Reduced your petrol consumption and think you've covered your fossil fuel footprint? Think again

If you have made an effort to reduce your petrol consumption by limiting using the car for unnecessary or short journeys - more power to you.
However, the family car is not the only way a household consumes fossil fuels.

Yes, I hear you say - we have an oil heater and we sometimes travel by air.
But don't stop there. Start to count the myriad other ways fossil fuel products enter your home.

For instance, according to Planet Green, fossil fuel derivatives are found in:
Pillows. Aspirin. Ammonia. Toothpaste and toothbrushes. Guitar strings. Shoe polish. Tape. Rubbing Alcohol. Vitamin capsules. Solvents. Caulking. Insecticides. Deodorant. Glue. Pantyhose and other nylon products. Most chewing gums. Waxed paper and packaging. Paraffin-based candles. Many inks and crayons. Majority of hair dyes and hair shampoos. Plastic bags. Paint. Detergents. Shaving cream. Many bandages. Disposable nappies. Perfume. Insect repellents. Food wrap. Non-leather purses. Non-leather shoes/shoe soles. Rubber boots. Rubber bands. Shower curtains. Skin creams—hand lotions, facial products, etc. Mineral oil.

Now many of these products are indispensable in modern urban life but, by the same token, many also have non-disposable alternatives or natural equivalents. Perhaps it's time to try to eliminate just a few of these other petroleum products on the way to a lower fossil fuel footprint.