What Is Carbon Footprint?

What Is Carbon Footprint?

Your Carbon Footprint is a measure of how much carbon dioxide (CO2) is emitted annually into the atmosphere as a result of your day-to-day lifestyle. It encompasses all the daily activities you do and allows you to understand more clearly what impact your regular lifestyle has on global warming as a whole.

Your Carbon Footprint is built up by considering many different elements of your day-to-day actions and applying a CO2 emissions calculation to each of these. The most common and most frequently calculated elements include:

Your home's annual electricity and gas usage for heating, lighting and powering your household.

Your fuel usage for all the car journeys you undertake.

Your portion of the emissions created by the bus, train, boat and plane journeys you take.

The carbon impact of your shopping and consumerism.

The impact of the production, use and disposal of your household waste.

Carbon dioxide is a so called greenhouse gas causing global warming . Other greenhouse gases which might be emitted as a result of your activities are e.g. methane and ozone. These greenhouse gases are normally also taken into account for the carbon footprint. They are converted into the amount of CO2 that would cause the same effects on global warming (this is called equivalent CO2 amount)

The carbon footprint is a very powerful tool to understand the impact of personal behaviour on global warming. Most people are shocked when they see the amount of CO2 their activities create! If you personally want to contribute to stop global warming, the calculation and constant monitoring of your personal carbon footprint is essential.

Smart ways to reduce your carbon footprints:

As well as your primary carbon footprint, there is also a secondary footprint that you cause through your buying habits.

Don't buy bottled water if your tap water is safe to drink

Buy local fruit and vegetables, or even try growing your own

Buy foods that are in season locally

Don't buy fresh fruit and vegetables which are out of season, they may have been flown in

Reduce your consumption of meat

Try to only buy products made close to home (look out and avoid items that are made in the distant lands)

Buy organic products

Don't buy over packaged products

Recycle as much as possible

Think carefully about the type of activities you do in your spare time. Do any of these cause an increase in carbon emissions? e.g. Saunas, Health clubs, restaurants and pubs, go-karting etc. etc...