About Green Living

The Importance of Going Green

Green Living — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:46:32 +0000

Every day we experience weather changes and world catastrophes caused by global warming, erosion, and other ecological changes the Earth has experienced over the past century. Complete rain forests have been destroyed, never to grow back. The planet is dying – poisoned by all the toxic waste and pollution we have released upon it.

It is time for all of us to do something to save what little is left of the planet’s resources, to try and give back to the Earth all that it has given to us. For our children and their children, we must change our ways so that future generations have a cleaner world where they can breathe unpolluted air and drink clean water. This attitude is called “going green” and it is sweeping the planet like wildfire.

There are easy steps anyone can take to start going green. Recycling is one way to help, by placing plastic, metal, glass, and organic waste separated into different garbage bins. Using the minimal amount of water necessary to shower, brush your teeth, and shave, avoiding the use of aerosol sprays, walking more and driving less, are all ways to go green.

Doing these small things won’t save the Earth, or us from killing ourselves with polluted air, dirty water and the sun’s ultraviolet rays, but if enough people around the world join these efforts, we can have a positive impact on our environment and give future generations a more stable platform from which to solve future problems.

Taking small steps now, changing old wasteful and harmful habits into more sustainable habits sets the foundations for the shift in mind-set that will ultimately be needed to save the planet. It sets a good example for those around you, your children, family and friends.

Over the years human beings have been a major force in the disappearance of many plant and animal species from the face of the Earth. These life forms – birds, insects, mammals, and plants – have disappeared because of environmental destruction and humankind encroaching on their habitats. Who knows, one of these extinct species may have been the cure for cancer or Alzheimer’s disease, but we’ll never know because they are gone forever. It is time to start protecting what is left of this planet we call home.

Going green is not a choice anymore, it is a responsibility. That is why it is so important to try and do the small things that can help change the outlook of the planet. In fact, many of the things we can do, we actually already do! Just a little thing such as sorting our garbage into what can be recycled, or using less water, and generally consuming fewer resources does not require much effort on our part. You can even make a case that using your car less may cause you to exercise more. There is no great sacrifice involved in going green at home, but it’s a numbers game, much can be accomplished if many of us join this effort.

13 Steps to Greening Your Home

Green Living — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 08:37:04 +0000

There has been, and continues to be, much conversation about conserving energy in your home. Conservation is necessary to ensure there are enough resources for our future and the future of the next generations.

When the discussions about energy conservation began, people were overwhelmed and confused – to incorporate energy conservation in homes seemed complicated and expensive. As time passed, costs decreased and families are now able to incorporate energy-saving tools for much less money. Also, we have become more educated about conserving energy; it’s becoming a way of life.

Following are 13 steps that you can do to conserve energy, money, and green your home.

Unplug anything in your house that you are not using or have finished using for the day – examples – lamps in unused rooms, hair dryer after using for the day, televisions, coffee pots, toasters – the savings add up quickly.
Install or learn to use a programmable thermostat for heating and cooling.
Turn off lights each time you leave a room.
Contact your utility company to set up a free assessment of your energy usage and how to use energy more effectively. Utility companies are generally set up to render this service at no cost.
Change out standard light bulbs for energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs that have a longer life. These light bulbs have become more cost efficient – watch for sales or rebates from your utility company. If everyone in the United States replaced all their standard bulbs for compact fluorescent bulbs this would be the equivalent of taking 1,000,000 cars off the road.
Determine if your utility company has different rates for using your utilities at different times of day; e.g., on-peak and off-peak hours.
Replace appliances with energy star products.
Recycle everything you can think of – cans, plastic bottles, wrapping paper, newspapers, magazines, cardboard boxes, etc. If your community does not have a recycling program, contact them to see if one can be started – if not, get creative – recycle anyway.
Run dishwasher when the dishwasher is full of dishes versus half full.
Buy and use BPA-free water bottles instead of buying water in plastic bottles.
Turn off your computers at night versus putting them to sleep.
Keep your tires inflated always; you will save money on fuel and go farther per mile.
Use cloth napkins during your meals versus paper napkins.

This is a short list of ideas for greening your home. It does not take a lot of extra work or money but it takes living life consciously to determine where you can begin to be conservative. Everything you do will make a difference. If you begin to incorporate the above suggestions, you will make an impact on the life and quality of our planet.

Heirloom Seeds – Help Save The Planet

Green Living — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 22:12:40 +0000

Heirloom seeds have made a dramatic comeback in recent years. It is said that there are more than 5,000 heirloom tomato varieties alone. But heirloom seeds are much more than tomatoes, each variety has its own life story. Each seed has been sown, cultivated, harvested, saved, and passed on, often for hundreds of years, down through the generations.

Some seeds have mysterious tales. Others have been smuggled out of native countries in the hems of ladies dresses or the inside of shoes, to end up with their owners in a new land. Whatever their story, these precious seeds are now stealing the limelight from their F1 hybrid cousins.

What makes heirloom seeds special?

Heirloom seeds can actually be saved from season to season. They are often ‘true’ to their original ancestor species, having been lovingly planted and cultivated year by year with little or no cross-pollination from other similar varieties.

This is what makes heirloom seeds special – a tiny seed is cast into the soil, weighing no more than a spec of dust, only to emerge 100 days later as a magnificent vegetable weighing more than one thousand times its original weight. Then nature comes full circle and creates seeds that weigh no more than a speck of dust, and the cycle goes on.

There is one dramatic difference between heirloom seeds and F1 hybrids – this cycle of life only pertains to heirloom seeds. Hybrid seeds can only manage one season of growth. The seeds they produce are either sterile (non-germinating seeds) or at best create plants that do not look like their parents or do not bear fruit.

F1 hybrids have been cross pollinated to make ’super species’ of cultivars – either grown to produce more fruit, or produce early or longer. This modification has come at a price – inferior flavor, weaker plant lines and more susceptibility to disease.

F1 hybrids essential reduce the bio-diversity of our plant life, and when it comes to food crops, that’s playing a dangerous game indeed. Heirloom seeds on the other hand, and the people who raise and save seed from them, are helping to protect the bio-diversity that we have.

Try something – plant one hybrid and one heirloom seed of the same variety side by side and, provided you supply the correct growing conditions, you’ll see the difference. The F1 hybrid will burst into life with wild abandon, produce an abundance of fruit, then die without a thought of tomorrow. The heirloom however, will grow slowly and steadily. It will take longer to produce a strong framework on which it will bear fruit, and then seed. It is as though the heirloom plant knows it has to pace itself to produce viable seeds for the next season and the continuation of its species. This way of growing produces vegetables and fruits with flavors so divine, like nothing you can buy in a store.

Another distinct advantage of heirloom seeds is that, because they are ‘true’ to their ancestor varieties, they contain more good nutrients than F1 hybrids. They also come in wild shapes and dramatic colors like yellow and purple carrots, deep purple beans, lime green cauliflower and red Brussels sprouts.

Each heirloom seed variety has a life story which is part of its mystique and this story is often handed over along with the seeds.

Unfortunately, over the last 60 years the majority of seed saving has been left to commercial business and it has been reported that one thousand heirloom varieties a year are lost forever. An heirloom gardener will cherish their seeds because they know that they may never find that particular variety again and that one failed crop can wipe out an entire cultivar.

Heirloom seeds are meant for sharing, but you need to take the responsibility seriously, sow and save your seeds with pride, and keep them going for a hundred more years.

Going Green: Starting with your Home

Green Living — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:00:05 +0000

Have you considered going green? Going green is essentially to save our planet from the obvious doom ahead (if nothing is done). Going green is a term that has picked up a lot of steam, and is sure to continue growing in the years to come, because awareness will keep growing. Unfortunately, some people just do not know how important it is to go green as well as live a green life. That being said, learning how to go green in the comfort of your own home or your workplace is not as hard as you may think.

Here are several of the best ways to go green at home:

Save electricity. There are many ways you can do this including switching to compact fluorescent, buying energy saving appliances, and turning off lights and electronics when not in use (power strips make this simple).
Only run the dishwasher, washer, and dryer when you have a full load. By doing this, you save both water and electricity. Of course, energy efficient appliances also help.
Use a low flow shower head. Contrary to popular belief, a low flow head can still offer strong water pressure. Why waste water if you do not have to?
Recycle. This is the cheapest and easiest way of going green at home. All you need is two garbage cans and willingness to separate your trash. Does it get any easier than that?
Properly dispose of all hazardous wastes, regardless of the process that it takes. This includes oil, paint, cleaners, batteries, pesticides, and cleaners. Do not simple dump these items around your home or nearby sewer. Instead, read the label to determine how to properly dispose of them.

Some people never think about going green because they do not believe they can do enough to help the earth – they are sadly mistaken. Even the smallest actions can go a long way in improving the environment for you and those around you. When you decide to go green at home you are playing a special role aimed at saving the world, soon enough you will love this way of living and may decide to expand in anyway possible.

Individuals, Businesses and the world in general must understand the importance of going green and gradually reduce the negative impact of ozone depletion, climate change, rising sea levels, melting icebergs and so on the earth. It seems overwhelming but we can get this done, staring from our homes!

Is Switching To Organic Food A Good Move?

Green Living — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 14:54:46 +0000

When you go to the grocery store, do you drop by the organic food section or walk past it? Do you know what is the difference between the food on the organic aisle and the other aisles? Simply put, organic food is free of chemicals, antibiotics, and growth hormones. In other words, they are truly 100% natural.

There are 3 main reasons why people eat organic food. Let’s take a look at what they are.

Better Health
For most people, the biggest motivator for switching to organic food is that it’s better for the body and health. Feeding your body with food laden with chemicals and pesticides puts you at a higher risk of developing health problems such as cancer. It is disconcerting to know that eating an average apple means eating about 9 pesticides, and this is after you’ve washed it. With organic food, you can be sure you are not harming your body with such toxic substances. Some say that organic foods contain more nutrition. However, this is still up for debate. A recent study by the Department of Human Nutrition, University of Copenhagen do not support that claim. On the other side of the coin, a US study by the Organic Centre found organic food to have 25% higher nutrient levels compared to conventional food.
Better Environment
Organic farmers do not utilize chemical fertilizers and pesticides to produce their yield. Instead, they use eco-friendly methods such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control. Organic farming may not produce as much yield as conventional farming but they contribute to soil and water conservation as well as reduce pollution. Certain pesticides and chemical fertilizers can damage the soil and nearby surroundings. By choosing to eat organic food, you are indirectly doing a small part in protecting the environment.
It Tastes Better
Does organic food really taste better? The difference in taste is more pronounce in certain foods, not all. Many people have commented that food such as chicken, bananas, strawberries, celery, milk and carrots does taste better when they are organic.

According to a Harris poll dated October 2007, a majority of people believe organic food benefits the environment and health. However, the percentage of Americans buying organic food “all or most of the time” is only 7%.

Approximately 30% buy organic food occasionally. Why is that? Organic food may have its benefits but not many are willing to pay twice or three times more for it. The good news is that there are ways to avoid blowing your budget when buying organic food:

Buy in clubs or co-ops
Buy directly from farmers
Buy in bulk
Buy store brands instead of name brands
Plant your own organic garden
Buy in season
Don’t have to switch over to organic food 100%. The following fruits and vegetables are listed by Environmental Working Group (EWG) as the top 12 most contaminated: peach, apple, sweet bell pepper, celery, nectarine, strawberries, cherries, kale, lettuce, imported grapes, carrot and pear. So give priority to these foods when you are deciding which to buy or grow organically.

So, is switching to organic food a good move? Yes. If you think so too, then don’t hesitate to make the switch. It may be pricier but there are ways to keep the expenditure down.

Cargo Bikes, The Perfect Vehicle for an Eco-friendly World

Green Living — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:47:10 +0000

Today, global warming has been a prevalent problem in the world. Because of this, people are seeking ways of cutting the smoke emissions from the Earth that comes from cars, factories, and other industries. The goal is to help impede the process of the greenhouse effect that causes our planet to increase in temperature. One brilliant idea that man invented is the cargo bike.

It is basically a bicycle reinvented. From the former plain design of this eco-friendly transportation, it was redesigned with the functionality to carry a load and even people! In the United Kingdom, this kind of transportation has been well-used by the people, especially those who have little children. They call this type of cargo bike the Dutch ‘bakfiets’ design, which has the capacity to accommodate two to three small children in the cargo area. They use this vehicle to get their children to school.

Riding the cargo bike can become a fun and bonding activity for the family while traveling along the road. The use of cargo bikes is widespread in flat areas of Southeast UK. It is also beginning to become appealing in hilly areas with the future marketing of electric versions of these vehicles.

This vehicle can also be used for other purposes like sight-seeing in the park, picking up grocery items at the market, and transporting goods. Cargo bikes are the perfect vehicle to use if you are doing business in town and there are goods needed to be delivered. This is because it has an additional benefit of not having to pay for gas, which cuts down the expenses. Also, cargo bikes are generally cheaper than cars.

The design of the cargo bike can be personalized, depending on the purpose to which it is being used. The structure and the size of the cargo can be adjusted to the size of the load. Designs and other accessories can also be added to the body of the bicycle, like infant seats and straps for the cargo load, to name a few.

Aside from it being eco-friendly, it also has a therapeutic effect to the riders. It brings them closer to nature compared to being inside the closed door of an exhaust emitting automobile. It can also be good for your health, because biking is an excellent form of exercise. It also makes transportation easy and stress free, because there is the chance to see places in a fresh new way.

Using Natural Pesticides In Your Vegetable Garden

Green Living — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 11:32:20 +0000

Pesticides are harmful to us and the environment. There are more than 9,000 different acceptable pesticides that have been approved by the FDA. You may not be able to see, smell or taste them, but unless you eat organically-grown food, you’re consuming them. And unfortunately these pesticides don’t harm only the pests they are intended for. They can pose health risks for us too.

Pesticides can:

be carcinogenic
cause infertility
cause organ damage
cause birth defects
cause neurological problems

… and more.

The big advantage of growing your own food, is that you can have the freshest, tastiest food for a fraction of the cost of store bought. Now if you could also grow your food organically you would also have the healthiest food available, you won’t be contributing to the environmental damage caused by chemical pesticides and you’d save even more money, since organically grown food is usually more expensive.

Just because you don’t use chemical pesticides, doesn’t mean you have to put up with insect damage to your garden either. There are many tried and true natural pesticide alternatives that work just as well or better. You probably have the ingredients for most of them in your kitchen already. Here are just a few to get you started.

4 Natural Pesticides You Can Make At Home

The Beer Trap: Slugs and snails can decimate a garden literally overnight if they get out of control. Luckily, they also love a popular human beverage – beer. They don’t mind if it’s flat, either. You can use a bowl, or even better re-use a discarded jar with the lid removed. Pour some beer into your container and place it near a bed you want to protect overnight. The slugs and snails, attracted to the beer, will crawl in to have a drink and drown. The next day, tip it out and repeat.
Dish Soap Spray: This is one of the simplest natural pesticides you can make. It works well on mites, aphids, whitefly, mealy bugs and scale insects. Just mix a cup of biodegradable liquid dish soap, such as natural castile soap, into a gallon of water. Pour some into a spray bottle and use it to mist your plants. Only use it when necessary to keep pests under control, because it can slow down the growth of your fruits and vegetables. Since it’s effective, and doesn’t have a strong odor it’s ideal for use on your indoor plants as well.
Garlic & Cayenne Pepper Spray: This spray protects against slugs and insect infestation. To one gallon of water add one minced/mashed garlic bulb, one minced/mashed onion and either 3 fresh cayenne peppers, minced (if you have them) or 4 tablespoons of dried cayenne powder. Let it steep for 24 hours. Strain out all the pulp, so it won’t clog your spray bottle, add 1/4 cup biodegradable liquid dish soap and stir it in. Fill your spray bottle and apply where needed. The pulp can be buried around the edges of your garden beds to help repel the insects. The oil in the cayenne will burn if it comes in contact with your skin or mucus membranes (like your nose and throat), so be sure to use eye protection, gloves, and use caution when working with this spray.
Orange Spray: This spray is great for getting rid of soft-bodied insect pests such as aphids, mealy bugs, and can also be used indoors and out as an ant repellant. Save your orange peels, if they are organically grown, all the better. Use 2 cups of boiling water, and one teaspoon of biodegradable liquid soap (such as castile soap) per orange peel. Pour the boiling water over the peel and let it steep for 24 hours, then strain. Add the liquid soap and pour into spray bottles.

All these recipes use safe, common household ingredients. They’re inexpensive and easy to make, and there is a certain satisfaction and sense of self-sufficiency that comes from making your own natural products. So this summer, instead of tipping out the stale beer after the barbecue or tossing out those orange peels try using them to make your own natural pesticides. Your garden, and your planet, will love you for it.

Energy Saving Laundry Tips: Hot Water vs. Cold Water Washing

Green Living — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 11:26:38 +0000

Many people are still of the old school mentality and want to wash their clothes in hot water to get them clean. One of the time honored tips on going green is to switch to cold water when washing most your clothes. Not only will this save you money, it saves energy too.

Some research has found that using hot water for a load of laundry is equivalent to driving nine miles in an automobile. While this doesn’t seem like a lot, multiply that times the number of loads of laundry you do in a week, and it adds up quickly. If everyone switched to cold water wash, we could eliminate over $3 billion dollars in energy costs, and reduce carbon emission by 1%.

Since cold water is less harsh on clothing, the savings to replace faded worn clothing also adds up for the family budget and the environment.

The first trick to have clean clothes using cold water is to use a quality eco-friendly washing detergent. Read the labels and look for a brand that states it can be used in cold water.

Certain types of clothing need to be washed in hot water, so sort those out and do them all at once in one load. Baby diapers and clothing should be washed in hot water to remove stains. Since chlorine bleach is a toxin, using hydrogen peroxide or vinegar as a pre-soak is much safer and eco-friendly for your baby and the environment.

Greasy clothing may need to be washed in hot water, but soaking them in an enzymatic product before washing may eliminate most of the stains. Often soaking clothes in plain water, vinegar or hydrogen peroxide will do the trick without using harsh detergents.

Use Proper Size Loads

Most modern washing machines allow you to choose the level of water to match the size of the load. Since the washer runs the same amount of time whether it is full or partially full, (except for the filling time), washing a full load is always more economical.

The new front-loading washing machines are much more energy efficient and are capable of sensing the laundry load and adjusts the water level automatically.

Overloading you washer is just as bad. Heavy loads put a strain on the motor and spinning gears and overloading could cost you a hefty repair bill. In addition, filling the washer with too many clothes reduces its efficiency. The clothes do not have room to agitate and will not come out clean even if you were to use hot water.

The Settings

Factory settings on washers are often set too high, even on the newer energy efficient washers. Many new ultra energy efficient washers default to warm wash and must be changed each time. Some even have a default warm rinse option which is a total waste of time. Rinsing in cold water has actually been proven to be more effective than at warm water rinse and will save on energy costs too.

Energy Star Rated Water Heater

When it comes time to replace your water heater, be sure to choose a Energy Star Rated model, or an instant water heater. The cost of upgrading can be offset in energy savings in just a few years. These newer models use on average 50 % less energy than the older models. If you are still not convinced that eliminating the use of hot water in your wash is the best thing, at least lower the temperature. The factory settings are usually set too high. Drop them by 10-20° for peak efficiency.

Location-Location-Location

If possible, locate your clothes washer as close to your hot water tank as possible. Heat is lost through the piping. Long pipe runs results in loss of energy before it ever gets to the end usage. All pipes in your home should be insulated, to prevent heat loss.

Following at least a few of these tips for going green when it comes to your washing machine, will save you money and will certainly be great for the environment.

The girl who silenced the world at the U.N. for 5 minutes

Green Living — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:27:24 +0000

In 1992, 12 year old Severn Suziki addressed the United Nations conference in Rio de Janiero expressing her concerns over environmental issues. Many of the UN members cried. She got a standing ovation. This one speech became a viral phenomenon. Her words are just as relevant today as they were 17 years ago, if not more so. It’s time we listen to them again.

More about Severn Suzuki:

At the age of nine, she founded the Environmental Children’s Organization (ECO), a group of children dedicated to learning and teaching other youngsters about environmental issues. In 1992, at the age of 12, Cullis-Suzuki raised money with members of ECO, to attend the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Along with group members Michelle Quigg, Vanessa Suttie, and Morgan Geisler, Cullis-Suzuki presented environmental issues from a youth perspective at the summit, where she was applauded for a speech to the delegates.

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Severn_Cullis-Suzuki

Earth Pioneer: Severn Cullis-Suzuki spreads the word on sustainability

Severn Suzuki – a famous environmental video: where is she now?

World Ocean Day – June 8

What is your carbon footprint?

Green Living — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 02:14:19 +0000

If you’re reading this, then you are interested in learning more about pollution and ways to reduce it. You want to know how much you contribute to global warming, and you want to understand all the ways in which your lifestyle affects our Earth. Hopefully, you also want to take the next step of doing something about it.I recommend the Institute of the Environment at Berkeley’s Cool Climate Carbon Calculator, or the Nature Conservancy’s Carbon Footprint Calculator. Have your monthly expenses, your most recent energy bills, and your car’s yearly mileage and miles per gallon ready before you start. Results are provided in tons– tons of carbon you produce and emit into the earth’s atmosphere each year.

The best calculator I found during my research is part of a site called Low Impact Living. Click on the “Calculator” tab at the top of the screen to get going. Your results display across the top of each page as you progress. The final screen provides suggested actions to “green-up” your home are presented. Checking the box for any projects you have already completed improves your overall emissions score. Check out “What is a LILI?” under your final score (mine was 37) for more information.

LILI does not calculate tons of carbon monoxide emissions per person per year. It gives a score based on a U.S. household average of 100 points, and with the goal of helping people find easy ways to reduce their carbon footprint and their score. This calculator is the most detailed and complete of those reviewed. Households that use the LILI Carbon Calculator have the option of saving their results, and improving their scores with every environmentally-friendly project they complete.

Here are links to several online Carbon Footprint Calculators, and comments on their performance:

An Inconvenient Truth: Calculate Your Impact. This calculator gives you an indication of how well you are doing compared to everybody else. It also allows you to take immediate action in reducing your carbon footprint. Unfortunately, the first question about vehicular emissions is out of date. My 2007 Nissan Versa, one of Newsweek’s Top Ten Fuel Efficient Cars, was not listed in the options. Also, the calculator only considers your transportation and home energy use in its analysis of your carbon footprint. These are important, but they do not provide a complete picture. My estimated footprint was 5.9 tons of Carbon Emissions per year, with the Altima as my false vehicle selection. The average in the U.S. was put at 7.5 Tons.

The Nature Conservancy: Carbon Footprint Calculator. This calculator lets you decide between calculating your individual impact, and your household impact. It breaks down your footprint into several sections, including recycling, food consumption, energy consumption, vehicles, etc. It is up to the test-taker to honestly represent their lifestyle habits, however. The results are calculated several ways on the last screen of the test, breaking down each section of questions by average responses. My estimated footprint was 15 tons of carbon per year. The average in the U.S. was put at 27 tons. The world average is stated as 5.5 tons. Test-takers are given several options for offsetting their carbon footprint, tips for reducing impact, etc.

The Carbon Footprint Calculator. Self-represented as “the web’s leading carbon footprint calculator,” the user must select a country, and then click through several sections, remembering to calculate each page’s answers before continuing. The test was fast, and information about offsetting emissions, changing lifestyle practices, etc were easy to access. There is a section for businesses as well. My estimated footprint was 8.6 tons of carbon each year. The average for my country was reported at 20.4, and the average for industrial nations was about 11 tons per person per year. The website also informed me that to combat climate change, the world wide average needs to be reduced to 2 tons. Wow.

The Carbon Counter website and Personal Calculator. This gives you a choice between estimating your footprint, and getting an exact calculation, via tabs above each section of the test. There are only three sections. My score was 10.72 tons of carbon emissions each year. This website places the U.S. average emissions at 16.64 tons per year, and the world average at 4.4 tons. The site recommends that I donate approximately $16.00 a month to projects that reduce CO-2 in the environment to offset my footprint.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Individual Emissions Calculator. This website provides some interesting facts about the average response for each question, based on the number of people in your household. It also calculates the amount of carbon emissions for each answer you provide. The calculation did not take multi-vehicle households into consideration, and the results were for my entire household, rather than my individual contribution to global warming.

The University of California, Berkeley Institute of the Environment’s Cool Climate Carbon Footprint Calculator. This is my favorite calculator. It shows the average number entered in each space, and takes a moment to calculate the number you type in for each answer. It does not take organic food methods into account, but seems more exact than the other calculators. Final calculations show the world average for each category, the U.S. average, the average for other households like mine, and finally the calculations for my individual household. The Cool Climate Calculator tells me that my household emissions are 45% of other households like mine, but that we emit 220% more than the global average. My emissions are also calculated out in barrels of oil, and in acres of forest. You will want to click on the button to “find out what’s in each category” before you enter your budget calculations.

If you’ve located a detailed and helpful Individual or Household Carbon Footprint Calculator that I didn’t review here, we’d love to learn about it! Write your own Factoid, and share important information online.

Original article: What is your carbon footprint? – written by StaciB on Factoidz