http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx
This is not meant to be bragging on myself. The aforementioned question is simply one that has been asked more and more lately.
-Maintenance: I use ponies as a lawnmower. They are even more precise than a weed-eater around edges. I use their manure in my compost. Plus, there is no labor involved for mowing, and they make interesting pets.
-Energy: I have a wood-stove for heat, which is quite efficient and keeps my electricity bill below $60 in the winter, even with more electronics than I should probably have running and having Christmas lights for a month. I use the equivalent of one to two trees for heat each winter.
I now have energy saving light bulbs in almost every room (the most used rooms). I use only what lights are necessary at the moment.
-Transportation: My car can get over 30 mpg, while still performing adequately. I’ve added extra upgrades (air filter, muffler, cold air intake, etc,) that are supposed to make it more efficient. I do notice a difference in fuel consumption since the upgrades have been added (along with some slight performance bonuses).
I use tires which have the highest treadwear rating (they last a long time, even with having good traction).
-Consumables: The house has it’s own well, with it’s own pressure filter. I have a Brita filter pitcher, and use water from the well for drinking water. I use reusable bottles when it is required to have water afar (hiking and stuff).
I am starting my first garden this year. I am using my own compost from kitchen scraps, manure, leaves, etc.
-Garbage: This is my worst environmental aspect. Even though we recycle glass, aluminum, and plastic, we have no trash service so we burn our remaining garbage. I would like to build some kind of incinerator/burning pit that has at least a make-shift filter on it to reduce my air pollution.
-Influence: I have spread influence over my family. My father has bought a hydrogen generator for his truck. He requires a rather large truck for his job. My family utilizes his truck as “the family’s truck” so that it is all that is necessary for the entire family to complete big tasks. My parents also have energy saving light bulbs… not to mention that my father works for a clean energy industry.
-Future Plans: I am very interested in building a mini-windmill. If it produces enough power to nearly power my two-bedroom house, I might build a few more and make profit from them… if I can afford one at all.
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