As individuals, we each have the power to reduce our personal emission of greenhouse gases on Earth.

Small habit shifts create great change. Collectively, we can exist more healthily and harmoniously with our land, air, and water.

Wiley Canning Company wishes to both exemplify and support ways to do so.

Through canning, pickling, and preserving, we believe we can help reduce the emission of greenhouse gases on Earth. Wiley Canning Company is built upon a family legacy of land stewardship, home food preservation, and meals shared around a table. We hope to honor this legacy through our business and a thoughtful, steadfast commitment to our planet.

Learn more below.

Greenhouse gases include three major gases:

Carbon dioxide (CO2)
Methane (CH4 )
Nitrous oxide (N20)

Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide are released into our atmosphere every minute of every day. We call this, in part, greenhouse gas emission. Indeed, this name paints an accurate visual. When carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide are released into our atmosphere, two things happen:

One: They are absorbed and stored by Earth’s plant life and oceans. (This is great!)

Two: They trap heat, or infrared waves, from sunlight and create a warming effect around Earth. (This is a harmful phenomenon that requires human attention and effort.)

Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide are similar and unique when compared to one another.

Let’s explore each gas individually.

Carbon dioxide, or (CO2), is released into our atmosphere very naturally. Earth’s plant life and oceans constantly create, absorb, store, and release carbon dioxide, through carbon cycles and carbon sinks, and stably regulate carbon on Earth (Moseman, 2022). Above, I wrote, “We call this, in part, greenhouse gas emission.” This is because not all of Earth’s carbon contributes to the greenhouse effect. Surplus carbon, or carbon dioxide created and released by human activity, is what causes an imbalance in Earth’s natural regulation of carbon. Earth is not able to regulate this excess carbon, and in turn, carbon dioxide absorbs heat, or infrared waves, from sunlight and directs this heat toward Earth. This surplus is exactly where we can focus human attention and effort.

Carbon dioxide is created by human activity when we burn coal, natural gas, and oil (EPA, 2022). As a modern society, we burn coal, natural gas, and oil to create electricity and heat. Carbon dioxide is also released through solid waste, or poop, from species of Kingdom Animalia, including humans, of course, and through road vehicles, trains, and planes. Far more than trains and planes, road vehicles create and release carbon dioxide (Ritchie, 2020).

Methane, or CH4 , is not as naturally found on Earth as carbon dioxide. Methane, in large part, is created and released due to human activity. It is, like carbon dioxide, created when we burn coal, natural gas, and oil. It is also released through solid waste, food waste, and waste storage facilities, or landfills. (EIA, 2011).

Nitrous oxide, or (N20), is also not as naturally found on Earth as carbon dioxide. Nitrous oxide, in large part, is created and released due to human activity. It is created and released as we care for and manage our land used for agricultural purposes. This is because we rely heavily on fertilizer to care for and manage our land. When we manufacture traditional fertilizer, we produce a compound called nitric acid, or HNO3, and this process leads to the release of nitrous oxide (EIA, 2011).

All gases above—carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide—trap heat from sunlight and create a warming effect around Earth.

Here is where small habit shifts create great change. Continue reading below.

Carbon dioxide

We will reduce our personal emission of carbon dioxide most when we:

Create and protect plant life. By planting or protecting a tree, shrub, or garden each year, we create or preserve opportunities for carbon to be naturally regulated through carbon cycles and carbon sinks.

Increase our awareness of our use of coal-powered electricity. When we increase our awareness of our use of coal-powered electricity, we may be more likely to open our windows on a cool day, use battery-powered items when possible, and slowly increase our personal investment in wind and solar energy.

Walk or bike when able. Walking or biking is not always most accessible or safest. When it is, we might consider walking or biking. This reduces carbon dioxide emission from road vehicles.

Use public transportation when able. Streamlined public transportation, such as buses or trains, is not always most accessible. When it is, we might consider using. Remember, this isn’t a habit we might practice every day. We might say, “I will use the subway system when I travel to larger cities instead of Uber or Lyft.” This also reduces carbon dioxide emission from road vehicles.

Incorporate plant life into our daily food regimen. We may reduce our contribution to carbon dioxide emission from solid waste from animals when we increase our consumption of plants. A diet low in or free of animal products is not for everyone, but we each have the power to remain aware of and potentially reduce our personal demand for animal products.

Source our food locally when possible. When we source our fruits, vegetables, and animal products from farmers’ markets and local grocery stores, we reduce the need for road vehicles to transport our food across cities, states, and countries.

Reduce our food waste. To start, when we source only what we will consume, we do not create excess demand from growers. An accurate demand allows our growers to regulate their plant and animal products more healthily and efficiency. In October 2020, the EPA reported we waste 33% of all food grown and produced worldwide (EPA, 2020). We have a tremendous opportunity for improvement through this avenue alone. Additionally, when we reduce excess animal products specifically, we also reduce both carbon dioxide and methane emission. Finally, I love to follow The Zero Waste Guide for tips and tricks for reducing food waste.

Methane

We will reduce our personal emission of methane most when we:

Increase our awareness of our use of coal-powered electricity. See details above.

Walk or bike when able. See details above.

Use public transportation when able. See details above.

Incorporate plant life into our daily food regimen. See details above.

Source our food locally when possible. See details above.

Reduce our food waste. See details above.

Can, pickle, and preserve our fruits and vegetables. When we can, pickle, and preserve our fruits and vegetables, we reduce our food waste, and we reduce the amount of food in a waste storage facility, or landfill. When food breaks down in a waste storage facility, or landfill, it releases methane (USDA, 2022).

Compost our food waste. When food is properly composted, rather than broken down in a waste storage facility, the creation and release of methane is significantly reduced (EPA, 2020). Additionally, compost serves as a nutrient-dense fertilizer. This reduces the need to produce of nitric acid, which emits nitrous oxide, when manufacturing traditional fertilizer.

Nitrous oxide

We will reduce our personal emission of nitrous oxide most when we:

Compost our food waste. See details above.

Protect and foster nutrient-dense soil through land stewardish. When we prioritize land preservation and management, we reduce the need for fertilization. Read further about land stewardship here.

Wiley Canning Company sources locally as often as possible. We provide detailed information for others to source locally, as well. You can view our Sourcing Information page here. When sourcing, we ask, “What is accessible? What feels more responsible?” Learn more about this set of questions here.

We focus primarily on canning, pickling, and preserving fruits and vegetables. This primarily supports Earth’s plant life and reduces demand for animal products.

We do our best to source in-season fruits and vegetables to minimize transportation, or road vehicles, from other cities, states, and countries.

We teach others how to can, pickle, and preserve through Wiley Recipes and Wiley Workshops.

We compost all food waste through Compost Nashville.

1. Andrew Moseman, “How much carbon dioxide does the Earth naturally absorb?,” MIT Climate Portal, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, January 04, 2022, https://climate.mit.edu/ask-mit/how-much-carbon-dioxide-does-earth-naturally-absorb

2. EPA, “Overview of Greenhouse Gases,” United States Environmental Protection Agency, United States Government, 2022, https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases#overview

3. Hannah Ritchie, “Cars, planes, trains: where do CO2 emissions from transport come from?,” Our World in Data, Global Change Data Lab, October 06, 2021, https://ourworldindata.org/co2-emissions-from-transport

4. EIA, “Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the U.S.,” United States Energy Information Administration, United States Government, 2011, https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/ghg_report/ghg_methane.php

5. USDA, “Why should we care about food waste?,” United States Department of Agriculture, United States Government, 2022, https://www.usda.gov/foodlossandwaste/why

6. EPA, “Composting Food Waste: Keeping a Good Thing Going,” United States Environmental Protection Agency, United States Government, 2020, https://www.epa.gov/snep/composting-food-waste-keeping-good-thing-going