Using eco-friendly products is a way to reduce a person’s carbon footprint and help prevent irreversible damage to the environment. To clarify, a carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide and other carbon compounds emitted due to the consumption of fossil fuels by a particular person or group, according to oed.com.

New eco-friendly products have started arising in mainstream media in recent years causing more consumers to understand and look into the climate crisis. Eco-friendly school supplies are now easier to buy for students and teachers as biodegradable pencils, notebooks and pens made out of recycled materials have become readily available on Amazon, Etsy and other online and in person stores, according to trvst.world.com.

Many new companies have started to make pledges to plant a tree everytime that they have to cut one down. One company is Sprout, who created the first plantable pencil. Each pencil purchased can be planted and grows a specific plant. Some are flowers, spices, herbs or new trees, but each pencil is made to tell the story of the circular economy, starting with production, to use and reuse at the end of the pencils lives. This establishes a way to have as little of a negative environmental impact as possible, all according to sproutworld.com.

Reducing a carbon footprint can also look like shopping locally. By traveling less of a distance, less gas is used when driving. A person can then go to a market and buy organic fruits and vegetables that were grown locally.