Health benefits of reducing our carbon footprint

Guest blogger: Krista Peterson

Along with a growing awareness and effort to spread the benefits of living green, there are an increasing number of ways in which you can reduce your carbon footprint. Doing things like walking instead of driving, using recyclable grocery bags, using alternative cleaners, and even searching for new methods of insulation will all be useful. Of course, doing these things will likely have both a monetary and environmental effect, but they can also help in the area of general health, even reducing risk of diseases like lung cancer and mesothelioma.

Using alternative forms to household cleaners is a great way of improving your health, as well as indoor air quality and secondary carbon footprint by lowering indirect emissions of greenhouse gas. A number of today’s name brand cleaners and paints may be high in the emission of toxins. Paint, for example, is high in Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). These VOC’s are different compounds with significant vapor pressure and can affect the environment. While many of these types of products may be name brand, most grocery and hardware stores carry alternative brands with organic cleaners and low-VOC paints.  You can even go about making your own organic household cleaners. Breathing in toxins like this can be especially harmful to either you or your family. VOC’s are known to cause headaches, nausea, and asthma, as well as some long term risks such as cancer and liver damage. Therefore, using some alternatives will be a great for your overall health.

Walking and biking short distances is another great way to help reduce your own carbon footprint. While, this may save you money and help prevent emissions from your automobiles, it’s also helping your body. Getting this type of cardio activity will be especially beneficial in burning calories, as well as helping the heart. Running, walking, and biking on a normal routine will cause the body to adapt and improve with your physical lifestyle.

Stopping the consumption of bottled water is another way in which living green can also be a huge health improvement. Because of the way these bottles are being developed, they may present a huge health risk involving exposure to certain chemicals. The bottles being developed are largely derived from petroleum. Using filtered tap water definitely makes for the healthiest and efficient style for consumption of drinking water.

Using new types of insulation can also improve the environment and your own health. Alternative forms and new types of “green” insulation are popping up all over. From cotton based to vegetable oil based insulations, there are a number of options in organic ways to improve and conserve energy in the home.

A way in which new insulation can be particularly beneficial to your health is in the removal and replacement of asbestos linings, which are major risk factors for mesothelioma, a rare cancer that develops from protective lining within the lungs. Asbestos was a widely used material in houses built up until the 1980’s. Mesothelioma symptoms can lie dormant for up to 50 years, meaning residents may have been exposed unknowingly. If you occupy a house that’s a little older and built before the 1980’s, go ahead and have your insulation evaluated for asbestos.

All of these parts can help reduce your carbon footprint. While taking some of these steps will surely be beneficial to the environment, there is also invaluable benefit to one’s health in the long run. Taking part in some these activities and actions will help reduce risk of disease, as well as help to improve physical health.