{"id":1835,"date":"2021-04-18T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-18T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.storage-mart.com\/blog\/organization\/how-to-reduce-your-carbon-footprint\/"},"modified":"2023-08-28T15:55:35","modified_gmt":"2023-08-28T15:55:35","slug":"how-to-reduce-your-carbon-footprint","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.storage-mart.com\/blog\/how-to-reduce-your-carbon-footprint","title":{"rendered":"Earth Day: Harnessing the Power of the Sun in Northern California"},"content":{"rendered":"

By 2035 five StorageMart locations in Northern California will have generated an estimated total of 5 MILLION kilowatt hours of solar-generated electricity. That’s enough to supply about 90% of the power required to operate all five locations. And, it’s just one of our solar projects<\/a>, following up the major installation of solar panels on the roofs of our Ontario, Canada locations.<\/p>\n

In honor of Earth Day (April 22), we thought we\u2019d take a look at some of the ways we can all reduce our carbon footprints\u2014and walk a bit more lightly on the planet we share.<\/p>\n

But don\u2019t worry: This isn\u2019t another lecture about how you need to sell your car or give up burgers. The reality is there are simple things that everyone can do to better protect our world.<\/p>\n

Before we get into that though, we wanted to share what we\u2019ve done, as a company, to be better stewards of the environment. Sure, there’s always room for improvement, but that’s why we’re excited to share some of our favorite ideas.<\/p>\n

Reducing Our Carbon Footprint at StorageMart<\/h2>\n

When we decide to open a new location, our first thought is never to build a brand-new facility. Rather, we search for former industrial or commercial buildings that can be upcycled into self storage facilities. While there are certainly renovation costs (and associated carbon emissions), it\u2019s always significantly less than building new.<\/p>\n

The next thing we strive to do is take advantage of renewable energy by outfitting the roofs of many of our self storage properties with solar panels. In fact, StorageMart is one of the largest providers of renewable energy within the self storage industry.<\/p>\n

The way we see it, saving energy is not only good for the planet; it\u2019s good for business once the initial installation costs have been recovered.<\/p>\n

A Closer Look at Carbon Emissions<\/h2>\n

Before we get into the mechanics of reducing carbon emissions, let\u2019s take a quick look at what they actually are. Carbon is one of the greenhouse gasses that absorbs radiation and prevents heat from escaping our atmosphere. When heat can\u2019t escape, the result, of course, is an increase in the temperature of our planet.<\/p>\n

According to the United States Environmental Protection agency, the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities in the United States is from the burning of fossil fuels for electricity, heat, and transportation.<\/p>\n

How You Can Reduce Your Footprint<\/h2>\n

Now let\u2019s take a look at the carbon emissions of the average American\u2014and where they come from. According to data provided by the Union of Concerned Scientists, it looks like this:<\/p>\n