Google Launches Green Calculator

Google has today launched the UK Carbon Footprint Project , allowing you to calculate your personal carbon footprint, choose carbon-reducing steps from a personalised action plan and compare your actions to those of others around the UK by putting yourself on the Google UK Carbon Footprint Map.

 
The Google Carbon Calculator, built in partnership with the Energy Saving Trust and RSA, draws on Defra’s ‘Act on CO2’ calculator for its data, calculations and approved methodologies.

 
Hilary Benn said:

"I am delighted that Google is using our data and calculations for its carbon calculator which forms part of its new web project. The project is interactive and, I trust, will encourage people to find ways to reduce their personal carbon footprint.

 
“We have decided to openly share our calculator data with organisations ranging from local authorities and charities to big businesses, to ensure that even more people have the chance to calculate their carbon footprint using the most up to date data and calculations – and because it's so vital that we all work together in the fight against climate change."

Ed Parsons, Geospatial technologist at Google, says: "We want to help people find the information they are looking for as quickly as possible and that's why we have launched this project. People in the UK can find out their carbon footprint and what they can do to reduce it."

Kate Hammond, product marketing manager at Google, said that adding the data to a map would help highlight the "power of collaborative action" on climate change. "A lot of people feel small actions won’t make a difference, but seeing how your footprint and pledges to take action feed into a whole area illustrates that you can make a difference and also helps you communicate with other people doing the same thing," she said.

Energy Saving Trust chief executive Philip Sellwood said: "The calculator is an excellent tool which enables people to find out their impact on the environment and gives them practical steps to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions.
 
"One of our main objectives was to help create a user friendly tool that would be both scientifically robust but at the same time practical to use and fun too."

The service will also provide a range of related information and services including individual action plans and relevant news feeds. And all data will be collated into the search engine's UK Carbon Footprint map.

Whether you start with tiny steps or giant leaps you can keep track of your progress easily with a Carbon Footprint tab (or section) on your personalised iGoogle homepage. Simply tick off your carbon-reducing actions as you take them to automatically update your carbon footprint on the map.

The carbon footprint tab on your personalised homepage also offers a selection of constantly updated ‘gadgets’ (sections) to help you find information on the subject and keep up to date with the project. These include a custom carbon footprint news feed, project statistics and user generated video content from Sky. The tab features a unique design or ‘skin’.