Word: co2
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Carbonrally, one increasingly popular way to do so is by measuring and measurably reducing our carbon footprints--the greenhouse gases we're responsible for emitting. The more dependent we are on fossil fuels, the bigger our carbon footprints; unsurprisingly, Americans, who are responsible for more than 20 tons of CO2 per capita annually, have some of the biggest feet in the world. How big? A recent study by a class at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that even a homeless American would have a carbon footprint of 8.5 tons--twice the global average. "We have contributed more than...
Especially if contributing to a solution feels like playing a competitive sport. Carbonrally lays out environmental challenges and keeps score by translating green actions into pounds of carbon dioxide averted. For instance, cutting your daily shower time by two minutes for a month--a recent challenge--reduces CO2 emissions by 15.3 lbs. "This has been a great motivation technique," says Schroeder, who has logged individual savings of more than 1,000 lbs. of CO2 on Carbonrally. "We just want to keep going and see if we can do better...
...like credit card debt. Some actions, like commuting in a gasoline-powered car, have obvious carbon costs. Others are less clear but still significant. Take your diet: livestock are responsible for an estimated 18% of global carbon emissions, so when you chow down a hamburger, you're effectively emitting CO2 as well. Even something as small as an iPod Nano will add to your carbon footprint, thanks to both the energy used to produce and ship it and the energy later needed to charge it (68 lbs. of CO2 over its lifetime, according to the British design consultancy...
Carbonrally's challenges offer a useful start. A recent contest involved giving up meat for two days, which would reduce carbon emissions by 13.2 lbs. Another called on competitors to unplug their computers every night for one month, which cuts CO2 by 51 lbs. Each contest illustrates a basic way to shrink your footprint: remove meat from your diet, drive or fly less and just reduce the amount of power you use at home whenever possible, either through conservation or with appliances that are more energy-efficient. Winners get small prizes like tote bags--and green bragging rights. (Those...
Given that global CO2 emissions total more than 28 billion tons a year, however, that still doesn't add up to a whole lot. Indeed, since carbon emissions will continue to rise in the developing world no matter what we do, it's worth asking why we should even bother to change our lifestyles. One reason is to show others how it can be done. "None of us believes this will end climate change," says Annabelle Gurwitch, who hosts a show on footprinting called Wa$ted! on the new network Planet Green. "But it lets people feel effective...