GSP Solution for Reducing Your Carbon Footprint

This article is for those who believe that we are in big trouble and also agree with the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that there are only about 11 years left for us to drastically reduce our carbon production before it will be too late to save the planet from becoming uninhabitable.

As Greta Thunberg has so clearly made us aware, our house is on fire. When your house is on fire, it is time to do whatever you can to put it out.

Everyone on this planet needs to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. A start would be for us to take a good look at the carbon dioxide we produce and start doing whatever we can to lessen the damage, consume less and attempt to repair the harm. The average Canadian produces 18 to 20 tons of carbon annually which is higher than many other countries.

Maya families in Guatemala are part of the 3 billion people who cook food over an open fire or rudimentary stove. If given a GSP clean cookstove, several pots of food can be cooked at once and the fuel is burned more efficiently reducing greenhouse gases. As well, 50% less fuel is used therefore creating half the carbon emissions and reducing deforestation.

The cookstove saves 2 to 3 tons of carbon emissions annually so that over the average 10 year stove lifespan, 20 to 30 tons of carbon emissions are avoided. If you donate one stove a year at a cost of $300 and consume less you can begin to approach being carbon neutral.

If you must fly, you can offset the carbon you create. For example a round trip from Ottawa to Vancouver, London England or Mexico City produces a warming effect equivalent to around 1.2 tons of carbon dioxide per person. A longer trip such a flying round trip from Ottawa to Hong Kong produces 4.2 tons.

GSP funds the construction of cookstoves for Maya families in Guatemala. By donating a stove, you can work towards balancing your carbon footprint as well as saving forests and providing a healthier home for families who would otherwise be using an open fire.