Google launches UK Carbon Footprint project

Google has launched a UK Carbon Footprint Project which aims to help people in the UK to calculate, track and compare their carbon footprints with other people living in the UK.

The project has been developed in partnership with the Energy Saving Trust, The RSA, Act on CO2 and British Gas.  Taking part in the project can be done in three simple steps: 

Step 1: Google will take you to your own personalised iGoogle page with a carbon calculator.  Fill in your details regarding energy use and Google will then show you how your personal and travel carbon footprint compares to the UK average.

Step 2: Once you have your current carbon footprint, you can then choose from a number of small energy saving actions that you are willing to do to reduce your carbon footprint.  When you hit the recalculate button, Google will then work out how these actions reduce your carbon footprint.  This is then compared as before to the UK average.

Step 3: Your personal carbon footprint can then be added to the Google UK Carbon Footprint Map.  The map shows a wealth of information on not only your own carbon footprint, but also the carbon footprint of others, the carbon footprint of local authorities, recycling rates, and much, much more.

Your personalised iGoogle page can be updated whenever you like, and as many times as you like, so you can personally track your progress to achieving a lower carbon footprint.