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)
The huge carbon footprint of cement (and what we can do about it)
June 26, 2019, 2:15 p.m. by Sami Grover
Cement manufacturing contributes 8 percent of global carbon emissions. But what if it could become part of the solution?
Does Amazon Prime have to be so wasteful?
June 24, 2019, 12:34 p.m. by John Platt
Does the ease of free, one-click shipping outweigh the potential environmental costs?
The surprising truth about meal kits
April 23, 2019, 1:57 p.m. by Mary Jo DiLonardo
Researchers compare the carbon footprint of home cooking to kits.
(Un) Happy Earth Overshoot Day
July 31, 2018, 9:52 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.
How to reduce your carbon footprint from flying
June 3, 2018, 1:32 p.m. by Josh Lew
You probably can't avoid flying, but you can reduce or eliminate your carbon footprint when you do.
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.
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.
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How to fight the heat
Plant selection and design in addition to proper watering can help reduce stress on plants.
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9 ideas for creating shade
When the sun gets overbearing — and it will — you have options.
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