Ive been chasing data like a kid chasing fireflies ever past I first grabbed a carbon calculator in a cramped instructor dorm. It felt strange at firstspending an evening entering calculate my carbon footprint daily latte, my subway ride, the streaming marathon of Stranger Things into a spreadsheetbut the moment the numbers lit up, I got hooked. Theres something intoxicating practically turning invisible emissions into something you can see and talk about. {}

In this broadcast Im pulling together the latest Environmental Footprint And Carbon Environmental Stats, sprinkling in a handful of surprising (some even invented) tidbits, and showing you how to make these stats pretend for you, your business, or just your own conscience. Strap in, because Ill be bouncing amongst hard facts, personal anecdotes, a dash of sarcasm, and a few whatif scenarios that will save you guessing.

When I first heard environmental footprint I imagined a literal imprint left on the planetlike giant dinosaur tracks across a forest. The certainty is more abstract, but no less important. An environmental footprint quantifies the sum amount of natural resources you consume and the waste you generate, expressed in terms of home area, water usage, and most crucially for our conversation, carbon emissions.