Being more efficient about the way you use energy helps. However, in order to really reduce your carbon footprint, you need to change your behavior so you don't need as much energy in the first place. Many of your daily actions generate carbon emissions, which contribute to accelerating global warming and climate change. Here are a few ways to reduce your carbon footprint at home.

Adjust your thermostat

Adjusting the thermostat just three degrees higher in the summer, and three degrees lower in the winter, reduces your energy demand almost 10% per day. That's above and beyond the energy you save by choosing efficient equipment and weatherizing your home. At the very minimum, adjust your thermostat when your home is unoccupied.

Unplug it

Choosing pastimes that require electricity increases your carbon footprint. For instance, watching just one hour of plasma TV a day consumes more than 1,800 pounds of CO2 by the end of the year. Phantom energy use is also a serious issue. Today's electronic devices, with their clocks and remote controls, consume energy even when they're turned off. Unplug your TV, DVD player, and so on when you're not using them, and especially when you're away from home.

Leave the car in the garage

Fuel-efficient vehicles are great, but they still carry a significant carbon load. Even if you drive a hybrid passenger car, you produce three times as much carbon as if you took public transportation. Carpool whenever you can.

Eat local

Choosing locally-produced food can reduce the amount of fossil fuel used to transport food.

Whether you're a company, a contractor, or a landlord, your business has a carbon footprint. In addition to improving the efficiency of your energy use, you can make changes in certain aspects of your business that will reduce the amount of energy you need in the first place.

Heating and cooling

Like homes, businesses consume a great deal of fuel heating and cooling the spaces they operate in. Raise the thermostat in the summer and lower it in the winter, and program your thermostat to reduce the temperature significantly on nights and weekends.

Unplug it

Computers and office equipment are big energy users. Make sure to turn your equipment off over night and on weekends. Set copiers, printers, fax machines and the like to use standby modes when they're not in use.

Transportation

Transportation, commuting, business travel, and shipping, account for a significant portion of your business footprint. Offer your employees incentives to use public transportation, encourage carpooling, reduce unnecessary travel, and choose fuel-efficient shipping methods.

Business process

You may be able to streamline your business process to reduce your overall need for energy. There are many consultants and engineers who can help you evaluate the way you do things and find opportunities to cut back.