Carbon Footprint Calculator |> Low-Carbon Diet |> Northwest Illinois Audubon Society

Enter your household's energy use information, then click the Calculate button to estimate your annual carbon dioxide output. Please note that this page is not submitted to our server, and the Audubon Society does not store your information in any way.

Carbon source	Household Usage	Pounds of CO₂ emitted per year
How many gallons of garbage do you put out each week? (An average garbage can holds 32 gallons.)	gallons/week	lbs.
On average, what is your household electricity usage per year in kilowatt hours?	kWh/year
How do you heat your home?
Natural gas:	therms/year
Propane:	gallons/year
Wood:	cords/year
Fuel oil:	gallons/year
For up to three vehicles, list the annual mileage and fuel economy.
Vehicle #1:	mi./yr. mpg
Vehicle #2:	mi./yr. mpg
Vehicle #3:	mi./yr. mpg
What is your family's average number of air miles traveled per year?	miles/year
How many members of your family eat the following kind of diet?
More red meat and fish than average	people
The 'average American diet'	people
More poultry than average	people
A mostly vegetarian diet	people
An entirely vegan diet	people
		lbs.

The data used to create this Carbon Footprint Calculator are based on work done by the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the University of Chicago. This particular model for a 'calculator' is based on that of the Empowerment Institute, the authors of Low Carbon Diet.

Other Sources?

We encourage you to keep a journal of other sources of carbon emissions that your family may generate. We can help you calculate their impact.

Ratings and Typical Use

How did your family compare?

Level 1:	80,000 lbs. and above
Level 2:	70,000 - 79,999 lbs.
Level 3:	60,000 - 69,999 lbs.
Level 4:	50,000 - 59,999 lbs.
Level 5:	40,000 - 49,999 lbs.
Level 6:	30,000 - 39,999 lbs.
Level 7:	20,000 - 29,999 lbs.
Level 8:	10,000 - 19,999 lbs.
Level 9:	1,000 - 9,999 lbs.
Level 10:	< 1,000 lbs. Carbon Neutral!

Typical CO₂ total emissions per household per year:

United States:	54,600
Germany:	27,700
Sweden:	14,600
Mexico:	10,600
Kenya:	400