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How to Calculate Your Carbon Footprint. A carbon footprint is an equation that estimates
just how much you, personally, are contributing to global warming—and all you have to do
is plug some info into an online calculator. Figuring out how to make your footprint smaller,
of course, is another m You will need Your recent utility bills An estimate of how much
gasoline your car uses and details of any recent traveling you’ve done. Step 1. Use
an online search engine to locate a website with a “carbon footprint calculator.”
If you provide the information, these sites will determine your footprint for free. Step
2. Provide the requested information, which will include the number of people in your
house; your average monthly energy costs; the type of car you drive; how much you drive;
and any recent flights you’ve taken. Step 3. Review the summary of your carbon footprint,
which you’ll receive when you complete the questionnaire. Your footprint will be presented
in the form of tons of CO2, or carbon dioxide, that you’re responsible for producing each
year. Many of the websites that calculate your footprint will offer tips on how you
can reduce it. Step 4. Explore carbon offsets, which are “credits” you can buy from companies
that take steps, like planting trees, to offset the carbon dioxide you’re creating. Make
sure that the carbon-offset programs have verifiable credentials; there’s a lot of
fraud in this new industry. Step 5. Don’t ignore your new knowledge. Knowing just how
much you’re connected to the health of your planet is only the first step toward dedicated
action. Did you know In February 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
concluded that global warming is “unequivocal” and very likely caused by human activities.