Anyone who longs for summer and the unbeatable taste of a home-grown tomato already knows the value of buying locally. Simply put, locally grown produce tastes better. It's also fresher, as most produce in the U.S. is picked 4 to 7 days before making it to the supermarket shelf, and is shipped an average of 1500 miles before being sold. "And this is when taking into account only US grown products!

What Is A Carbon Dioxide Footprint?

A carbon dioxide (CO2) footprint is a measure of the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels such as petroleum, coal and natural gas. Since virtually all of the energy we use in Indiana to drive our cars, power our homes and run our factories comes from fossil fuels, each of us creates a carbon dioxide footprint based on our energy usage, expressed in pounds of carbon dioxide per year.

"U.S. residents drive an average of 10,000 miles per year per capita – for every adult, teenager, and toddler. For a car that gets 20 mpg, each mile driven is equivalent to a pound of CO2, which means the emissions add up fast." Making minor changes in your driving habits can improve your car's mileage per gallon, cutting global warming pollution and saving you anywhere from $200 to $500 each year.

Did you know:

• Homes are huge energy consumers, accounting for one-fifth of the U.S.’s total annual energy demand?
• Heating and cooling costs account for about one-half of a typical home’s total energy bill?
• The average household will spend almost $2100 on home energy costs in 2007?

The typical American household generates 55,000 pounds of carbon dioxide annually. By contrast, the typical German household contributes 27,000 pounds and the average Swedish household's contribution is only 15,000 pounds.

Almost half of all homes in the U.S. have inefficient, single-pane windows. Inefficient windows can account for up to 25% of your heating bill in the winter, and can make your air conditioner work up to three times harder in the summer. Although high performance windows may cost more initially, they save you money in the long run. In addition, they increase the value of your home.

More energy dollars go towards your heating and cooling system than any other system in your home. "Typically, 56% of your utility bill goes for heating and cooling. What’s more, heating and cooling systems in the United States together emit over a half billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year, adding to global warming.

After household heating and cooling, water heating is the largest energy user in your home, representing over 13% of your annual energy bill, and a significant contributor to household CO2 emissions. "If your water heater is more than 10 years old it is likely running at less than 50 percent efficiency—wasting energy and money—but most people don’t replace their water heater until it fails.

In 2005, U.S. residents, businesses, and institutions produced more than 245 million tons of garbage, which is approximately 4.5 pounds of waste per person per day. That is up from 2.7 pounds per person per day in just the last 35 years. When you consider the energy used to transport waste to the landfill and the landfill gases that escape into the atmosphere, each pound of waste we create generates roughly 1.5 pounds of greenhouse gases. Recycling half of all household-generated waste can reduce your CO2 footprint by 2400 pounds per year.

A common misconception is that washing dishes by hand saves hot water. In reality, washing dishes by hand several times a day can be more expensive than operating an energy-efficient dishwasher, especially if you only operate it with full loads.

Reducing the amount of hot water you use can result in significant reductions in energy usage, saving you money and further reducing your CO2 footprint. "A family of four each showering five minutes a day can use about 700 gallons per week—a three-year drinking water supply for one person!

Lighting is the third largest energy user in your home, representing approximately 10% of your annual energy bill. "Making improvements to your lighting is one of the fastest ways to cut your energy bills. . . . Using new lighting technologies can reduce lighting energy use in your home by 50% to 75%. Advances in lighting controls offer further energy savings by reducing the amount of time lights are on but not being used."

Appliances such as your refrigerator, clothes washer and dryer, dishwasher and electronics (TV, computer, audio and video systems, etc.) account for about 20% of your household’s annual energy bill. "Together, these items account for nearly eight tons of heat-trapping emissions per household per year."

"Heat naturally flows from warmer spaces to cooler ones until the temperatures both in and between the two spaces are equal. Inside the home, warm air rises and leaks out the attic and roof while drawing cold air in through the basement.

The first step to taking a whole-house energy efficiency approach is to find out which parts of your house or apartment use the most energy. A home energy audit will identify those areas, and through your own efforts, your local utility, or the assistance of a qualified professional, you can take cost-effective measures to reduce your energy costs and hence, your CO2 footprint.

More and more states are adopting renewable portfolio standards (RPS), also known as renewable electricity standards (RES). These standards require utilities to provide increasing amounts of electricity to consumers from renewable energy resources, like wind, solar and biomass.

The average household will spend almost $2,100 on home energy costs in 2007. Of a typical residence's total energy consumption, heating accounts for the largest portion, representing almost 50% of a household's annual energy bill.

About 90% of the energy used for washing clothes is for heating the water. Using less water and using cooler water are two ways to reduce the amount of energy used for washing clothes. Typical electric clothes washers and dryers generate 5 pounds of CO2 per washer/dryer cycle.