Ive been chasing data later a kid chasing fireflies ever before I first grabbed a carbon calculator in a cramped scholarly dorm. It felt weird 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 to make these stats accomplish for you, your business, or just your own conscience. Strap in, because Ill be bouncing amid 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 upon the planetlike giant dinosaur tracks across a forest. The truth 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 estate area, water usage, and most crucially for our conversation, carbon emissions.