How to Find Out My Carbon Footprint

The average American household produces 42 tons of carbon dioxide per year, according to the University of California at Berkeley. Some areas use more and other areas use less. Carbon dioxide is one of the main greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. Discovering your carbon footprint, or the amount of carbon dioxide you produce, can help you to determine the best ways to reduce the amount you produce in an effort to help protect the environment. Many of the steps that help you reduce your carbon footprint also save money. Online tests can help you figure out your annual carbon footprint.

Things You'll Need

• Utility bills
• Monthly budget/expenses
• Food receipts

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Instructions

• 1

  Gather your monthly utility bills and figure out your average monthly and annual usage of utilities, including electric, natural gas, heating oil, propane and water and sewer. Both dollar amount spent and amount of energy consumed are used in tests.

• 2

  Determine the average weekly mileage for your vehicles and how many miles you drive on an annual basis. Multiply your weekly average by 52 to arrive at the annualized figure.

• 3

  Record the miles you travel using public transportation and the number of air miles your family has accumulated over the past year.

• 4

  Examine your weekly and monthly food bills and other expenses. Determine how much you spend on goods and services, as well as for meals out, clothes, cell phones, haircuts and the like. Itemize how much you spend in food categories such as meat, dairy, vegetables, grains and snacks---all of these have a carbon footprint cost. Meat products have a much higher carbon footprint than vegetables and packaged snacks have a higher footprint than whole local fruit.

• 5

  Visit a website that features a carbon footprint test. The Christian Science Monitor recommends such websites maintained by the University of California at Berkeley, Earth Lab and Carbon Footprint. Answer the questions completely and honestly.

• 6

  Evaluate the results to determine how much of your carbon footprint is created by housing, transportation, goods and services and energy. Identify areas in which you can make changes.

• 7

  Read the tips sections of these sites to find practical ways to reduce your footprint in those areas. It is not about making drastic changes. Many times a lot of small, barely noticeable changes can make a significant overall difference.