Note: we're not doing carbon footprints during ESAT 2024, but it's a really great concept to check out if you're not already familiar. If you're interested, keep reading!

I remember the first time I was introduced to this concept. At the time, the carbon footprint measuring system calculated how many Earths worth of resources it would take to support the human race if every person used the same amount of resources as you did. I learned it would take 3.5 Earth's to support roughly 6 billion people living my lifestyle (this was back when I was a kid and there were less humans than there are today). 

Hard to comprehend. 

Now, the Cool Climate Network (what we're using in this course) tells us about carbon footprints in terms of tons of CO2 equivalent, which is a handy way of equalizing all of the different green house gases into the one that most people know best: carbon dioxide. 

Today (back in 2021) I revisited the initial carbon footprint calculator that I'd used probably 15 years ago, prior to entering high school (I've linked it to this page in case you'd like to check it out!). While I am still far overshooting any fair allocation of resources, my overall footprint has gone down over the years. Living on my own, I travel less, shop more responsibly, recycle as much as possible, compost, and generally go about my life more consciously. While much of the action surrounding green house gas emissions must come from corporations, we can still make a difference by living our daily lives consciously. I hope that this exercise provides you with some new ideas on how to do just that!