There are many things you can do to reduce your greenhouse gas emissions, and small steps add up. Use the calculator links below to estimate the effects of your changes, and read on for more information on additional steps you can take.  

Reduce My House Emissions

Reduce My Vehicle Emissions

• Plant a tree. Trees not only sequester carbon from the atmosphere, they reduce the amount of carbon released in the first place by shading buildings, cooling the air, and providing protection from winter winds. Trees also provide many social and ecological benefits. Learn more about the social benefits of trees.
  
  
• Drive less. Boston has a great public transportation system. Use public transit instead of your car to commute 10 miles to work each day, and save over $500.00 in fuel costs and over 3700 pounds of CO₂ emissions per year. Instead of flying, consider train or bus travel for trips of 500 miles or less (MBTA).
  
  
• Replace one trip per week with biking or walking. This could save up to a pound of CO₂ for every mile not driven (Boston Bikes).
  
  
• Adjust your thermostat. Purchasing a programmable thermostat is a great way to save 5-15% per year in heating and cooling costs (Energy Star).
  
  
• Replace incandescent light bulbs. Replacing a traditional bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) will save 100 pounds of CO₂ emissions per year. Replacing 5 bulbs can save you up to $30 per year in electricity costs. Please note: CFLs can be recycled through Boston's Hazardous Waste Recycling program.
  
  
• Replace old windows. Triple-paned, "low-E", insulated frame windows can save 39 percent of heating costs for a typical home in Boston. (Efficient Windows Collaborative)
  
  
• Use cold rather than hot water for laundry. Switching your laundry machine's temperature from hot to warm can cut energy use in half (Boston Water and Sewer Commission).
  
  
• Replace an old refrigerator. Newer refrigerators use about 70% less electricity than a 1970s-era model. Replacing a twenty-year old refrigerator will cut down on CO₂ emissions by about one ton per year! (Energy Star)
  
  
• Offset your carbon footprint! Click on the button below to learn more.