Here's a word that popped up out of nowhere. What the h**l is a "Carbon Footprint"?!?

Question

Here's a word that popped up out of nowhere. What the h**l is a "Carbon Footprint"?!?

Answer 1

In a nutshell the total impact you have had on the planet since you were born until you die. Everything you do in one way or another affects that carbon footprint, waste more, drive more, and your footprint goes up. Walk, plant a tree, do other productive things and it can go down.

The Footprint calculates EVERYTHING, not just the miles of gas you burn in your car, but from the amount of diapers you used when you were a baby, to the total amount of cans of soda you went through in your lifetime, the amount of water you used to take a shower, how many bananas you ate (and all the energy it took to get from plant to store to your mouth) everything until the very last thing when the amount of gas you produce from your decomposing body.

National Geographic did a documentary about this called the "Human Footprint" or something like it, the amount of waste we leave behind is tremendous, but awe striking to look at.

Answer 2

According to Wiki:

A carbon footprint is a "measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide".[1] It is meant to be useful for individuals and organizations to conceptualize their personal (or organizational) impact in contributing to global warming. A conceptual tool in response to carbon footprints are carbon offsets, or the mitigation of carbon emissions through the development of alternative projects such as solar or wind energy or reforestation. The carbon footprint is a subset of the ecological footprint, which includes all human demands on the biosphere.

So in English, I guess it means how much we are putting into the atmosphere.

Answer 3

Carbon Footprint: It is an imaginary phenomenon that is obbiously invisible, akin to perhaps an imaginary friend. It is the amount of carbon that people emit and what they imagine themselves to be staining the Earth with. In order to erase their carbon footprints, some bright fellows have invented another imaginary phenomenon known as the Carbon Credit.

Answer 4

That's when environmentalist groups step on everything in the wilderness looking for endangered species

Answer 5

That's what Al Gore leaves when he walks through the coal ash generated by the utility company for his home.

Answer 6

It's the amount of greenhouse gases that you give out or 'contribute' everyday.

Answer 7

Footprint is the mark you leave when you walk.

Carbon footprint is the mark of your energy usage you leave in the form of carbon.

If you use CFL lamps, turn off stand-by mode on your appliances, walk or take public transport, etc you have a smaller carbon footpring than somehow who leaves all the lights blazing and drives a V8 everywhere.