Defining Your Footprint
What is my carbon footprint?
Your carbon footprint is based on the amount of carbon dioxide (CO²) or other harmful greenhouse gases (GHGs) you release each year. For the data here, all GHGs are measured in CO² equivalence.
How do I break down my footprint?
The largest contributor categories of transportation, diet, and home/waste can be broken down to understand the factors in your footprint. For example, having lots of beef in your diet increases your footprint, because beef produces far more CO² from being raised and processed to traveling to your plate than most other food groups.
Key
Diet
The makeup of your diet can have a significant impact on your carbon footprint. For example, beef has 10x the impact of potatoes. GHGs are released in transportation and cooking, but also in production and growth.
Travel
Transportation can have an impact both locally and when traveling long distances. Footprint per mile is important, but long distance travel can still be harmful when efficient. Investing in alternative modes of long distance travel is critical.
Home
Your footprint at home comes primarily from climate control/energy and waste. The impact is heavily influenced by the square feet occupied per person. An apartment with four people is far more efficient than a larger house with 2.
