A carbon footprint is basically a measurement of the average amount of carbon dioxide an individual or business emits, and the first step to figuring out how you can join the movement to go green is to determine how big (or small) yours is.

IN this case, bigger is definitely not better. You can go to
www.CarbonCounter.org for a quick estimate, or you can visit our friends at
www.SafeClimate.net to get a more detailed calculation on your impact now.

While it doesn't take everything into account, it does measure those activities which are known to emit the significant amounts of the main greenhouse gas responsible for global warming - carbon dioxide.

These include things such as driving, flying, and electricity use (the other main anthropogenic gases are methane and nitrous oxide, most commonly released as a result of agricultureand things rotting in land fills).

To get the most accurate calculation you'll need your energy bills from at least the last 6 months for, so you can get an acceptable estimate your current energy usage (most of this is readily available now on your most recent utility statement).

The carbon footprint is a subset of the ecological footprint (a measure of human demand on Earth's ecosystems), which includes all human demands on the biosphere including the carbon, food and fiber footprint.

To calculate your Ecological Footprint, go to www.EcoFoot.com According to the Global Footprint Network, the average person's ecological footprint is about 5.5 acres, while there are only a little over 4 acres of biologically productive area available on the planet.

It's clear that we have gotten too comfortable living outside of our own means, and while it's possible to exceed ecological limits for a while, continued abuse can and will result in thedestruction of the ecological assets on which our economy so heavily depends (i.e. depleted ground water, collapsing fisheries, and deforestation).

The good news is organizations and websites such like CarbonCounter.org mentioned above allow you to buy what are known as carbon offsets.

These basically allow you to "cancel out" your carbon footprint by donating funds to projects and sources that support going green initiatives.

For example, you can donate a whopping as $5 per month (or $60 per year), which will go towards everything from generating energy from clean sources and tree planting to creating electric power stations for truck stops around the country. Pretty cool, right!

And while it may not be the "ideal" or perfect solution, it's definitely a step in the right direction until we can figure out better, cheaper, and more efficient ways to cut our carbon diets in half.

For more information on the carbon footprint concept, click here