The term “carbon footprint” infiltrates our consciousness via the news, blogs, and even blockbuster films. But what is a carbon footprint? How do I measure mine?

A carbon footprint is defined as the total amount of greenhouse gasses (GSG) produced by an organization, event, or product. For the individual earth-dweller, a carbon footprint measures the impact of our daily activities on the environment, particularly, in regards to climate change.  To live is to burn fossil fuels for electricity, heating, transportation, and other activities.

Two categories of CO2 emissions make up a carbon footprint. The primary footprint measures direct, controllable emissions of CO2, such as home costs (gas, oil, coal, electricity) and transportation, both public and private (cars and planes).

CO2 emissions that result from an individual’s lifestyle and product consumption—from production to breakdown–make up the secondary footprint. These include: public and financial services, recreation, buildings, furnishings, car manufacturing and delivery, and clothing. In short, the more we buy, the bigger the carbon footprint.

How do I measure my carbon footprint?

Carbon footprints are measured in equivalent units of metric tons of CO2, and basic information about your lifestyle adds up to your personal GSG contribution.

How can I reduce my carbon footprint?

Once you know the size of your carbon footprint, take baby steps to begin reducing it.

The average American’s carbon footprint is 20.40 metric tons, whereas the worldwide average is 4 metric tons. The global target size is 2 metric tons per person.  Environmentalists and believers in green living have worked to establish worldwide carbon offsetting programs that utilize solar and wind energy or promote reforestation in an attempt to reduce the global carbon footprint. The Kyoto Protocol enforces clean development mechanisms, joint implementation, and emissions trading, but what can I do as an individual to reduce my carbon footprint?

Here’s a list of simple things you can do immediately:

At home (Primary footprint):

• Turn off and unplug appliances when not in use (lights, TV, Computers, etc.)
• Turn down heating and turn off when you’re not home
• When using water (dishwasher, washing machine, kettle), use only as much as water as you need and wash full loads each time
• Use green energy supplies in your home (light bulbs, electricity provider, insulation, refrigerator, boiler, etc.)

On the road (Primary footprint):

• Complete your weekly shopping in a single trip
• Carpool, take public transportation, walk or bike as much as possible
• Reduce the number of flights you take
• When staying in a hotel, turn off the lights and air-conditioning and request for your room towels to be washed every other day

Rethink your buying habits (Secondary footprint):

• Don’t buy bottled water if your tap water is clean and healthful
• Buy locally produced foods or grow your own
• Eat less meat
• Buy organic produce, avoid packaged products
• Recycle!

Water is unmistakably good for your health in a number of different ways, but these same ways of using it can be extremely damaging to the environment. Without a plan to make water a sustainable resource, there is no guarantee that it will be around to make us healthy for much longer! How can we reform our reliance on water to make sure it is not only good for us, but good for the earth as well?

Perhaps the most obvious way we rely on water is for hydration. While our water needs vary depending on body weight and activity level, water makes up about 60 percent of our body weight. Water is necessary to flush out toxins, dissolve vitamins and minerals, moisten membranes and move nutrients between cells—without it, our body wouldn’t function at all. While many adhere to the eight by eight rule (eight, eight ounce glasses of water a day), there is no real formula for how much water each individual needs. As long as you drink enough so you rarely feel thirsty and produce clear or slightly yellow urine regularly, you are properly hydrated.

Sadly however, many people rely on disposable water bottles for their hydration needs, as they provide a clear option for portable and safe drinking water. While this might help us meet our hydration quota, the massive consumption of bottled water in the United States is devastating to the environment. According to MSLK, a New York based graphic design firm focused on raising awareness about plastic consumption, 1500 plastic water bottles are consumed every second in the United States. This staggering statistic results in the consumption of 50 billion bottles every year—with 80 percent of them ending up in a landfill.  Additionally, their production requires 1.5 million barrels of our precious oil, and even more for the fuel cost of transporting the extremely heavy bottles of water. All of this could be eradicated, should you choose to drink tap water instead. It’s cheaper, just as safe, and will help your body function in exactly the same way.

Slightly less crucial—but still important—is our use of water for cleaning and hygiene purposes. According to the American Water Works Association, the per capita daily household consumption of water for these purposes is about 69.3 gallons. This is water that has to be filtered and cleansed before it can be used again.

Should your family elect to install more efficient water fixtures, per capita consumption of indoor water could be reduced approximately 35 percent. If all U.S. households installed these devices, 5.4 billion gallons per day would be saved. A gray water recycling system is a great way to increase water consumption efficiency by recycling and processing your wash water at home.

We can’t forget the importance of water in our recreational activities, particularly in places with a warm climate. Swimming, surfing, sailing, fishing, scuba diving… the list of activities that our bodies of water provide us with is endless. While we may not really need to snorkel, what would life be like if it wasn’t an option anymore? Sailing and the freedom of moving with the wind over water could lose its appeal if the water was polluted and smelly. We would be landlocked.

All of our desire to be near the water, in the water, has resulted in a serious pollution problem that will only get worse if it continues to be ignored. There is a huge floating debris field in the northwest Pacific Ocean, 1000 miles off the coast of California. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch isn’t made up of trash as we imagine it—few bottles and cans are recovered from it. Over a huge expanse, tiny particles of plastic float in the water, potentially ingested by the smaller members of the food chain. Little is known about this area—it is probably around the size of Texas, and mostly comprised of a plastic “confetti” that floats just under the surface of the water. Birds mistake it for fish and die eating it. Fishing nets get caught in it and directed to areas where their mere presence is devastating.

If we could cut down on our consumption—and increase our recycling abilities—maybe the ocean could stop being an international dumping ground.

If we have the power to damage the resources we so badly need to support our life, we must have the power to fix them. Calculate your Water Footprint and see how much responsibility you must take to ensure that there is water for the future.