September 21st is Zero Emissions Day. On this day, you should try to leave no carbon footprint. It will not be easy. The best thing you can do is to do – nothing! ©Balazs | Adobe Stock

What would a day WITHOUT carbon emissions look like?

In an average day, we consume a lot of carbon dioxide without even realizing it. It starts first thing in the morning when your electronic alarm clock goes off, you turn on the coffee maker, and you take a hot shower. All of this uses electricity.

Step 1: Conserve electricity

If you really want to use NO CO2 on Zero Emissions Day, you need to go to the fuse box and turn off the power.

Alternatively, you can check what your electricity is made of. Coal-fired power consumes up to 1.15 kg of CO2 per kilowatt-hour. Green electricity from renewable sources is much more climate-friendly. Solar power uses only 0.027 kg and wind power 0.024 kg.

Step 2: Reduce consumption

All the products you own, from furniture to clothes, had to be made once. This creates carbon dioxide. To avoid this for at least one day, simply do not buy anything today.

Exceptions are used items, such as second-hand clothes from flea markets.

Step 3: Give up the Internet

One day without your smartphone and laptop? Now it gets difficult… But the Internet also contributes to the global increase in emissions. According to the German Federal Statistical Office, a single query on Google (0.2 seconds) consumes 0.2 grams of CO2, an email without attachment 4 grams and an hour of streaming video 400 grams.

Surfing over fiber optics uses at least 15 percent less electricity than copper wire.

Step 4: Eat less

Say what? Yes, our food is responsible for about one-third of the world’s greenhouse gases (one-fifth by another calculation). Butter is considered the most climate-damaging food, followed by beef.

Eating and drinking WITHOUT consuming CO2 is almost impossible. If you really want to try, drink only tap water and eat vegetables from your own garden. Alternatively, buy local plant-based foods.

Step 5: Mobility

The best way to get from point A to point B today is to walk or bike. For longer distances, trains and long-distance buses are a good alternative to driving.

Step 6: Travel

Sustainable travel is our specialty, and we have many Green PearlsⓇ partners who can help you enjoy a zero-emissions stay. One that stands out is the Hotel Milano Scala in Milan. Since its opening in 2010, the hotel has been a zero-emissions accommodation (and the first in Italy!). The energy used comes from the hotel’s own geothermal system.

Our conclusion for Zero Emissions Day 2023

If we were to be precise, we would spend today in the forest without any electrical devices and eat only what grows by the wayside (with a little luck, maybe berries, mushrooms and herbs). All the rest of us can do is realize that everything we do has consequences and try to do a little better in all areas.