Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Carbon footprint

I’ve been reading lately about our carbon footprint.  Here is what I have learned. 

Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.  It also defines our carbon footprint.  Basically, this is a measure of the impact our activities have on the environment, and especially, climate change.  It relates to the amount of greenhouse gases or carbon dioxide that is produced in our day-to-day lives, typically through the burning of fossil fuels for electricity, heating and transportation.   Simply put, it is the amount of total carbon dioxide emitted for us to carry out our daily lives.

The carbon footprint consists of two parts.  The primary footprint is a measure of our direct emissions of CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels including domestic energy consumption and transportation (e.g. car and plane). We have direct control of these.

The secondary footprint is a measure of the indirect CO2 emissions from the whole lifecycle of products we use - those associated with their manufacture and eventual breakdown. To put it very simply – the more we buy, the more emissions will be caused on our behalf.

Are you aware that your home is typically the largest contributor to your carbon footprint annually? 
Why is it important to reduce our carbon footprint?  Because carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that damages the environment and contributes to global warming.  It is important for all of us to be aware of this and take steps to reduce our carbon footprint.  To see what you can do to reduce your carbon footprint, go Here

Finally, if you’re interested, you can also go Here to calculate your own carbon footprint.

footprints

6 comments:

  1. Pam, it's great to "see" you again! I try to be as environmentally friendly as I can, but I suspect that between my house and cars and pets, I'm not doing a very good job! I'll have to take the test and see how big my carbon footprint is.

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  2. Wow! Our smart fortwo cabrio has a carbon footprint more than double the size of our fortwo coupe!

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  3. Thank you very much for sharing your views and knowledge on carbon footprints. More power to the green movement!

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  4. Just saw article on Science Daily about peat bogs. They hold one of the highest concentrations of carbon on the planet.

    Good for the earth.

    Except we are destroying peat habitat......

    Who knew?

    Garden & Be Well, XO Tara

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