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A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced by an individual human's activity. It is measured in units of carbon dioxide. The "footprint" concept is meant help individuals and organizations conceptualize their impact on global warming.
Once an individual or organization has calculated their "footprint", they can generate carbon offsets - the mitigation of carbon emissions through alternative projects. For example, projects involving renewable energy (solar, wind), reforestation, methane collection.
Carbon footprints are usually expressed as tons of CO2 (carbon doixide) or CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalents), emitted per year. There are many carbon footprint calculators on the internet to calculate your personal carbon footprint (many linked to on this page).
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Primary vs. Secondary
Carbon footprint calculation can be broken down into 2 parts- Primary (or direct) footprint: emissions from fossil fuels consumed directly by the individual or business, for heating, electricity, and transportation
- Secondary (indirect) footprint: emissions generated from the whole life cycle of all products and services used or consumed by an entity
- Total footprint = primary + secondary
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Carbon Offsets
- Carbon offset: purchase/investment in technology/process that reduces greenhouse gases
- Business use offsets to meet governmental requirements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- Reduction purchased is netted against the business's carbon footprint to satisfy compliance targets
- Individuals can also buy carbon offsets (investing tree planting or energy efficient technologies, for example)
- This reduces global greenhouse gas production without individuals having to adjusting their own behaviors
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The Mahalo Top 7
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Wikipedia: Carbon Footprint
en.wikipedia.org -
U.S. EPA: Personal Emissions Calculator
epa.gov -
Carbon Clear: Zero Impact
carbon-clear.com -
JRC European Commission: Carbon Footprint - What It Is and How to... (2007) (10.74KB)
lca.jrc.ec.europa.eu -
The New Yorker: Big Foot
newyorker.com (February 25, 2008) -
Stockholm Environment Institute: The Carbon Cost of Christmas (2007) (64KB)
climatetalk.org.uk -
Reuters Video: How Big's Your Carbon Footprint? (Time: 3:36)
reuters.com
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Wikipedia: Carbon Footprint
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Carbon Footprint on Twitter Powered by Twitter
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How to reduce help your carbon footprint: http://tr.im/EVyE #abcnews
@AndersFillman | November 14, 2009 04:50 AM -
Reminder-America Recycles Day = Sunday..R U Recycling/Reducing/Reusing to reduce YOUR carbon footprint? What 1 thing will you do to help?
@StephonieKirby | November 14, 2009 04:46 AM -
Reduce your carbon party planning footprint - Paper & Cake printable partyware! http://paperandcake.bigcartel.com/
@paperandcake | November 14, 2009 04:44 AM -
I've reduced my carbon footprint by 526 pounds by trading books, CDs, movies, and video games on www.swaptree.com. I love this cool site!
@wickedrodz | November 14, 2009 04:42 AM -
Autodesk draws up new way of setting carbon footprint goals. http://bit.ly/3KhARw
@SomeChum | November 14, 2009 04:22 AM
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Carbon Footprint on Amazon | View All
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MSR Carbon Reflex 2 Footprint - $39.95
MSR footprints protect tent floors from sharp objects and ground water while also acting as groung cloths in lightweight, tarp-style setups.
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The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Your Carbon Footprint - $9.95
"Awareness of global climate change has reached critical mass around theworld, and people are looking to see how the choices they make affect theenvironment. This highly practical and easy-to-use reference helps readersunderstand how to do ...
Amazon -
The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Your Carbon Footprint - $9.95
Take the first step toward a better environment. Awareness of global climate change has reached critical mass around the world, and people are looking to see how the choices they make affect the environment. This highly p...
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2008 Global Conference: Market Solutions to Climate Change: The European Experience - $29.95
Europe has taken a proactive approach to addressing climate change, with the EU committing its 27 member states to reducing their carbon footprints by 20 percent beyond the Kyoto accords by 2020. The enormous cost of emissions reduction wil...
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How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint: 365 Simple Ways to Save Energy, Resources, and Money - $12.95
How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint is the world citizen's guide to pushing back the advance of global warming. This colorful handbook offers 500 practical, easily achievable ideas that conserve energy, prevent pollution, and save ...
Amazon
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Questions and Answers About Carbon Footprint | View All | Ask a Question
View All Carbon Footprint Questions (65) | Ask a QuestionHow can we best calculate our own Carbon Footprint? (4 Answers)This site seems to give a decent Carbon footprint estimate for an individual or a family. http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator/?src=spl6 Here is a great website showing a visual simulation in real-time showing the ... read moreWhat is the number one thing the average consumer can do to offset their carbon footprint during the course of one year ? (3 Answers)The best way to reduce carbon monoxide emissions is to adjust your lifestyle to save energy. Reduce, reuse, recycle. 1. Ride a bike, carpool or take public transpotation to school ... read moreWhat is the Carbon footprint of Twitter? (1 Answer)I actually don't think you could measure the carbon footprint of Twitter without including every single user (to a degree) since Twitter would essentially be nothing without the us. We ... read morei need to calculate my footprint, how can i do it, please help? (2 Answers)Since @psynopsis has already asked for clarification, I'm just gong to make one assumption here. Do you mean your carbon footprint? There are many online calculators that do this, however, ... read more
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