Guelph Tribune

The University of Guelph has unveiled an online tool that will let people measure their ecological footprint and reduce their collective impact on the environment.

The web-based “Zerofootprint” calculator, launched Friday, allows people to estimate and analyze the impact of daily activities such as car travel and electricity use on the environment.

It not only calculates someone’s carbon footprint, but also determines the person’s land, water and tree footprint.

For example, it shows users how much carbon is emitted into the atmosphere based on the distance their food has travelled or how much land and water are required to sustain their diet.

It also provides users with advice on how to modify habits and behaviours to shrink their footprint, including setting goals and tracking successes online.

“No one is in a better position to take advantage of the opportunities the Zerofootprint calculator presents than the university,” said president Alastair Summerlee.

“The calculator is a way to take social action online,” he said in a news release. “Change has always been about the individual acting as part of a collective – that’s what the calculator allows.”

U of G teamed up with Zerofootprint, a Toronto-based nonprofit agency, to develop the initiative as part of the university’s environmental sustainability efforts.

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