by truck emits the equivalent of 1 kg CO2 equivalent for 500km, 1.4 kg CO2 equivalent for 3000km by train, 2 kg CO2 equivalent for 5000 km by boat, and ….220 kg CO2 equivalent for 5000 km by airplane.
Therefore, avoid perishable and out-of-season products, often flown in.
By buying locally, we also support the regional economy and encourage job creation in France and Europe.
