Guide to Carbon Footprint Calculators

Calculate your carbon footprint and make a commitment to reduce your CO2 emissions

By Eve Lopez

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Carbon footprint calculators are useful in that they show you a representation of what your "carbon footprint" is. Carbon footprint calculators estimate your CO2 emissions with a simple quiz that asks questions about your lifestyle and habits. Most of the questions are easy for you to calculate. Sample of questions used by carbon footprint calculators include:

1. What kind of car do you drive?
2. How many miles per day do you drive for work?
3. How many flights do you take per year?
4. How much is your monthly electric bill?
5. How much is your monthly gas bill?

You can use carbon footprint calculations for your personal use, or for your business. You can also use the data to form a creative team building exercise by reducing the carbon impact of your office and encouraging your employees to cut down on energy.

Carbon footprint calculators also incorporate suggestions on how to reduce your carbon footprint. Here are some easy ways:

Turn down your thermostat during winter nights by a degree or two.
Turn up your thermostat during summer days by a degree or two.
Start recycling glass and plastic, along with your aluminum and paper.
Buy your produce at a local organic store or farmers' market.
Skip your double latte just once a week.
Unplug appliances (like your computer) when you're not using them.
Use cold water only when washing your clothes.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Calculate your personal carbon footprint

Try different carbon calculators for person use. Some of them may yield slightly different results - find out as much as you can from each calculator and then make a plan from there.

I recommend: The carbon calculator at ClimateCrisis.net, the official site for An Inconvenient Truth, is a great calculator that gives you your C02 emissions in tons as you fill out the form. It's meant only for people who live and work in the U.S. The calculator at Carbon Footprint can be used by international citizens, and is much more detailed, with questions about diet, recycling and buying habits. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has an online carbon foot print calculator and also gives information on how to find the fuel efficiency of the car you drive. Go to FuelEconomy.gov to find out the city and highway MPG of your car, and the estimated carbon footprint your car is leaving. The popular BP Carbon Footprint Calculator gives great information on how lifestyle choices affect your carbon footprint.

Find a carbon footprint calculator for your business

Some calculators are made specifically to calculate the impact of a small or mid-sized business. Use these calculators to get an idea of the carbon footprint of your business, and as a starting point to begin to reduce your environmental impact.

I recommend: Register with Carbon Footprint to get a username and password for their free business carbon foot print calculator. TerraPass offers a calculator for business use, as well. The CarbonNeutral Company offers the best carbon footprint calculator for business use, and doesn't require any personal information like your email address. TheGreenOffice.com offers a calculator and much more on how to green your business.

Get carbon footprint calculations for team building

Committing yourself and your entire office is a great way to build team spirit and boost morale.

I recommend: Go on a Low Carbon Diet and challenge your coworkers or employees to do the same. Hire the team building experts at The Ant & The Grasshopper to implement a "green" team building exercise. Read this news release from MotivAction, which explains a unique approach to team building within business seminars. The process includes using carbon footprint calculators, and motivating companies to go carbon neutral. Go to their website to find out more about their work in Employee Engagement.

Now reduce that big ol' footprint of yours!

Your carbon footprint calculator will likely explain things to you as you fill out the short form. Take the hint.

I recommend: Carbon Clear helps businesses calculate and reduce their environmental impacts. The company also provides a tip sheet on easy ways to reduce your carbon emissions. Read Top 10 Ways to NOT Screw the Earth at Work, which gives offices helpful advice in curbing their CO2 impact, including the following advice:

Use energy-efficient lighting
Join a carpool
Use laptops instead of desktops

Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

Definitely use multiple carbon footprint calculators to get a feel for your impact. Remember that it's just a representation, not an actual exact amount.
Consider using carbon offsets as part of your commitment to curbing your carbon impact.

The official source of Carbon Footprint Calculators is
the Carbon Footprint Calculators page at Business.com