The footprint is invisible, but it is there.
And it is getting bigger.
Cox News Service file illustration |
The bigger a person's carbon footprint is, the worse it is for the environment.
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CARBON FOOTPRINT CALCULATOR
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Every time people leave a light on after exiting a room, make several car trips when one would have sufficed or throw away stacks of paper that could have been recycled, they increase their carbon footprint.
In this case, bigger is not better, said Gillan Taddune, chief environmental officer with Green Mountain Energy Co., an industry consulting company in Austin, Texas.
A carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere based on a person's lifestyle, Taddune said. The idea is meant to help people understand their personal impact on climate change. The bigger the footprint, the worse it is for the environment.
"Carbon emissions are one of the leading causes of global warming, so anything that anybody, either an individual or business, is doing to emit carbon emissions is affecting the planet in terms of climate change," Taddune said.
The first step to reducing the footprint is to figure out what it is, said Rory Gopaul, director of business development at Carbon Solutions Group, an environmental consulting firm in Chicago. The footprint's biggest component is emissions generated from burning fossil fuels to heat and cool a home and from driving and flying.
"An individual would start with the amount of miles they drive, or more specifically, the amount of gallons of fuel that they combust in their cars. They would look at how much natural gas or heating oil they use to heat their homes or cook food. They would also look at electricity," Gopaul said.
The average American's carbon footprint is more than 21 tons of carbon dioxide a year, said Jena Thompson, director of Go Zero, a climate change program with The Conservation Fund. The nonprofit environmental group's primary mission is land conservation and habitat restoration.
The average footprint represents enough carbon dioxide emissions to fill 41/2 Olympic-size swimming pools, according to bp.com, the Web site for gasoline producer BP Amoco PLC.
The numbers can vary widely depending on what part of the country a person lives in and his or her lifestyle, Thompson said.
"New Yorkers, for example, live in very small spaces that don't use an extraordinary amount of energy to heat and cool their homes. They take public transportation, or they walk. All of those ideas are ways that you can reduce your carbon footprint, but they are not necessarily accessible to everyone," Thompson said.
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Once people have determined their carbon footprints, they can start trying to reduce the numbers, Taddune said. In the home, recycle when possible, especially paper, aluminum cans and plastic. This reduces the amount of waste put in landfills and the energy used to make new product packaging.
Reduce electricity use by switching at least five lights to compact fluorescent light bulbs, turning off unused appliances and the lights in empty rooms and adjusting the thermostat up and down depending on the season, Taddune said.
People also can ensure their houses are as energy efficient as possible by caulking windows and doors and checking insulation levels. Use more energy efficient appliances, such as washing machines and dishwashers, and make sure they are full before running them. Check into installing a solar-powered water heating or electricity system.
"Helping people understand their carbon footprint helps them understand their energy consumption better, which helps them make better decisions about the energy that they consume. And that, at the end of the day, saves everyone money and makes us more efficient," Gopaul said.
As far as transportation is concerned, flights are not usually dependent on one person, so his or her effect is harder to gauge, Gopaul said.
Driving, on the other hand, is something that is very much in control of the owner, Thompson said. People can reduce their footprint by consolidating errands into single trips, unloading unnecessary items from the trunk and keeping tires properly inflated, all of which save gas.
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As well as a person's primary carbon footprint, there is a secondary footprint that people cause through their buying habits, Gopaul said. For example, people should buy local produce and drink more tap water instead of purchasing fruits, vegetables and bottles of water from out of state.
"There is less fuel used to truck in or fly in the food. Therefore there is less carbon dioxide equivalent gases being emitted as a result of the food that you put on your table," Gopaul said.
The idea of saving the environment all alone can seem overwhelming, Thompson said, but it doesn't have to be. If people will just take small actions that reduce energy usage and fuel consumption, they will be helping.
