Category Archives: carbon footprint

Goal #4 Track Our Family’s Carbon Footprint

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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.
  • 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.