Whether or not you believe that carbon offsets are the modern day equivalent of medieval indulgences, there are lots of ways to calculate your carbon footprint. Should you want to "offset" those carbon emissions you can buy into projects such as wind farms, conversion of methane, or large scale tree-planting. There are lots of organizations who are very happy to help you buy those "offsets;" but you need to know how much you are producing first. To make it easier, there are a number of "calculators" on line that will compute the amount of carbon you produce each year and tell you how much money to give to compensate for it.
Carbon Calculator
The problem? Not one of the 10 online calculators tested recently by the Seattle Post Intelligencer agreed on the true "carbon footprint" for a couple living in Seattle. Click on the image at the left to enlarge it for easier reading. What to do? Do you go with the highest number so you are sure to offset all your carbon effects? Do you choose the lowest number (after all, it is the easiest to reach)? Do you take an average of all ten? Pick one in the middle? Do you simply chuck the whole idea and find ways to reduce your emissions without offsetting them? Your call... But if you'd like to try the same experiment, here's the list of online calculators: Read the Seattle PI article for some excellent pros and cons for the use of carbon offsets.