|| Your Carbon Footprint

Every one of us has a carbon footprint. Just like shoes, some of our footprints may be large than others. Whether we think about it or not, daily activities such as commuting, sheltering our families, and eating can have a substantial impact on the planet. Through these activities, each of us contributes to the greenhouse gas emissions that influence climate change. Yes! We are all responsible for our actions and for our footprints. The good news is that we can choose to reduce our carbon emissions and our impact on the planet. The way we live our lives – the choices we make in our homes, our travel, the food we eat, and what we buy and throw away – all influence our carbon footprints. Here are some tools to help you evaluate your current carbon footprint and resources to help you lighten your impact on the planet. After all, the actions we take now can help ensure a healthy climate for future generations.

Colorado Carbon Fund Calculator
Sopris Foundation Carbon Footprint Counter
Become a Carbon Conscious Consumer
The Carbon Diet: How to Lose 5000 Pounds
Download Ask Eartha on Low Cost Carbon Reductions
Download Ask Eartha on Carbon Resolutions

|| Colorado Carbon Fund Calculator

You can calculate your caron footprint with the Colorado Carbon Fund Calculator. The first step in reducing your carbon footprint is to estimate the amount of greenhouse gases generated by your own daily activities. Using electricity in our homes, driving our cars, or travelling by airplane generates greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. The Colorado Carbon Fund Calculator will help you estimate emissions from your daily activities and help you to start thinking about how you can take action to stop climate change. To learn how to offset your carbon footprint through local energy projects here in Colorado, click here. In addition to offsetting your carbon, 20% of your tax-deductible donation will go to new local - Summit County - projects that reduce emissions. Sign up today!

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|| The Sopris Foundation Carbon Footprint Counter

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|| Become a Carbon Conscious Consumer

Carbon Conscious Consumer (C3) is a national climate campaign sponsored by the Center for a New American Dream that challenges individuals to establish climate-friendly daily habits and inspire their friends to do the same. Climate change is a serious problem, but you can live well and have fun being part of the solution. Start lowering your carbon emissions today with six easy steps over the next six months – because big changes start with small steps. Pledge to make a change and become a Carbon Conscious Consumer. There’s no better time to stand up to the challenge and live consciously for a safer planet! Some of the C3 actions are:

Eat Locally! Buying local food not only helps local farmers thrive, it reduces energy consumption. Estimates on how long the average food travels from pasture to plate range from 1,200 to 2,500 miles. A lot of energy is expended freezing, refrigerating, and trucking that food around. Eating locally grown food means less fossil fuel burned in preparation and transport. Find out more about eatting locally on the HC3 Sustainable Foods page.

Junk your junk mail! The average American receives 41 pounds of junk mail every year. That junk mail comes from more than 100 million trees, which is the equivalent of deforesting the entire Rocky Mountain National Park every four months. In 2005, 5.8 million tons of catalogs and other direct mailings ended up in the U.S. municipal solid waste stream – enough to fill over 450,000 garbage trucks. Less than 36 percent of this junk mail was recycled. The production and disposal of direct mail consumes more energy than 3 million cars. For $20, Tonic Mailstopper will get you off mailing lists and other pesky databases while planting 5 trees on your behalf. You can buy Tonic Mailstopper gift cards for a junk-free mailbox from the Conservation Center with 50% of the proceeds going to support our waste reduction programs. Call 970-668-5703 to get started or stop by Eartha's Green Shop at 518 E. Main Street in Frisco.

Break the bottled water habit! In 2004, the U.S. consumed 17 percent of the world’s bottled water—more than any other country—at almost 7 billion gallons. Making bottles to meet Americans’ demand for bottled water requires more than 1.5 million barrels of oil annually, enough to fuel some 100,000 cars for a year. Eighty-six percent of plastic water bottles used in the United States aren’t recycled. Incinerating used bottles produces toxic byproducts such as chlorine gas and ash containing heavy metals. Buried water bottles can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade. Moreover, while the demand for bottled water is up in the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency had found that 90 percent of tap water domestically is safe to drink. Furthermore, studies show that at least 40 percent of bottled water is just tap water! Learn more about Breaking the Bottled Water Habit here.

Beat the Heat, Wash in Cold! A whopping 90 percent of the energy used by a washing machine goes to just heating the water. You could save $60 or more on your annual energy spending by washing at least four out of every five loads in cold water! And you could reduce your CO2 emissions by 72 pounds in just one month by doing so! Washing in hot water is more likely to clean out your wallet than your apparel. Today’s more efficient clothes washers and laundry detergents make it possible to get even whites clean in cold water.

Bring Your Own Bag! Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. That comes out to over one million plastic bags used per minute. Billions end up as litter each year. According to the EPA, over 380 billion plastic bags, sacks and wraps are consumed in the U.S. each year. Take reusable bags to the grocery store whenever possible. After using them, remember to take them out to your car so you’ll always have the bags around! Read more about BYOBing here.

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|| The Carbon Diet: How to Lose 5,000 Pounds in One Month!

Become part of the global warming solution. Go on a Low Carbon Diet! This “30 Day Program to Lose 5000 Pounds” is a fun, accessible, easy to use guide that will show you, step-by-step, how to dramatically reduce your CO2 output in just a month’s time.

Grounded in over two decades of environmental behavior change research, this illustrated workbook offers much more than a list of eco-friendly actions. It walks you through every step of the process, from calculating your current CO2 “footprint” to tracking your progress.

By making simple changes to actions you take every day, you’ll learn how to reduce your annual household CO2 output by at least 15%. And, for those who are more ambitious, you’ll discover how you can help your workplace, local schools, and community do the same.

You can find the Low Carbon Diet workbook for $12.95 at Eartha's Green Shop, located at 518 E. Main Street. Let us know if you are interested in the Low Carbon Diet program, call 668-5703 or email info@highcountryconservation.org.

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