There is no agreed definition of carbon neutral (sometimes called ‘climate neutral’) but it is generally understood to mean calculating total carbon emissions, or carbon footprint, reducing them as much as possible, then balancing out the remaining emissions by purchasing carbon credits, so that a process or an individual, household or business has a carbon footprint of zero.
In the home it needs a combination of measures such as:
- Limiting energy usage and emissions from transport – avoiding flying, and using the car less by walking or using a cycle or public transport instead.
- Reducing energy use in the home and insulating and draught-proofing the house to make it more energy efficient.
- Switching to a renewable energy source, perhaps by installing solar panels or changing to a green-energy provider.
- Offsetting remaining emissions through a carbon project or by buying carbon credits.
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