Secondary Footprint explained

As I mentioned previously, the secondary footprint measures CO2 emissions from the whole lifecycle of products we use, from the manufacturing and distributing of these products. What exactly does this mean for us as consumers? It boils down to considering where the products we buy have been made, and the materials and processes used to make them. This seems to require a lot of thinking, but once we understand the concept, it’s an easy choice to make. Here are some tips to consider:

☼ Use your tap water instead of buying bottled - your tap water is most likely just fine to drink, yet millions of us buy water in plastic bottles. The emissions used to make the bottles, recycle them and transport them to your store are high. Check your tap water first.
☼Buy local food and produce – Check the label before you buy food at the market. Buy local as often as possible because it travels fewer miles, reducing the emissions used for transportation.
☼Plant a garden to provide fruit and vegetables.
☼Reduce your consumption of red meat.
☼Check clothing labels. If it comes from beyond 1000 miles, the process of transporting it to your store has used fossil fuels.
☼Avoid items that come in unnecessary packaging. The manufacturing of the packaging alone is wasteful.

Yes, the production as well as transportation of an item is just as important as the item itself regarding carbon footprinting. Try one tip a week, or month; start slow and then you’ll realize just reducing a little of your secondary footprint isn’t as hard as you may have thought.

Check this quick video out from Treehugger that describes how one person is reducing her secondary footprint.

Source:
Carbon Footprint website, Secondary Carbon Footprint
Treehugger video, "Reducing the Impact"