intro: Carbon Dioxide is a naturally occurring gas crucial to life, but also the main 'greenhouse gas' contributing to Global Warming. Its build up causes rising temperatures, and will have a profound effect on wildlife and people worldwide. To supply us with the energy we need to heat and light our homes, run our cars and power our planes we are burning an ever-increasing amount of fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil. This process creates Carbon Dioxide, which is leading to global climate change. Obviously industry has a major role to play but households produce 25% of our national Carbon Dioxide emissions. Any real change starts with individuals and you are not alone! A growing number of people are starting to use the Carbon Calculator. And don't forget, industry depends on its customers for survival so your opinions and choices matter greatly to them.

who: among the services provided on line by Global Action Plan, an independent charity committed to encouraging the public to be more environmentally sustainable, is a sort of ‘Green-score’ questionnaire. The organization is well-known for being a source of ‘good practices’ advices to be applied in the everyday life, in order to achieve a better and more sustainable lifestyle. By consequence, the service they provide is not aimed to judging bad behaviours, but to offering the possibility to change and improve people’s lifestyles, through a series of practical tips.

what: in the “How green are you?” section, Global Action Plan invite you to measure your carbon dioxide emissions, compare them with others and find out how to start cutting pollution right away. You can then return in a few months to see how much carbon dioxide you have saved.

step-by-step: first of all, you have to complete a short questionnaire, which will allow to tailor the Carbon Calculator to your household. What is needed is some information from your energy bills and about your travel habits:

your last 4 quarterly energy bills (gas, electricity etc);

the average yearly mileage on the car(s) in your household;

the average distance that your household travels each week on public transport.

results: up to now, 2.892 people have taken part in the Carbon Calculator. Of the people who have returned to the Calculator, the average savings they have made is 1840.5kg.