22 May 2012Your carbon footprint is a measure of the impact of your activities on the environment. It takes account of the amount of greenhouse gasses produced as a result of your activities, measured in units of carbon dioxide.
The term ‘footprint’ refers to the idea that a footprint is what is left behind as a result of an individual’s activities.
Carbon footprints consider two parts:
The lower your carbon footprint, the less you contribute to climate change.
To calculate your carbon footprint visit the Act on C02 website. The average carbon footprint in the UK is 9.8 tonnes of CO2 – how big was yours?
To combat climate change, everyone, worldwide, needs to reduce their annual footprint to an average of about two tonnes!
There are many ways in which you can reduce your carbon footprint around the home, for example by saving energy in your home or by switching to a renewable source of power.
Purchase green energy. The Energy Saving Trust website has some information about the different types of green energy tariffs. See the buying green electricity page on the Enery Saving Trust website, the green tariffs page on the Consumer focus website or the renewable energy section on this website.
Useful links
Recycling
Public transport
Carbon offsetting page on the Directgov website
Understanding climate change page on the Directgov website
What is a carbon footprint? page on the Energy Saving Trust website
What is a carbon footprint? page on the Carbon Footprint website
