There has been a lot of attention paid recently to a person’s “carbon footprint” when people talk about using and saving energy. This popular buzz word has been all over popular media outlets.
What does it mean exactly? The term “carbon footprint” is best defined as the amount of impact that a person and his/her activities have on the environment when that impact is based on the level of greenhouse gases that are produced. That level is measured in carbon dioxide units. There are a number of methods by which a person can calculate his or her carbon footprint: the Life Cycle Assessment, and by the amount of emissions caused by the energy a system uses are the most popular.
Almost every single thing a person does during his waking hours can raise the level of his carbon footprint. Technically, breathing out increases his carbon footprint as the simple act of breathing in and out results in an increased level of carbon dioxide in the world.
Rest assured that nobody is going to figure in your rate of respiration into your carbon footprint. Doing so would be absurd. Instead your carbon footprint is calculated based on the things you actually do and use. When you drive to the shop or cook food, you produce carbon dioxide. The amount of energy you consume as a person, in your house, at your workplace and in transit will all be figured in to your carbon footprint. Be prepared for a large number-people produce an astounding amount of carbon dioxide each day.
The reason your carbon footprint has become so important in recent years is, simply, the climate of the world is changing drastically and environmental experts claim that the amount of carbon and other greenhouse gasses humans produce is directly responsible for that change. The globe has risen by around .6 degrees Celsius over the last one hundred years. That does not sound like a lot, but it has proven to have quite an impact! The polar ice caps are fractions of what they once were, droughts are happening in places that are known for being wet (the United Kingdom, for example) and the transitional changes of fall and spring are getting much shorter.
Reducing your carbon footprint is easy. The simplest way to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide you produce is to use less electricity. Turn off lights when you leave a room and unplug your electronic devices when you are not using them. Pile on extra blankets instead of turning up the electric heater in your bedroom. Reduce the amount of driving you do.
One of the best ways to cut down on the impact carbon dioxide has on the environment is to plant trees. Trees take in carbon dioxide and convert it to oxygen. The more trees that are planted, the more carbon dioxide is absorbed before it can make its way to the ozone layer!
Tal Potishman, editor of Heating Central, writes articles about central heating systems, boilers, plumber Swindon, underfloor heating and solar thermal. He specializes in helping save money by advising on efficient heating.
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