It is encouraging to see so many people are showing more interest in protecting the environment these days. A February survey from George Mason University and Yale found that 64% of Americans show an interest in protecting the environment.

Unfortunately, not everyone is taking the steps that they should. You need to make environmental concerns a top priority.

The good news is we are learning a lot more about climate change implications than ever. We can take the right steps to reduce our carbon footprint.

Simple Hacks to Cut Your Carbon Footprint

Reducing one’s carbon footprint is easier said than done. While many people want to see the world get greener and cleaner, they may see eco-friendly alternatives as not only expensive but hard to achieve. This is true for metropolitan areas like Houston. The Houston Chronicle discussed this last year, when they released a report showing air pollution is among the worst in the country.

There are however, easy ways to reduce your carbon footprint in three different aspects of our lives.

Ease up on the AC.

Energy rates in Houston haven’t exactly fallen. Soaring temperatures in many areas of Texas–Houston included–have resulted in many households reaching for their air conditioners and similar cooling units to keep themselves sane in the ensuing heat wave.

While air conditioners prove to be reliable in these situations, they’re not exactly the most eco-friendly way to cool your home. Thankfully, there are many easy green alternatives to air conditioning. One easy thing you can do to cool off is to avoid keeping your top floor windows completely open. Because of the way heat rises, you’re better off closing those top windows to prevent more hot air from circulating in the home.

Try other modes of transportation.

One of the biggest hurdles to fully curbing one’s fossil fuel consumption in Houston is the fact that a lot of places in H-Town aren’t close to each other. This means that many households feel forced to own a vehicle and gas it up in order to go to where they need to go. Fortunately, Houston has started investing in a new rail system, but they are going to

Even with the rise of ethanol, this alcohol-based alternative fuel source still has a high carbon footprint since it uses crops like corn, barley, or wheat for production. Unfortunately, electric cars are still unaffordable to many. You should, however, consider carpooling with your buddies to decrease your carbon footprint. Alternatively, you can make use of the Houston BCycle Program to reduce your fossil fuel consumption and fulfill your daily exercise quota.

Be more conscious about your clothing.

Clothing retailers like H&M and Zara have made it so that the average person has access to runway-worthy clothes at a fraction of the price. But the low price of these trendy items comes at a high-cost. From tons of unsold clothing ending up in landfills, plastic microfibers to water contamination, fast fashion may look pretty, but it’s also pretty deadly.

Instead of buying clothes from the nearest fast fashion retailer, one really easy way to reduce your carbon footprint in the clothing department is to do closet swaps with your friends, coworkers, or roommates. You not only get to have new clothes without spending a dime, but you’ve also managed to refresh your wardrobe without putting a strain on Mother Earth.

In the past few years, there has been a growing wave of consciousness in different parts of the world concerning the global crisis that is climate change. While many activists and change groups are calling for action to be taken on a grander scale, you can help in the fight against the climate crisis by taking on these actions to reduce your own carbon footprint.

Make Major Changes to Cut Your Carbon Footprint

Are you concerned about the state of the environment? You need to take all reasonable steps to minimize your carbon footprint. The measures listed above can go a long way.