Carbon Footprint and Carbon Offsets: What Are They?
Much is heard today in the news and from our politicians about carbon footprints, carbon offsets, and a carbon neutral lifestyle. But what do these terms mean and why should you care? This article will attempt to shed some light on this controversial subject and present some of the facts surrounding it. First, some technical terms. Your carbon footprint is defined as the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced or caused by an individual or entity. In simpler terms, how much pollution are you responsible for. Once the carbon footprint is determined, you can begin to figure out ways to counterbalance the problem with what are called carbon offsets. Carbon offsets are simply changes in your lifestyle that lessen your carbon footprint, or things that you can do or contribute to that compensate for your carbon footprint. An analogy may make these ideas a little clearer. Let’s say instead of pollution the subject is water conservation. Your footprint would be the amount of water yo
