When flying, you are helping to contribute 2.5% of the global CO2 production. Now, because you are teaching English around the world, you can’t really stop yourself from flying. That’s a no brainer. But what you can do is offset and reduce your carbon footprint once you are on land. There are actually a lot of different things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint. And most of them are pretty easy to do. Here the TEFLAcademy explains a few steps to decrease your carbon footprint.
Drive Less
Driving less is one of the easiest things you can do when teaching English abroad. That’s because you will most likely not have a car in the first place. You can walk or cycle to places that you need to go, which won’t emit carbon. You should easily be able to buy or hire a bike. Your school might even have one for you to use.
And along with those two options, you can actually take transportation. Just make sure you only use buses, trains or coaches. This is because they will carry a lot of passengers. The more passengers they transport, the lower the emissions per person. Vehicles do not need to be cut out of your life entirely. Just plan smart and be smart when using them so you are not recklessly emitting carbon.
Eat Local
People should only be eating local food. Not only is it a good way to become immersed in the region’s culture, but you will be reducing carbon. By buying imported food from a supermarket, the food will have to be loaded and transported on planes, boats and trucks. That emits a lot of CO2 during the journey. Local produce gets rid of those emissions entirely. As a bonus, local food is fresher and will not have as much pesticides or chemicals. You will be eating healthy as a result.
Eat Less Meat
This article is not telling you to cut meat entirely out of your life if you are a big meat eater. Instead, try reducing the amount of meat you eat in general. This can take a large chunk out of your carbon footprint. That’s because rearing livestock equates to about 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Stop eating as much meat and that amount will decrease. Try eating only plant-based foods for one to two days a week. This will cut your carbon footprint, reduce methane emissions and stop land from being used for animal agriculture. You will also leave more fresh water on the Earth, which is always good. Fresh water is always needed around the world.
Use Less Water
Speaking of fresh water, there’s not a lot on the planet. And there’s no way to make more of it. Out of the amount of water on the planet, 96.5% of it is too salty for humans to drink. That means that you have to be careful when you use the water you can drink. Try taking shorter showers to.
You can also turn the tap off when brushing your teeth. Finally, do not use the toilet to dispose of trash. One flush of the toilet wastes between five to seven gallons of water. Just dispose of your trash in a properly marked trash can. Water is a very important resource, and by being smart with your water usage, you can keep the fresh water from disappearing. If everyone practiced these rules, there would be much more water available to the world.
Kim Marks 
Nina Smith