One way to decrease your carbon footprint is to use less electricity. Outside of turning off your lights, air conditioner and other electronics when you leave the house, how else can you accomplish this?

Technological advancements have come a long way in making electronics far more energy-efficient. If you have a refrigerator or dish washer that’s been handed down from generation to generation, this is likely not energy efficient and is contributing to our global carbon crisis.

According to lowimpactenergy.com, appliances use up a third of our household energy and produce large amounts of CO2.

In fact, according to glacialenergy.com, the combustion of fossil fuels to generate electricity is the largest single source of CO2 emissions, accounting for about 40% of total U.S. CO2 emissions.

Most appliances at Sears, Home Depot and Lowes are now energy efficient, so it’s just a matter of parting ways with your Grandma’s old wash machine.