Resources

Eco-Film Night #1, March 20, 2019:  Being the Change

• Measure Your Carbon Footprint  

On a per capita basis, we Canadians are huge users of fossil fuels. 

If all 7 billion on our beloved planet lived like the average Canadian, we would need 3.8 Earths. Read all about it here! 

There is no 'best tool' on the web for calculating our personal consumption of fossil fuels - that is, our individual carbon footprints. But it's still worth getting at least a fair idea of what we consume, fossil fuel-wise, because then we can identify ways to reduce our consumption, and do our part to help stabilize Earth's climate.

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• CALCULATOR #1 If you want just get a rough idea of your carbon footprint, try this simple calculator. MyClimate.org. Once you've done your calculation, you can also offset all of your carbon use on this same site.

• CALCULATOR #2  If you'd like to get a more accurate fix on your personal/family fossil fuel use, go find your past 12 months' worth of energy bills, then try this calculator: CarbonFootprint.com  You can offset your carbon use at this site too.

• CALCULATOR #3 Climate Neutral Now is the United Nations' tool, more detailed than Calculator #1, and easier than #2. And yes, carbon offsets can be purchased at this site too.

  BUT REMEMBER!  It is ALWAYS better to reduce personal fossil fuel use first. Yes we can - and should - offset the carbon we burn by planting trees, or purchasing energy-efficient cook stoves for families in Kenya or Guatemala, etc., but our atmosphere would be far less burdened with CO2 if we all consumed fewer fossil fuels.    

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• Resources For Reducing Carbon Emissions

• United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals: Lazy Person's Guide to Saving the World. There are four levels of actions on this site:  1) Things you can do from your couch. 2) Things you can do at home. 3) Things you can do outside your house. 4) Things you can do at work. There is also other great information on this UN site about affordable & clean energy, ending poverty, clean water & sanitation, gender equality - all of the UN's 17 Sustainable Development goals. 

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• Eating our way to a more sustainable environment! 

          • Is going vegan the single best way to help the planet? "It is far bigger than cutting down on your flights or buying an electric car,” says this article by Global Citizen.

          • Is all meat bad for the planet? Good question, and the answer is nope! Depends entirely on how the meat is raised; grazing animals can make a significant contribution to improving soil health and capturing excess carbon from the atmosphere. Have a look at this article,  Why cows properly cared for are good – for the land, the climate, and us from The Campaign For Real Farming.

          • Benefits of Pulses: Good for you and the planet. The benefits of beans, lentils and other pulses go way beyond                       our bellies. Read all about it here.