How to Measure Your Carbon Footprint

Click here to measure your carbon footprint. It is absolutely free. There are several websites where you can enter information such as the number of household members in the home and your method of heating and cooling. However, measuring your carbon footprint isn't really necessary.

According to the Time for Change website, a carbon footprint is defined as, "The total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activities, usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide (CO2)." In other words, our automobiles, air conditioning and even the production of the foods that we buy emit a certain amount of CO2 which determines our carbon footprint.

They say that reducing the carbon footprint of your car would be a very good first step. A good tune up will not only reduce your carbon footprint but will also increase the life of the car and save money on gas. This is common knowledge. A good running engine doesn't burn as much gas or oil as a poorly maintained automobile. They also say that if you normally keep more than one vehicle, one of them should be fuel-efficient for trips that don't require a large automobile and that oil and gas filters should be replaced regularly and tire pressure should be properly maintained.

Most of the websites that help measure your carbon footprint only give a reading of "average, below average, or above average" and therefore, it seems logical that simply taking all the steps you can to reduce your carbon footprint is all anyone should ask of you. What more can you do? There are a number of areas where you may not be able to cut back while it's possible to reduce to the maximum in other areas.

It is widely believed that in order to reduce your carbon footprint, changes will have to be made in many areas of your life and that these changes will not only benefit the environment but will also benefit you in the long run. But it's not a "one size fits all." If your occupation demands a lot of air travel how can you reduce your carbon footprint in this area? If you need a large automobile for business and can't afford the expense associated with owning another vehicle, there's not much you can do about it.

Nevertheless, there are a number of ways to reduce your carbon footprint that will put you in the "average" or even "below average" category. If you're concerned about doing your part, you can rest assured that if you at least try to reduce where you can that you are doing a lot more than many others are doing which is nothing at all.

By doing such things as recycling, maintaining your car, and simply readjusting thermostats you could cut your CO2 emissions in half. If you have the room, planting a tree would greatly reduce your carbon footprint. Trees absorb carbon dioxide and store it in their bark, roots and foliage. Fruit trees serve a double purpose in that they not only help the environment but also yield food.

Recycling is probably one of the best ways to lower your carbon footprint. Our landfills are bulging with things that could have been reused. Aluminum cans are one of the worse things to throw away as they can remain in a landfill for more than 200 years! Newspapers can be recycled yet millions of them end up in landfills every day.

We have grown accustomed to a way of life that is killing the planet. We didn't do it on purpose. It just kind of slipped up on us unawares. However, now that we have been made aware of the wasteful lifestyles we have been living, we need to get busy and change it for the betterment of our planet. People all over the world are joining in the fight to improve the environment by lowering their carbon footprint. If you're not doing so, today would be a good time to start.

But extremes are not necessary. Don't worry about the areas of your life that you can't change but rather, focus on what you can change. Every little bit helps and if everyone had this kind of attitude there would be a tremendous change. The world's resources are running very thin these days and unless we take the necessary steps to reverse our wasteful lifestyles, there will come a time when clean air and water will be very scarce.

The world has never experienced as much unrest as it is experiencing today. We are living in the most unique period in human history. What we do now could determine the future of the next generation. Will our children be able to say that we at least made an effort to lower our carbon footprint? Or will they shamefully admit that we cared only for the moment without a single thought to their future? A few simple changes can make a world of difference.

Therefore, rather than burn yourself out trying to single-handedly save the planet, simply do what you are able to do as you are able to do it. Go ahead and measure your carbon footprint if you feel the need, but if you make even the slightest effort to reduce your carbon footprint you have already done more than most people on the planet. Once you begin putting forth the effort you'll learn that it can be very rewarding which will motivate you to do more.

Interesting Reading:

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