CARBON FOOTPRINT IN LAYMAN LANGUAGE

Whenever a new word or a concept is discussed, the first and most important step to take is to find out, read and understand its definition. Recently the term “Carbon Footprint” has come into focus in the world of environmentalists all over the world. After researching the meaning it seems that a Carbon Footprint refers to the release of Greenhouse Gases by any person’s way of living. It can be anything from what a person eats, how much T.V. he watches or even what kind of a toothbrush he uses. It is all about the kind of energy used to help that certain person do certain activities during a day, month or life.

On the average, for every single US gallon of gasoline fuel consumed, around 8.7 kg of CO2 is emitted. This gasoline can be used for any purpose, to pick up the kids from school, to heating or cooling of the house, to cooking food. The electric companies use gasoline, coal or other energy sources to produce energy. Similarly the more processed the food is the more energy it uses to get prepared, thus the more carbon footprints it leaves behind. It is an amazing way to break up and understand how and when certain part of an individual is damaging the environment.

There are two types of Carbon Footprints, The Primary Footprint and The Secondary Footprint.

THE PRIMARY FOOTPRINT:

This type of Carbon Footprint measures the direct emissions of Carbon dioxide produced by the direct use of all the fossil fuels. It can be the direct consumption for either commercial use or domestic use. For instance gasoline burnt in a car engine or coal burnt in a factory.

THE SECONDARY FOOTPRINT:

This is an indirect measure of the Green house gasses produced by either domestic or commercial use of energy. For instance the light bulb, blender and room heater/cooler all use fossil fuel energy indirectly to produce output. The examples are numerous and very, very surprising too.

All in all Carbon Footprint is the latest way to measure how an individual is contributing in making CO2 directly or indirectly. Many websites offer free Carbon Footprint Calculators, free, to help you understand how you are contributing in the Global Warming process. The first and foremost step in recovering from any kind of disease or problem is by finding out what is the cause and than by stop doing the harmful acts be it a person, a nation or the whole earth. So, calculate your Carbon Footprints today and decide what aspect of your life is making the Earth sick. Go Green today for better future tomorrow.

A Public Awareness Message by:

Yellow Lite