Discover How Climate Tracking Apps Help You Measure Your Carbon Footprint: A Comprehensive Guide

Talk about your carbon footprint often pops up in discussions about climate change. It’s a way to measure how our daily activities add to greenhouse gas emissions—everything from driving your car to the energy used in the food you buy. Reducing your carbon footprint means putting less pollution into the air.

But how do you actually manage that? It can be tricky. That’s where mobile apps come in. They help you understand which actions contribute most to your emissions and show you how to cut back.

Research suggests people often misjudge their impact on the environment. But with the right information, they can make better choices. These apps offer a way to learn about emissions and develop healthier habits.

I decided to try three popular carbon-tracking apps, and here’s how it went.

My Carbon Footprint

First, I let the apps calculate my footprint. I thought I’d score better than average, but I was surprised. I eat meat sparingly, share a fuel-efficient car, work from home, and try to minimize waste. Yet, according to the apps, I emit about 17 tons of emissions each year. While that’s lower than the typical American (around 22 tons), it’s still three times higher than the global average.

The major culprits? Heating and cooling my older home and two flights a year to see family 2,000 miles away.

Determined to lower my impact, I explored the features of each app.

Exploring the Apps

Earth Hero and Pawprint begin with a survey on things like eating habits and travel to calculate your carbon footprint. I checked their numbers against the EPA’s calculator, and they matched up.

Each app lists actions you can take to reduce emissions. Pawprint assigns specific values to these actions, while Earth Hero relies on volunteer scientists for its data. Some simple options, like washing clothes in cold water, are easy to implement. Others, like installing solar panels, require more effort. Both apps let me track my goals, with Earth Hero offering points for progress and Pawprint giving “Pawpoints” for redeeming towards climate projects.

Ben Gerhold, CEO of Earth Hero, noted that new users typically lower their emissions by about one ton annually.

For the first two weeks, my enthusiasm stayed high, but it faded. Daily logging became burdensome. I stopped checking the apps as much, especially when the actions felt overwhelming or long-term.

The Passive Approach

The third app I tried, Commons, took a different route. This one tracks credit card purchases and generates weekly reports on spending. It didn’t need daily input, which made it easier to use.

After overcoming my nerves about sharing my spending data, I found valuable insights. Commons highlighted how my purchases impacted the planet, encouraging me to shop more sustainably. Plus, it rewards buying from eco-friendly brands and sets collective goals for users.

Sanchali Pal, the founder of Commons, acknowledges that measuring carbon footprints can be simplistic. She emphasized that the goal is to encourage users to make sustainable spending decisions, leading to broader systemic shifts.

Actions in Earth Hero also promote collective efforts. Activities like writing to lawmakers or signing petitions earn points, aiming to create a wider impact. Gerhold believes these actions can lead to larger changes beyond just individual app users.

After my two weeks with the apps, I didn’t see a drastic change in my carbon footprint. Real-life changes take time. Yet, I’m motivated to keep improving my habits. I booked a more sustainable trip for the holidays, mixing train and plane travel instead of flying directly. Plus, I’m looking into energy upgrades for my home.

It’s a journey, and every small step contributes. I’m excited to see how far I can go.

The Associated Press covers climate issues, supported by various private foundations. However, AP remains responsible for all editorial content.

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