We’ve all heard the term carbon footprint a lot over the past decade and with a renewed interest in greener, more eco-friendly practices everyone is taking more responsibility for their impact on the environment. We can all agree that everyone would like to reduce their energy consumption, but how do you know where to start? And, are little things like recycling or taking public transit really enough to make a difference?
I’ve been wrestling with these questions for some time and decided that the first step to reducing my own carbon footprint was identifying which of my daily activities are helpful or harmful to the environment. To get an idea of where I stood, I began with a simple Google search. I typed the phrase “What’s my carbon footprint?” into the search bar and came up with 1, 910,000 hits, all related to energy consumption and climate change. Surprised by the sheer number of sites and carbon calculators available online, I decided to go with the site at the top the list called, “Carbon Footprint Calculator,” powered by the Nature Conservancy.
This particular site calculates your annual carbon footprint by having you complete a series of survey questions, like where you live, how you commute to work, how often you fly and how often you compost. According to the site, my daily activities produce over 12 tons of carbon dioxide per year, a shocking blow to my confidence as a green citizen, and my ranking was well below the national U.S. average of 27 tons of carbon dioxide per person per year. After looking at the final calculation, I was shocked by the impact just one person can have on the environment and a bit discouraged that I could produce tons of carbon dioxide, despite making a conscious effort to recycle, walk to work and do my best to reduce my energy consumption. Now I knew my annual impact, but I still wasn't sure how to reduce my footprint, so I went back to Google to find out more.
After doing some digging, I found a handful of sites that offer practical tips for reducing energy consumption, and one of the most user-friendly sites is www.whatsmycarbonfootprint.com, powered by FirmGreen. The site has an in-depth carbon calculator and an entire section dedicated to tips/tricks for reducing your daily energy consumption. Also, all the figures on the site are based on information pulled from recent data collected on several government agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency and the Energy Information Agency (part of the Department of Energy).
– Contributed by Gretchen Doores. Follow her at @canadiangal84
Hi Gretchen,I agree that small steps, particularly at home and in the office, are the best way to start reducing your carbon footprint. I was recently trained to perform home energy audits to help homeowners cut energy use, and it’s all practical stuff:
-make sure your fridge and freezer at optimal temperatures so they are not working too hard
-use low-flow shower heads and compact fluorescent light bulbs to save energy and water use
-avoid “phantom loads” like phone chargers plugged into the wall, or laptops always plugged into the wall
-pump up car tires to get better gas mileage
-wash you clothes in cold water
We do savings calculations for each home visit, and even though each little thing seems minor on its own, the combined impact is significant, especially when spread across millions of people.
I’m going to take the test. thanks for spelling it out!