Your Carbon Footprint

Although Americans make up 4% of the world's population, we're responsible for a whopping 25% of the planet's CO2, the leading cause of global warming . Each one of us has a "Carbon Footprint" -- the amount of CO2 we are personally responsible for contributing to the atmosphere. And the choices we make really do have huge impacts. A recent Energy Information Administration report shows that just last year, US CO2 from fossil fuel emissions went down by 1.3%, a result in part of people working to reduce energy consumption.

What exactly is a Carbon Footprint? Each individual has 7 different environmental footprints or ways that we directly impact the Earth. Your Carbon Footprint is by far the biggest, representing a full 58% of our total impact on the planet. Your Carbon Footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide emissions you are personally responsible for as a result of your day to day activities. It's determined by your car's gas mileage, what you eat, your energy use at home, how much you travel and how much trash you throw away.

The typical American's 6 biggest CO2 impacts are:

• Automobile - 11,395 lbs
• Food - 7,168 lbs
• Electricity - 4,456 lbs
• Travel - 3,580 lbs
• Heating - 3,479 lbs
• Trash - 1,489 lbs

According to The Energy Information Administration the total CO2 emissions in 2005 in the US was bout 6 billion metric tons. That works out to about 22 (US) tons per capita, factoring in emissions from industrial, commercial and public fuel consumption. To give you an idea of how much that is...the total current biocapacity of the Earth to absorb Carbon Dioxide is about 11 billion tons per year, according to the International Institute for Sustainable Development. This figure accounts for all the planet's CO2-breathing forests, oceans and other biomass and means that about 2.2 tons of CO2 per person is the sustainable limit for our planet. In other words, Americans on average are emitting 10 times the amount of CO2 that the earth can handle.

More than ever people are working to reduce their footprints through planet-friendly choices. Reducing your CO2 emissions is simple; all it takes is a little motivation, and you're on your way to creating a better tomorrow - today.

Autos

Buy a Hybrid or Electric Car and dramatically reduce your auto emissions, or start reducing the emissions of your current car now. Read EVO's Gas Savings No-Brainers.

Food

The average morsel of food will travel 1,500 miles before it reaches your plate. This is called “embodied” energy and it equals 20% of your total environmental impact!.

Electricity

There are dozens of actions you can take that dramatically decrease your energy bill and your carbon footprint. For ideas, read EVO's Energy Saving No-Brainers.

Heating

5 little adjustments could mean huge savings on your heating bill, and reduction of your CO2 footprint. Check out EVO's Buttoning Up Your Home for tips on keeping your house, and your pocketbook, safe from hidden costs.

Offsetting

After you have made major reductions in the 4 main areas above, you are ready to start carbon offsetting -- planting trees, seeding plankton or investing in renewable energy technologies. EVO loves Trees for the Future.

Friends

Help your friends GO GREEN! Refer A Friend and get 2 green leaves for every referral. If you tell 5 friends and they tell 5 friends, and your group commits to reducing its footprint by 1/3, you would keep 330,000 lbs of CO2 out of the atmosphere, the equivalent of taking 27 cars off the road.