How climate-conscious Americans reduce their carbon footprints
Bala Sivaraman drives an electric car around the US capital Washington, buys used clothes and furniture and cooks his vegan meals on an induction stove he bought after parting ways with his gas oven.
Sim Bilal relies exclusively on public transit -- no easy feat in car-centric Los Angeles -- uses refurbished tech and lives in an apartment with solar panels.
As world leaders prepare to meet for crunch COP28 climate talks in the United Arab Emirates next month, some environmentally-conscious Americans are demonstrating it's possible to rein in their carbon emissions, aligning their actions with their values in a country where such lifestyle choices are rare.
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"When we are inundated with a lot of climate doomsday news, it can be really difficult to feel we have something to ground us," Sivaraman told AFP.
"What is so powerful about living a sustainable life or committing ourselves to zero waste living practices is that it gives us that sense of hope, because it reclaims our power."
Living on opposite ends of the country, both young men work as environmental activists and have carbon footprints of three to four tons per year, according to self-reported estimates generated by carbonfootprint.com.
That's well below the average Americans' annual footprint of around 15 tons, which is roughly three times the global average.
On a brisk autumn day, Sivaraman brings his compost to a local community garden, unlocks a sorting bin, and begins placing leftover vegan hotdogs, paper plates and other biodegradables inside.
"This was from a party at my friend's animal refuge the other day," the 28-year-old, who works in communications for the nonprofit Earthjustice, says, covering the pile with the dry brown
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