Confessions of a Sasquatch

Have you ever taken a quiz to calculate your carbon footprint? The last one I tried estimated my footprint at a reasonable sounding 12 acres. Sadly, even at half of the average for my country, I was still consuming almost 3 times my fair share of resources.

This was before I made several positive ecological changes this summer, so I decided to try another. I found this quiz from NPR that calculates your entire family's eco-impact. It's interactive and cartoon-y enough that you can take it with your kids and discuss how your household can change their ways to make Earth a cleaner, happier home.

Our score was 2.6, down from 2.8. I was honestly surprised it was so high because we are the most ecologically conscious family we know. The big issues were meat and dairy consumption (we're omnivores) and transportation. Our electric usage and waste production were 0!

Coincidentally, we gave up meat last week for the Frugal Habit of the Week at my website. I thought it was a healthy and economical choice, but apparently it was good for the planet as well. Maybe we'll start having one vegan week every month.