As the battle rages on about climate change between those who subscribe to the theory and those proclaim it to be nonsense, a group of buzzwords relating to the topic have begun to proliferate our everyday vernacular. Words like “sustainable,” “organic,” “green,” and “clean energy” are now common on the news, in the media, and among concerned denizens of all parts of the world. They’re usually pretty self-explanatory, or at least understandable based on context. But one term that is surging in popularity seems to have a bit of mystery surrounding it, as the term doesn’t really explain itself on a surface level. That term is “carbon footprint.” We’re going to break it down a little here, in an effort to help people understand what it is, and why it matters.
A carbon footprint is broadly defined as the amount of carbon dioxide, or other carbon compounds (also known as greenhouse gases), that is emitted into the atmosphere by the activities of an individual, group, product, or event. 
Each entity’s carbon footprint is assessed by the greenhouse gases that are released due to transport, land clearing, and consumption of resources such as fuel, wood, food, roads, buildings, necessary materials, and services. All of these combined have the potential to make a small entity’s carbon footprint massive in comparison to its size, which is why so much focus is placed on how wisely we are obtaining and using our resources, and the effect it has on the world at large. By determining the carbon footprint of manufacturers, businesses, and people, we have the opportunity to make changes that will have less impact on the environment, and possibly simplify the processes involved.
So where do you think you fall on the scale? It’s pretty easy to estimate whether your lifestyle has a large carbon footprint attached to it or not. For example, consider your transportation needs: do you drive a car everywhere you need to go, or do you also walk or ride a bike? Do you utilize public transportation or carpool? The ways you use transportation compute into energy usage (fuel), services (roads), and goods (maintenance and repair). Minimizing your consumption can help to lessen your carbon footprint tremendously, thereby reducing the carbon footprint of your community, city, state, and so on.
There are many changes you can make to your consumption of resources by simply altering your lifestyle slightly. Buying local is always a great choice because less resources are necessary to get the food from the farmer or rancher to you, and you are helping to boost the economic gain of your own community. Cut back on household energy expenditures by using less heating and air conditioning, and using more focused methods of staying warm or cool. 
Look into clean energy programs that are offered by your electric companies. Consider your purchases more carefully in terms of necessity, and waste that is produced from the packaging. And of course, reduce, reuse, and recycle. It is true that one person alone cannot change the world, but individuals working together is how big changes get made.
Photos via Takver, Miia Ranta, Simon Summerfield Jolly
