We are all making a mark on the world, but what kind of mark? Learn about your imprint on the planet and how small life changes can make a positive impact on the world.

According to the UK Carbon Trust, a carbon footprint is the total set of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by an organization, event, product or person. When we talk about your Carbon Footprint, we are discussing the GHG emitted by you and your dependents. Everyone has a carbon footprint, it's unavoidable. We all have to live, breathe and eat; all of which generate at least a small amount of carbon emissions. However, we are in control of where we live, how we live, and how and where we choose to eat. These variables are divided up into two categories: a Primary Footprint and a Secondary Footprint.

Primary Footprint:
This refers to the amount of CO2 emissions we produce at home and on the go. The primary footprint most closely relates to the things we can control: how we heat our homes, what kinds of cars we drive, how often we travel, etc. We are in control of the size of our primary footprint and can make it Bigfoot-sized or baby-sized depending on our choices (let's all shoot for the latter!).

Secondary Footprint:
Our control over this footprint is much more limited. This footprint relates to the CO2 emissions of all of our lifestyle products. What this means is that we are in control of what we buy and if the items are produced in a manner that produces a significant percentage of GHG, then we are partially responsible. The more we buy, the more emissions are caused on our behalf.

So, what can we do? First of all, we can make decisions about how we want to decrease our primary footprint. We can take public transportation or carpool to work. We can turn off the heat when we are away from our house or use the air conditioner as little as possible. We can buy local produce. Also, we can educate ourselves on how we shop and how the items we buy are being processed.

At Cuipo we recognize the importance of Living Green. Make a positive mark on the planet and decrease your carbon footprint by saving a meter today.