Ahead of the Summit, we invite attendees to use the evidence-based Cool Climate tool to calculate your carbon footprint. Learning about your impact will enrich the meaning of the keynote presentation and deepen your engagement throughout the day. We encourage you to think beyond just your households total carbon emissions – consider the categories used in the calculator and how they touch your life, intersect with what brings you joy, and what you feel inspired to do with the information. Reflect on this information before the Summit and think about the actions you might be able to take to impact your footprint. Questions about the calculator?
The Cool Climate tool should take 30 minutes or less. A few tips for successful completion:
- SIMPLE – Choose the simple calculator for a smaller amount of available selections. Check out the advanced calculator for more details (can help clarify the categories) and if you are able to provide more detailed information on your carbon use.
- AVERAGES – The calculator automatically generates carbon use averages. Delete/zero out averages if you do not use carbon in that category. If you do not know the answer, consider using the average to complete the section to the best of your ability. COVID may have created a new normal for your daily routines (ie – less transportation). Use your current routines to estimate to the best of your ability.
- HOUSEHOLD – The tool is set up to calculate for your entire household. You should estimate usage if you have family members, roommates, or others in your household.
- SAVE A COPY – At the end of the calculator, consider taking a screenshot or photo with your phone of the graphs/information. You will not be asked to share the information at the Summit, though the Summit will be a great chance to reflect together about our role in climate action. It can be helpful to have a copy as your own personal reference.
- ACTIONS – At the end of the calculations, there is a chance to learn more about actions you can take and the impact it could have on your carbon usage. Play around with these settings and see what interests and inspires you.
Of course, inadditon to our personal actions, we recognize that collective action from individuals and organizations is necessary to reach Dane County’s ambitious climate goals. Visit the Dane County Office of Energy & Climate Change website to read more. You may have friends, family, or colleagues who favor individual or organizational change – listen to this episode of the How To Save a Planet podcast for a thoughtful conversation about this topic and carbon footprints. Our perspective is that all action can be important and impactful. Change happens when inspired people take action.