What is my carbon footprint and why do I want to reduce it?

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 is the chemical symbol for carbon dioxide).

To put it in simpler terms: It refers to how much climate-changing carbon dioxide each of us is responsible for producing - either directly or indirectly.

When you drive a car, the engine burns fuel which creates a certain amount of CO2, depending on its fuel consumption and the driving distance. When you heat your house or business with oil, gas or coal, then you also generate CO2. Even if you heat with electricity, the generation of the electrical power may also have emitted a certain amount of CO2. When you buy food and goods, the production, transportation and storing of the food and goods also emitted some quantities of CO2.

What can we do to help?

Every one of us contributes to the greenhouse gas emissions that are causing climate change. Yet, there are many things each of us, as individuals and as organizations, can do to reduce our carbon emissions.

One thing is to use more efficient and more environmentally-friendly ways to heat and cool our homes and businesses. Not only will this help save you money, it will help save the world.