Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Carbon Fast for Lent: What Size is Your Footprint?

DAY 42 – TUESDAY 7 APRIL
“Calculate your carbon footprint today at
www.tearfund.org/mgi and find out what more you can do about climate change. Order Tearfund’s green guide ‘For TomorrowToo’ at
www.tearfund.org/climate for ideas on cutting emissions.”

I wanted to find a carbon footprint calculator that didn’t immediately ask one to buy an offset. The one below seems to do the trick. If and when you are ready to offset, I’m a fan of Carbonfund.org, which is a nonprofit (offsets are tax deductible) and has its own calculators, too. TerraPass is another good choice, although they’re a for-profit and contributions aren’t deductible.



My score was 12 tons, equivalent to 29 barrels of oil and planting two acres of forest. That was sobering: I assume my numbers are on the low side since I live in a small apartment and don’t own a car. How was your score?

Today’s mitzvah: Calculate your carbon footprint, and consider purchasing an affordable offset at one of the resources above. Or get started right away — for free! — and offset; one lb. of carbon (about the amount of electricity for your computer usage today) at Care2’s click to give Global Warming page.

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