Recently, I posted about the carbon footprint of Spam and it seems Carbon as a currency is gaining currency! What exactly is Carbon Footprint? Here’s how the UK Carbon Trust defines it:
the total set of GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions caused directly and indirectly by an individual, organization, event or product
Image Courtesy: British Recycled Products
You can calculate your own Carbon Footprint here. It requires some guesswork about your consumption habits but it will give you a general idea about where you stand vis-à-vis the rest of the planet.
Carbon is not the only metaphorical footprint that has become popular in recent years. In fact, its not even the first. I think the metamorphic footprints started in a big way with the Ecological Footprint – a measure of human demand on the Earth's ecosystems. Then there’s the Water Footprint – the total volume of freshwater that is used to produce the goods and services consumed by the individual or community or produced by the business. You can also find references to Social Footprint, usually in the context of Corporate Social Responsibility.
Anyway, coming back to the Carbon Footprint. I recent read about a new washing machine that claims to have a Carbon Footprint 40% lower than the most efficient alternative. How so? Well, it uses 90% less water and (therefore) significantly less electricity for drying the laundry. This “green gadget” from Xerox uses thousands of tiny nylon beads that have the characteristic of attracting and retaining dirt particles (now you know why nylon clothes get dirty very easily!) in conjunction with detergent and a little water. Read more here.
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