I decided to have a little fun with this story. I am going to give you the basics on how to calculate your carbon footprint, and because I am The Green Guy, I’ll actually give you mine for a comparison. Needless to say, this is going to give us all a general idea of our carbon footprints, so it isn’t going to spot-on precise, but it will get you thinking, and we’ll both be able to smile while we do this.
The Nature Conservancy has a dandy little carbon footprint calculator, which is where I went to figure out my statistics. They will ask you things such as what state you live in, if you have efficient lighting and whether or not you recycle. They even get into the type of car you drive and/or if you do any flying for business or pleasure. They’ll ask if you have Energy Star appliances, and even the kind of food you eat, such as whether you eat meat and buy organic produce.
I live in Wisconsin, and that automatically puts me at a disadvantage with someone who lives in a warmer climate. Although I am incredibly frugal with my natural gas heating, which means I wear sweatshirts and have a little blanket I cover myself with in my office, I still have to keep the pipes from freezing by burning gas. Of course I recycle religiously, and I rarely drive more than 20 miles per week since I live in a small town and stores and services are merely a walk or bike ride away. I check my tire pressure and air filter regularly; I don’t eat much meat, and I try to eat organic whenever I can.
Although I do recycle, I have no place to compost food scraps (not that I have many scraps to begin with) and I have taken major steps to reduce using hot water like taking three-minute showers, washing dishes and my clothing in cold water, and I even transfer my coffee to a thermal jug so it stays hot without using energy.
Drum roll please! The average person in the US has a carbon footprint score of 27. I, Dale Y The Green Guy, have a score of 26. That doesn’t sound so good, does it? Well, here’s why. Thirty-six percent of the average person's carbon footprint comes from energy costs. Obviously, the warmer the latitude that you live in, the less energy you’ll burn to heat your home with.
Because I live in a northern climate, 90 percent of my carbon footprint comes from energy costs. Although I conserve energy as much as possible, bundle myself up in my blanket, and keep the heat really low, I still burn more energy than what is considered average. Unfortunately, there is not a whole lot more I can do about that. But, I still am one point lower than the national average, so I am patting myself on the back regardless.
What's your score? Go ahead and take the test and compare it with me. It might inspire you to make a few green changes in your life to be better, or just get yourself a blanket for those chilly nights, Because Action speaks louder than words!
Source: BecauseAction.com
