What is a carbon footprint?

We all leave a mark on our planet. Think of your carbon footprint as your personal
impact.
In technical terms, your carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gas you produce
in units of carbon dioxide. This footprint is determined by your daily lifestyle and ac-
tivities, such as travel (car, plane, train, etc), electrical use, consumption of products
and services, foods you eat, etc.
human causes of climate change, greenhouse gases are the primary contributors to
many of today’s environmental issues, including pollution, climate change, and global
warming.
Calculating your carbon footprint can help you to identify ways that you can lessen
your impact on the environment. Calculating your carbon footprint requires taking lots
of different factors into account. You may not be able to get an exact figure to represent
your carbon footprint, but you can get a close estimate. You can calculate some things,
like your water usage and waste, using points, while others, like the impact of your car
and utilities, can be calculated in tons of CO2 emissions.
Count the members of your household. If you live alone, then your carbon footprint
will likely be higher than someone who lives in a house or apartment with other people.
This is because you would be sharing the electricity, water, and fuel costs to keep your
dwelling up and running.
• If you live alone, then add 14 points to your carbon footprint.
• If you share a house or apartment with 1 other person, then add 12
points.
• If you share a house or apartment with 2 other people, then add 10
points.
• If you share a house or apartment with 3 other people, then add 8 points.
• If you share a house or apartment with 4 other people, then add 6 points.
• If you share a house or apartment with 5 other people, then add 4 points.
• If you share a house or apartment with more than 5 other people, then
add 2 points.

Consider the size of your home. A smaller home makes a smaller impact on the en-
vironment. Take the size of your home into account as you calculate your impact.
 • If you have a large house, then add 10 points to your score.
• If you have a medium-sized house, then add 7 points.
• If you have a small house, then add 4 points.
• If you live in an apartment, then add 2 points.

Evaluate your food choices. The types of food that you eat can also have an effect on
your carbon footprint. You will have a higher carbon footprint if you eat meat from
domesticated animals regularly, and you will have a lower carbon footprint if you eat
no meat or animal products at all.
• If you eat domestic meat on a daily basis, then add 10 points.
• If you eat domestic meat a few times per week, then add 8 points.
• If you are a vegetarian, then add 4 points.
• If you are a vegan or only eat wild meat, then add 2 points.
• You would also add 12 points if most of the food you eat is prepackaged
convenience food, such as frozen pizza, cereal, and potato chips. If you
have a good balance of fresh and convenience food, then just add 6
points. If you only eat fresh, locally grown, or hunted food, then add 2
points.
Examine your water consumption. Your water consumption from appliances is also
important to consider as you calculate your carbon footprint. Consider how many times
per week you run your dishwasher and/or washing machine.
• If you run your dishwasher or washing machine more than 9 times per
week, then add 3 points. If you run it 4 to 9 times, then add 2 points. If
you run it 1 to 3 times, then add 1 point. If you don't have a dishwasher,
then add nothing.
• If you have a dishwasher and a washing machine, then perform the cal-
culation twice.

Determine how many household purchases you make each year. The number of
new items that you buy for your household can also affect your carbon footprint. If you
buy lots of new things, then your score will be higher than someone who does not buy
anything or who only buys second hand items.
• If you buy more than 7 new pieces of furniture, electronics, or other
household gadgets per year, then add 10 points.
• If you purchase between 5 and 7 items, then give yourself 8 points.
 • If you purchase between 3 and 5 items, then give yourself 6 points.
• If you purchase less than 3 items, then give yourself 4 points.
• If you purchase almost nothing or only second hand items, then give
yourself 2 points.

Consider how much waste you produce. The more trash cans you fill each week, the
larger your carbon footprint will be. Count up how many times you fill your garbage
cans each week and then assign points based on these numbers.
• If you fill 4 garbage cans each week, then add 50 points.
• If you fill 3 garbage cans each week, then add 40 points.
• If you fill 2 garbage cans per week, then add 30 points.
• If you fill 1 garbage can per week, then add 20 points.
• If you fill half of a garbage can or less per week, then add 5 points.
Identify the amount of waste that you recycle. If you do not recycle, then add 24
points to your score. However, if you do recycle, then start with 24 points and subtract
4 points for each type of item that you recycle. You can subtract four points for each
of the following recycling categories:
• Glass
• Plastic
• Paper
• Aluminum
• Steel
• Food waste (composting)

Tally up your annual transportation scores. You will also need to consider your
travel, including how far you travel in a personal vehicle, how far you travel with public
transportation, and how far you travel by plane for vacations.
• For your personal vehicle usage, add 12 points if you travel more than
15,000 miles per year. Add 10 points if you travel 10,000 to 15,000 miles
per year. Add 6 points if you travel 1,000 to 10,000 miles per year. Add
4 points if you travel less than 1,000 miles per year. Add nothing if you
don't have a car.
• For public transportation, add 12 points if you travel more than 20,000
miles per year. Add 10 points if you travel 15,000 to 20,000 miles per
year. Add 6 points if you travel 10,000 to 15,000 miles per year. Add 4
points if you travel 1,000 to 10,000 miles per year. Add 2 points for less
than 1,000 miles per year. Add nothing if you do not use public transpor-
tation.
• For flights, add 2 points if you only travel short distances in 1 year, such
as within your state. Add 6 points if you travel further distances, such as
 to a nearby state or country. Add 20 points if you travel far, such as to
another continent.

Add up your points. After you have calculated your points for each category, add
them up to get your carbon footprint score. The lower the score the better. If your score
is less than 60 points, then you are making a small impact on your planet. If it is higher
than 60, then you might want to look for some ways that you can reduce your impact.
• For instance, you can replace old appliances with energy-efficient ones,
purchase items with less packaging, use public transportation or carpool,
compost, and recycle.