Reduce your CO2 emissions further

If you've taken our interactive quiz, then you know that the decisions we make everyday contribute to the build-up of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere.

By taking all of the actions below, you could save over 22,000 pounds of CO2 emissions annually and $1,000 from your annual gasoline and home energy costs.

Waste disposal

• Reduce your waste generation by 10 percent. Reduction: 1200 pounds CO2 per year.
• If you are not recycling, recycle half of your potentially recyclable materials (paper, plastics, glass). Reduction: 2400 pounds CO2 per year.

Transportation

• Avoid driving 25 miles a week by walking, biking, carpooling, or taking mass transit instead. Reduction: 1500 pounds CO2 per year.
• Buy a car that averages 10 miles per gallon more than your present vehicle. Reduction: 7000 pounds CO2 per year.

Home heating

• Replace your old furnace or boiler with an Energy Star® model. Reduction: 3300 pounds CO2 per year.
• Replace single-glazed windows with Energy Star® windows. Reduction: 3600 pounds CO2 per year.
• Turn down your thermostat by 10 degrees Fahrenheit each night of winter. Reduction: 250 pounds CO2 per year.

Electricity use

• Turn up your central air conditioner's thermostat by 2 degrees Fahrenheit in summer. Reduction: 100 pounds CO2 per year.
• Replace old refrigerator with new Energy Star® model. Reduction: 1700 pounds CO2 per year.
• Replace 10 60-watt incandescent light bulbs with 10 13-watt compact fluorescent bulbs. Reduction: 1500 pounds CO2 per year.

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, http://www.epa.gov/globalwarming/.