Goal #4 Track Our Family's Carbon Footprint - Sustainable Family Finances

Anyone who knows me knows that curbing global warming has been a passion of mine since adolescence, and yet I’m just like everyone else fumbling their way toward a greener planet. Face it; it’s not easy in our culture. Everything is geared toward consumption, driving and raising the next generation’s thermometer.

I remember first calculating my carbon footprint about a decade ago using a basic online calculator, and being secretly proud that my impact was estimated to be similar to a European. Yet, despite my best intentions, it’s been a slippery slope and having a family certainly makes it more difficult to stick to a low-carbon diet. We practice many daily green habits, but it’s easy to ignore the bigger things you don’t feel control over. And just like my family’s monthly budget, I feel like I need a baseline to be able make tangible goals and track our progress.

I plan to use a couple of calculators, just for giggles, and to make sure that we are truly accounting for all of our emissions.

EPA’s Household Emissions Calculator

Energy Trust of Oregon

Online Home Energy Analyzer takes ten minutes and includes your homes appliances and several house specs
Energy Performance Score gathers actual utility data and estimates your Energy Consumption and Carbon Emission

Carbon Footprint’s Carbon Footprint Calculator claims to be the best on the web

I’m also hoping that I will get a few hard-core followers who have the technical know-how to call me on any carbon oversights (and yes, I do know that methane is a huge culprit). So, like managing my family’s finances, I’ll give regular status updates about the real life challenges and joys of trying to become a “sustainable family.”

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Sustainable Family Finances
The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

Sustainable Family Finances

Growing abundance while living down-to-Earth

Goal #4 Track Our Family’s Carbon Footprint

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