Ive been chasing data following a kid chasing fireflies ever in the past I first grabbed a carbon calculator in a cramped moot dorm. It felt strange at firstspending an evening entering my 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 more or less turning invisible emissions into something you can see and talk about. {}

In this state 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 do you calculate a carbon footprint to make these stats proceed for you, your business, or just your own conscience. Strap in, because Ill be bouncing along with difficult facts, personal anecdotes, a dash of sarcasm, and a few whatif scenarios that will keep you guessing.

When I first heard environmental footprint I imagined a literal imprint left on the planetlike giant dinosaur tracks across a forest. The authenticity 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 house area, water usage, and most crucially for our conversation, carbon emissions.