Alright so you want to be more green, but you don’t know where to start. You already recycle, but is that enough? Well every little bit counts, however it doesn’t hurt to do little things like lowering your thermostat or unplugging seldom-used appliances. Maybe you bought an Energy Star-qualified commercial dishwasher and are saving an estimated $200 per year, according to the Department of Energy. Those that took home an Energy Star refrigerator can look forward to a 15% less expensive monthly electricity bill.
So I thought one way that you could start to be more green is to find out how non-green you are. What is your carbon footprint? Quickly calculate your carbon footprint, or the amount of greenhouse gases in units of carbon dioxide, you’re producing by using the following formula:
A.) Multiply your monthly electricity bill by 105
B.) Multiply your monthly gas bill by 105
C.) Multiply your monthly oil bill by 113
(if you don’t use either B or C, enter 0.)
D.) Multiply total yearly mileage by .79
E.) Multiply the number of flights–4 hours or less–by 1,100
F.) Multiply the number of flights–4 hours or more–by 4,400
G.) Do you recycle newspaper? If no, add 184. If yes, add 0.
H.) Do you recycle aluminum and tin? If no, add 166. If yes, add 0.
A+B+C+D+E+F+G+H = your carbon footprint. A number below 6,000 (reflected in pounds per year) is excellent. Over 22,000? Not so great. Good is anywhere from 6,000 to 15,999, while 16,000 to 22,000 is average.
If your number is higher than you would like, there’s good news–there are hundreds of ways you can shrink your carbon footprint, and many of them aren’t as sacrificial as you might expect.
What is your carbon footprint? Figure it out
Simple ways to cut your carbon footprint found HERE
2 words in italics make up the bonus code for today
