Part of the reason I feel I cannot lower my energy use or greenhouse gas emissions at my house is that my parents are the ones who make the decisions on energy and food sources, as well as our means of transportation. The first order of business I would take is to replace all of our current energy sources with solar panels. This would not only save our family money in the long run, it but would also cut our greenhouse gas emissions and lower our dependence on coal and natural gas plants. Next, I would change our house to a location that is close to the local bus or train so that we would not have to use our cars as much as we do. By taking the bus more often than taking our cars, we would reduce the number of greenhouse gases we put into the atmosphere. Statistics show that buses emit 20% less carbon monoxide, 10% fewer hydrocarbons, and 75% as much nitrogen oxides per passenger mile than an automobile with a single occupant. In addition to using public transportation on the daily, I would create a garden in my backyard to grow my own food. Most mass food production comp anies use pesticides and artificial fertilizers that negatively affect the environment by releasing harmful chemicals into the air. By growing my own food in my backyard, I would be able to choose what I use in the production of the crops and use only organic means to grow them. With all these changes combined, I would be able to reduce my carbon footprint by a large margin.
         Works Cited:
https://www.nationalexpresstransit.com/ … sportation
https://www.usgbc.org/articles/top-four … -your-home
https://www.landroots.org.uk/

I totally agree. I love the part about a home graden. The pesticides and farm to table distance are horrible for our enviornment and I wish more people would consider this, especially if they have the space. Something I would add to that would be getting backyard chickens. Not only is there a large amount of Nitrous oxide and Methane Emmisions in theh Poultry industry, but there is also a lot of Carbon dioxide. Industrial chicken farms keep their chickens in 24hr light in order to promote laying (also bad for the chickens) and all that energy creates a large footprint. There are also the emissions from trucks, tracktors and incinerators, as well as Carbon dioxide released by decomposing feces.
http://extension.uga.edu/publications/d … o+Poultry?

Wow,  sounds like you'd be the greenest house on the block! I love the part about taking the bus or train more often and having your own garden. Taking the train or bus can also be much faster while trying to get somewhere, and can also reduce your carbon footprint a lot! The less cars you use the better. Have you ever thought of getting an electric car too? Maybe the bus or train doesn't take you to the places you always want to go? This can help a lot too because the electricity will not pollute anything while driving the car, and you can even charge the car from a home with solar panels. We love being energy efficient! The garden in your household sounds great too! Organic food is always a plus. It is healthier, you don't have to spend money on food from the store, and you don't need to buy foods that taken from food plantations from far away, that produce a lot of CO2 while transporting them to the store.