Whats your carbon footprint?

Ours was 21 for a family of 4. I think it let us off too easy. We don't eat meat, but most of the household does consume dairy. One of the real issues with meat/dairy and greenhouse gasses is the cows themselves. Most are raised on foods that they really aren't intended to eat (corn) which causes excessive flatulence (the largest culprit with greenhouse gases in meat production). So, not all meats are created equally where emissions are concerned. Any animal with multiple stomachs are going to be a problem, but chickens aren't as much, nor is pork. So, I would think that dairy products are worse than eating pork as far as greenhouse gases are concerned. The issue with organics versus conventional produce is the petroleum based fertilizers. I would think that shipping organics from Chile versus local conventional products that the organics lose out. However, lets face it, most people in this country (not this board) do conventional produce shipped over long distances. I also agree that it didn't take into account those of us that grow much of our own produce and meat products. It makes a huge difference. The test is interesting to take, but a little too simplistic to be accurate.
 
31 tons for 2 people. I don't think some of the questions were very good, with the lights we did not change to efficient and probably will not because some contain mercury. We use a lamp that uses a halogen light bulb which is efficient though, and we hardly use lights and with eating meat we might eat it everyday but we do two meals on saturday and sunday and they last the entire week.
 
Both tests are good for entertainment purposes but that is it. Neither are thorough enough to have any degree of accuracy. Both sites sell carbon offsets so they have incentive to keep the questions too simple for real accuracy. They want to figure you on the high side.
 

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