Due to the modern news cycle and mass media, we have become numb to the words “global warming” and “climate change”. Although we know our environment is impending doom, it appears hopeless for us to help. There is an urgency to save our planet. This Earth Day we can each make an individual change.
The easiest way to start helping our planet is to take accountability. Google “Carbon Footprint Calculators”. My favorite one is from Lehigh University. It accounts for your carbon emissions in the past year. It asks about your household’s habits, transportation, and food. My results were shocking. My household alone emits so many tons of carbon every year. The website breaks down how many tons of carbon are in each category. For example, Did you know that if your household eats six individually wrapped snack foods a day, you emit 0.78 tons of carbon a year? If your family drives a car five times every week, you are emitting about 1.73 tons of carbon yearly. That is a massive amount of carbon released into our atmosphere!
After receiving your result, find what causes you to emit the most carbon. See which results surprise you the most. Take the information and act accountable. What change can you make in your own life to emit less carbon? Start implementing these changes. The following year, track your carbon footprint again. By taking accountability yearly, we can each start to lower our carbon emissions. Additionally, inspire others to take accountability and share the calculator. We can all lower carbon emissions by making individual moves.