I thought this was pretty cool, but really kind of general. This form doesn’t take many personal habits into account, nor does it really give options to make significant but small changes to reduce the carbon footprint of your lifestyle.
I think the only danger in a form like this is it might give someone the impression that there’s not much he or she can cut out of his or her life and/or give him or her the impression that cars, exotic travel and heating are the only things that contribute to the carbon footprint.
On the other hand, it could make someone who is (somehow) completely unaware of how much they are personally contributing to global warming, well… aware. And that’s a start.
There are hundreds of ways one can reduce the impact he/she has on the planet. All you need to do is be conscious of your purchases and consumption.
In my opinion, it’s even more important to reduce and re-use than recycle (recycling is important, too, but wouldn’t it be great if we lived in a world where nothing NEEDED to be recycled?).
- Choose things that don’t have packaging. The amount of carbon that is produced in packaging factories is a tremendous amount of waste and contributes significantly to our collective carbon footprint. One thing is certain: Advertisers listen to market trends. Make trends reflect your personal ideology.
- Unplug items not in use.
- Turn off the lights.
- Turn your heat down and wear a sweater. Don’t be a sissy about cold weather and be glad you have a home at all. Some people don’t even have that.
- Instead of bottled water, use a water filter and reuse old water bottles.
- If your destination is less than one mile, put your keys in your pocket and walk. It’s even better if it’s up or down hill.