What you need to calculate your footprint

by Becky Showalter

In our previous post, we talked about what environmental footprints* and carbon footprints are. In this post we are going to concentrate on how you calculate your carbon footprint? Here’s what you’ll need for a basic estimate – annual electricity and gas bills (average monthly usage) and vehicle(s) annual mileage and average mpg for your vehicle(s). Not so hard! Got to the Haiti Reforestation Calculator and calculate it now!

A typical U.S. household of four has a carbon footprint of 48 metric tons CO2e per year. By state, New York has the lowest average at 32 metric tons per year per household, while Wyoming and North Dakota average 300 to 400 metric tons per household. North Carolina comes in near the average at 44 metric tons per year. Have you done your calculation yet? How do you compare? No guilt! Just information. Knowledge is power!

Nativity is also working on calculating our own Carbon Footprint too! Stay tuned.

*If you’re interested in calculating your global environmental footprint as well (how much land does it take to support you), check out the Global Ecological Footprint Calculator.