Carbon Footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) such as carbon dioxide (CO2) that a business, organization, product, household or personal lifestyle produces. A bigger footprint is harder on the planet. The EPA has developed a Household Carbon Footprint Calculator to provide a rough estimate of a household's GHG emissions. Greenhouse gases act like a blanket by trapp heat in the atmosphere making Earth warmer than it would otherwise be.
Reduce, reuse and recycle are ways humans can reduce their carbon footprint and thus their impact on the planet. (Photo: Flickr)
(Un) Happy Earth Overshoot Day
August 2, 2017, 9:50 a.m. by Karl Burkart
It's the day we go into 'nature debt,' utilizing more than the year's supply of water, forest and agricultural resources.
Is Amazon Prime eco-friendly or wasteful?
July 10, 2017, 4:02 p.m. by John Platt
Does the ease of free, one-click shipping outweigh the potential environmental costs?
Americans are curbing their love affair with beef
March 30, 2017, 1:21 p.m. by Robin Shreeves
Americans are curbing their love affair with beef and the result is a 10 percent reduction in food-related emissions.
How much Arctic sea ice did you melt today?
November 7, 2016, 5:37 a.m. by Michael d'Estries
New study puts a cold, hard number on individual actions.
The huge carbon footprint of cement (and what we can do about it)
January 27, 2016, 8:15 a.m. by Sami Grover
Cement manufacturing contributes 5 percent of global carbon emissions. But what if it could become part of the solution?
Can more intensive agriculture cut emissions?
January 13, 2016, 3:22 p.m. by Sami Grover
When you grow more food per acre, it makes room for more forests. At least that's what one group of researchers is proposing.
Carbon dioxide could soon be transformed back into liquid fuel
December 28, 2015, 4:06 p.m. by Bryan Nelson
What if we could turn our fuel emissions back into fuel?
U.S. Christmas decorations use more energy than many nations do in a year
December 28, 2015, 6:13 a.m. by Bryan Nelson
Christmas is the season for many things, including a ridiculous carbon footprint.
All our gains in energy efficiency have been wiped out by increases in house size
November 18, 2015, 6:11 a.m. by Lloyd Alter
There are a number of reasons our houses are getting bigger, and it's a real problem.
Worldbeing wearable tracks your carbon footprint
November 9, 2015, 10:01 a.m. by Starre Vartan
I have no idea what my carbon footprint is. Do you know yours? This bracelet could help.
Could the carbon bubble ruin your retirement?
May 14, 2015, 10 a.m. by Sami Grover
Remember the subprime mortgage bubble? The carbon bubble might be our next $6 trillion nightmare.
What is carbon insetting?
January 26, 2015, 12:52 p.m. by Sami Grover
From tree planting to better forms of farming, a growing number of businesses are investing in carbon reduction within their own supply chains.
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Edit your closet
Empty your closet, then put back only the clothes you wear within the last year.
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How to declutter your life
A shift in how you think about housekeeping could result in a tidier and more relaxed life.
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Live out of just one bag
For one couple, one-bag living is way less stressful and a lot simpler than a life full of stuff.
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Less stuff makes you frugal
It's important to reevaluate all the stuff you own, and whether or not you really need it.
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Tidy up your electronic life
Marie Kondo's ideas work for your phone and computer, too.
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The experts' secrets to getting organized
Hint: There's a connection between clutter and your mental health.
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