We've heard for decades that we need to reduce our carbon footprint. The media, the government, and peers all talk about climate change, but how can we help?

We've put together five easy tricks to help you reduce your carbon footprint. Let's dive in!

How big is your carbon footprint?

First, let's see what our carbon footprint looks like. Here's an easy guide that helps you with that calculation.

1. Meatless Mondays

Meat consumption is a significant contributor to climate change. Research published in Nature Food reported that 1 kg of beef creates 70 kilograms of greenhouse gas emissions. Livestock also takes up valuable land for grazing and fresh water for crop production. Don't forget that livestock produces large quantities of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Meatless Mondays are the first step to reducing your meat consumption. Follow @meatlessmonday on Instagram for more information.

Need help creating a dish? Don't worry; you can explore many delicious meatless recipes through Ready Set Eat's website. Why not try a plant-based burger which uses approximately 90% less water, land, and emissions than beef burgers? Now, that's food for thought!

2. Park the Car!

Park the car and take a bike, public transportation, or even walk to your destination. Driving fewer cars benefit the environment and improves your health by staying active. In addition, hiking, biking, or taking public transit is more affordable than driving your car and reduces the number of emissions released into the atmosphere. If you need to drive a car, consider carpooling, car share programs, and plan your route to save fuel.

3. Buy Local

Make it a habit to purchase locally grown foods and produce in season to cut your carbon emissions by another 4-5%. Although this is not a significant reduction, eating foods in season, organic, and less processed are healthier and can further lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Next time you're at a grocery store, think about what you buy and where your food is coming from to do your part in creating a sustainable environment.

4. Conserve Household Energy

Energy wasting habits are every day in households on a day-to-day basis. This can include leaving lights on, setting the thermostat too high, or even leaving the refrigerator door open. Let's all do our part to become more energy-efficient by conserving resources, adjusting heating/cooling settings, and using alternative energy sources like solar. You can even work towards recycling and composting household waste. Remember to conserve water by washing full loads of laundry, turning the water off when brushing teeth, and running the dishwasher when completely full.

5. Airline Carbon Offsets

If you like to travel and want to lower your carbon footprint, you have come to the right place. Air travel takes up a large portion of your carbon footprint. Purchased carbon offsets go to organizations that work on projects to reduce carbon emissions and environmental impacts from air travel. So next time you're booking a trip, do your part and "offset" the carbon cost of your flight with greener actions.

You can do it!

From these five helpful tips, you are now ready to reduce your carbon footprint and help build a more sustainable environment for the future!

5 Tips for Reducing Your Carbon Footprint