A carbon footprint of an individual, company or country is the amount of carbon dioxide required by that entity to function and carry out everyday activities. This measurement helps to put an individual’s effect on the climate into concrete numbers, making it easier to quantify improvements. Many contributing factors to carbon footprints include electricity used, travel methods used, natural gas used and building type.

When working to reduce your carbon footprint, it is important to first understand exactly the size of thefootprint where the emissions are coming from. After this calculation, it is then easier to identify problem areas where unnecessary emissions are contributing to your carbon footprint, which can then be targeted for reduction.

There are many websites that provide free, easy worksheets to help you calculate your carbon footprint by asking a number of questions regarding the contributing factors.