How to Calculate Carbon Offset
A carbon offset, also known as a carbon credit, is a financial instrument used to calculate the amount of greenhouse gasses emitted into the atmosphere from industrial sites, vehicles, airplanes, homes and anything else that emits carbon dioxide. The idea behind carbon offsets is to give individuals and businesses the ability to reduce the impact they have on our environment by contributing funds to renewable energy projects. According to CarbonFund.org, the average American's total carbon footprint is 50,000 pounds a year. Here is how to calculate your total carbon footprint.
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Instructions
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How Large is Your Footprint?
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1
Write down the total square footage of your home. A total of 1,000 square feet or less is equal to 10,000 pounds of carbon, so if your home falls into this category write down 10,000. If your home is larger than 1,000 square feet, add 1,500 pounds for each additional 100 square feet. So, if your home is 1,500 square feet, the total carbon dioxide produced each year by your home is 17,500 pounds.
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2
Add an additional 10,000 pounds for each person living in your home; the number 10,000 represents how much carbon is used in the transportation of goods and services to your home by local governments and businesses, especially grocery stores and postal deliveries.
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3
Calculate the total amount of carbon emitted by your vehicle based on how many miles per gallon it achieves. Add 10,000 pounds to your total for vehicles that get between 20 and 40 mpg; 6,000 pounds for a hybrid; and for cars that get less than 20 mpg, add 20,000 pounds to your total. It should be noted that this calculation assumes you drive the national average of 12,000 miles a year.
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4
Add how many miles you flew during the past year. The standard measurement here is 4 carbon pounds for every 10 miles you are in the air. So, if you flew 20,000 miles, that totals 8,000 pounds of carbon.
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5
Total your findings and divide the sum by 2,000, which provides you with your total carbon footprint. For every 2,000 pounds of carbon you expend, you can purchase one carbon credit that totals 1 ton of expenditure.
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