So... having attempted to figure out my carbon footprint using a couple of calculators, I find myself disappointed and frustrated. I figured it was worth which of the available calculators was the most accurate and let me take into account some of the less obvious thing that i do in my life to reduce my carbon footprint.
I have to start from a point at which I know that I need at least 2 planets to survive, but the calculators I have used to figure this out are a blunt instrument. I want a more precise measure.
DirectGov - Act On CO2 Calculator - very pretty this one but really slow (there is an html version), it was the first calculator that I used. To do it right you need to have some of your gas and electricity bills on hand... my score? my carbon footprint, which is 7.07 tonnes per annum. this is quite close to my original WWF calculator result
WWF Footprint Calculator - this is the one favoured by Dick Strawbridge of "its not easy being green" i have to say i'm not a fan of it. its too simplistic for my tastes. My result on this one is 2.52 planets Equating to an Ecological Footprint of 4.54 hectares, leaving my carbon footprint, which is 9.91 tonnes per annum. this is an increase from the last time I did this one (see my first post). This is a quick one though so if you are in a rush and want a quick idea of how much you are killing the planet... this one is for you
The UK Carbon Footprint Project - aha... google's getting in on the act. so the google calculator adds itself as a new page onto your google homepage, which is a nice touch with various eco-centric google gadgets. the calculating process is even quicker than the wwf calculator. The result, however, muddy's the waters a bit. According to Google my carbon footprint is 3.69 tonnes which I can only assume is somewhat erroneous, because that would my planetary target less than one planet!! in which case I have done enough and I need do no more!!
So I guess the google calculator is for those of us who are in a rush, but need to feel good about the planet. I have to say I don't quite trust this result though.
Carbon Footprint - Carbon Footprint Calculator - Ok this is a bit more like it. Well in a bad way anyway. This is a fairly utilitarian calculator which is pretty quick to use and seems accurate. The bad news (For me anyway) is in the results. This one says my carbon footprint is 8.57 tonnes. This then seems to hit the mean.
At the end of this process, what have I learnt? not a lot. These things are only as good as the information put in. The Google calculator stood out as the one with the most erroneous result. Despite its speed i prefferred the direct.gov calculator which, whilst slow, allowed me to be more specific in most areas.
I have to start from a point at which I know that I need at least 2 planets to survive, but the calculators I have used to figure this out are a blunt instrument. I want a more precise measure.
DirectGov - Act On CO2 Calculator - very pretty this one but really slow (there is an html version), it was the first calculator that I used. To do it right you need to have some of your gas and electricity bills on hand... my score? my carbon footprint, which is 7.07 tonnes per annum. this is quite close to my original WWF calculator result
WWF Footprint Calculator - this is the one favoured by Dick Strawbridge of "its not easy being green" i have to say i'm not a fan of it. its too simplistic for my tastes. My result on this one is 2.52 planets Equating to an Ecological Footprint of 4.54 hectares, leaving my carbon footprint, which is 9.91 tonnes per annum. this is an increase from the last time I did this one (see my first post). This is a quick one though so if you are in a rush and want a quick idea of how much you are killing the planet... this one is for you
The UK Carbon Footprint Project - aha... google's getting in on the act. so the google calculator adds itself as a new page onto your google homepage, which is a nice touch with various eco-centric google gadgets. the calculating process is even quicker than the wwf calculator. The result, however, muddy's the waters a bit. According to Google my carbon footprint is 3.69 tonnes which I can only assume is somewhat erroneous, because that would my planetary target less than one planet!! in which case I have done enough and I need do no more!!
So I guess the google calculator is for those of us who are in a rush, but need to feel good about the planet. I have to say I don't quite trust this result though.
Carbon Footprint - Carbon Footprint Calculator - Ok this is a bit more like it. Well in a bad way anyway. This is a fairly utilitarian calculator which is pretty quick to use and seems accurate. The bad news (For me anyway) is in the results. This one says my carbon footprint is 8.57 tonnes. This then seems to hit the mean.
At the end of this process, what have I learnt? not a lot. These things are only as good as the information put in. The Google calculator stood out as the one with the most erroneous result. Despite its speed i prefferred the direct.gov calculator which, whilst slow, allowed me to be more specific in most areas.
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