Understand Your Environmental Impact
Do you understand your impact on the environment? So many of our daily actions add greenhouse gases to the atmosphere and it’s not all our fault.
Much of the technology which makes our lives more comfortable and better was created before we understood what the consequences would be. What can one person do to make a difference? Can we reduce our carbon footprint?
How is Your Carbon Footprint Defined?
Carbon footprint is usually defined as the total emissions caused by an individual, event, organization, or product. It is expressed as it’s carbon dioxide equivalent.
Where did the Term Carbon Footprint Come From?
The name carbon footprint originated from ecological footprint, which was developed in the 1990s. This accounting approach compares how much people consume compared to what the planet can renew.
Using this allows us to assess the number of “earths” that would be required if everyone on the planet consumed resources at the same level as the person calculating their ecological footprint.
How to Calculate Your Carbon Footprint
Our total carbon footprint can’t in most cases be exactly calculated because of inadequate knowledge and data about the complexity of interactions of humans and our natural environment. This includes the influence of the natural processes which store and release carbon dioxide.
Many suggest that it’s best to define carbon footprint broadly. This is necessary because most of the average households carbon footprint emissions come from indirect sources.
An example of these indirect sources would be the fuel burned to produce and deliver goods from distant manufacturers to the final consumer. These indirect sources are separate from the emissions which come from direct energy consumption by consumer’s in their homes and daily transportation.
Calculate Your Carbon Footprint
If you would like to calculate your Carbon Footprint, follow the link to the free carbon footprint calculator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
