When you hear the words “carbon footprint”, what comes to mind? Many folks might not even know what it means but for those of us who are environmentally conscious it is a buzz word that we are likely familiar with and is also one that is getting more and more press these days.

 So what does it mean to have a carbon foot print and how can our understanding of a carbon foot print help us in our desire to become more environmentally responsible and aware?

 If you look up “carbon foot print” on wikipedia, here is the definition you will find: A carbon footprint is "the total set of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by an organization, event, product or person."[1] Greenhouse gases can be emitted through transport, land clearance, and the production and consumption of food, fuels, manufactured goods, materials, wood, roads, buildings, and services.[2] For simplicity of reporting, it is often expressed in terms of the amount of carbon dioxide , or its equivalent of other GHGs, emitted.

 So essentially, our individual carbon foot print is the result of certain choices we make as we live out our lives. Some simple choices we can make to reduce our carbon foot print include choosing to recycle, choosing to reuse and choosing to compost. We can also choose to drive lower emission vehicles, carpool and use public transit. These are just a few examples of choices you can make to lower your carbon foot print.

 For a good resource on carbon foot prints check out www.carbonfootprint.com . On this site you can even register free for a carbon foot print calculator that allows you to measure and monitor how your choices and actions are affecting the environment.