Carbon Foot print
Time is running out.
Everyone-including you– leaves a carbon footprint, an invisible trail of greenhouse gases created by our daily activities. The size of your footprint depends on the amount of energy you use. For example, when you drive a car, each gallon of gasoline you burn roduces carbon in the form of carbon dioxide. Depending on the fuel efficiency of your vehicle and the miles traveled, a gasoline-powered car can easily generate its own weight in carbon dioxide each year. The average American is responsible for about 20 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year, a far greater per capita number than that of any other industrialized country. In fact, the US accounts for more than 20% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions. You can reduce your carbon footprint by driving a more efficient car, or driving less. You can also plant trees or help preserve forests to offset your emissions, since trees are a sink for carbon. The carbon footprint calculator estimates CO2 emissions for energy use and transportation, and for organizations paper use, because these types of activities are responsible for a significant percentage of U.S. emissions, and are measurable based on readily available information. Your total carbon footprint would account for the energy used to produce all the products and services you consume, as well as all your other activities, and would be substantially larger. Home energy use and transportation represent approximately 40% of all U.S. emissions.
Calculate your carbon footprint today at
www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/carboncalculator
www.carbonfund.org or
www.safeclimate.net/calculator
Multiply your figure x 100,000 = Elgin’s Residential Footprint
