You recycle and feel it is not enough
Because it is not, and you sense that.
Courses
Start with three things you can do today
How to reduce your carbon footprint where it actually matters
Cut the emissions that matter, and stop sweating the ones that do not.
Estimate the activities you can measure, state the emissions factors and boundaries, then compare realistic changes. Location, travel, energy supply, food and purchases can change the ranking. No four categories or single action dominate every person's footprint.
Want new features first?
A starting goal
I want to reduce my carbon footprint, but I do not know which changes matter. Help me see where my emissions really come from and which actions make a real difference rather than a small one.
Change any word so it fits your situation. The course is built from what you type and a few setup questions.
Start today
Three things you can do before the course exists.
Useful on their own. The course is for when you want the whole skill, not just the first move.
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Work through a transparent estimate
Invented example: 200 kWh of electricity multiplied by an assumed factor of 0.4 kg CO2e per kWh gives 80 kg CO2e. If comparable use falls to 150 kWh, the same-factor estimate is 60 kg, a difference of 20 kg. These are teaching values, not your grid's factor or promised savings.
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Inspect the assumptions
Check whether the factor matches the location, period and accounting method. Identify what is included and excluded. EPA's US household calculator covers home energy, transport and waste; it is not a complete accounting of every purchase or a source of universal factors for other countries.
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Choose with evidence and feasibility
Compare plausible changes using the same period and units, then consider cost, health, access and control over the decision. A lower thermostat is not appropriate for every household or climate. Keep estimates separate from measured energy use, and do not call an action pointless just because it is smaller than another.
Sources: EPA: household calculator scope and location-dependent estimates; EPA: published calculator assumptions and factor sources. Practical examples are starting points, not promised results.
- Best for
- Environment & climate
- Prerequisites
- None. Bring the situation you have.
- Course length
- 7 to 30 lessons
- Pace
- Yours. One lesson at a time, as often as you like.
- Format
- Read it, or play the audio
- Access
- Available on the App Store and Google Play, with an optional early testing list
Before the course is built
Setup asks about your situation first.
Lesson 1 opens on the moment you describe, and the examples use your role. For this request, expect questions like these.
- What do you do now: recycle, drive less, eat less meat, or not much yet?
- What is your situation: car, flights, home heating, diet?
- Do you want to cut your own footprint, influence others, or both?
Right for now
If any of this sounds familiar, start here.
You feel guilty about everything
Straws, bags, flights, all at once.
You want to do the things that matter
And stop pretending about the rest.
Course arc
Where the course goes, in order.
Cadence writes the lessons for you, so the exact path follows your answers. This is the ground a course built from this sentence covers.
01 / 06Defining the estimate
Choose a period, boundaries and suitable activity data.
Comparing actions
Use consistent units and assumptions before ranking possible changes.
Home energy
Heating, electricity and the changes that pay.
Travel
Flights, cars and the honest numbers.
Food
Meat, waste and what actually moves the figure.
Beyond your own footprint
Voting, work and influence.
What changes
What you will be able to do, and what you will stop believing.
You will be able to
Know your footprint
Home, travel, food and stuff, roughly sized.
Rank the actions
Which changes are big, which are small, and which are symbolic.
Choose feasible changes
Consider the estimated effect alongside cost, access, health and practical control.
Keep perspective
What individuals can do, what systems must, and how the two connect.
Ideas this course corrects
One ranking applies to every household
Use your own activity data and appropriate local factors. Different boundaries can also change the result.
A precise-looking estimate is an exact measurement
Factors and activity data have limits. State them before comparing options or claiming a reduction.
Course questions
What to know before you start.
How to reduce your carbon footprint where it actually matters: what can I do today?
Work through a transparent estimate. Invented example: 200 kWh of electricity multiplied by an assumed factor of 0.4 kg CO2e per kWh gives 80 kg CO2e. If comparable use falls to 150 kWh, the same-factor estimate is 60 kg, a difference of 20 kg. These are teaching values, not your grid's factor or promised savings. Inspect the assumptions. Check whether the factor matches the location, period and accounting method. Identify what is included and excluded. EPA's US household calculator covers home energy, transport and waste; it is not a complete accounting of every purchase or a source of universal factors for other countries. Choose with evidence and feasibility. Compare plausible changes using the same period and units, then consider cost, health, access and control over the decision. A lower thermostat is not appropriate for every household or climate. Keep estimates separate from measured energy use, and do not call an action pointless just because it is smaller than another.
Is this a fixed course?
No. Cadence builds the course when you type the sentence and answer a few setup questions, so the lessons follow your situation. This page describes what a course built from this request covers. You see the whole path before Lesson 1.
Who is this course for?
Estimate the activities you can measure, state the emissions factors and boundaries, then compare realistic changes. Location, travel, energy supply, food and purchases can change the ranking. No four categories or single action dominate every person's footprint. It sits under Environment & climate in the Ideas & discovery part of the library.
Do I need any prior experience?
No. Setup asks what you already know and where you want to use it, and the course starts from there. Bring a real situation if you have one; the examples are built around it.
How long does it take?
Most courses run 7 to 30 lessons. The course length is sized to what you asked for. You set the pace: one lesson at a time, as often as you like. Lessons can be read or played as audio.
Does this course award a certificate or degree?
No. Cadence is for practical self-learning and does not award accredited degrees or professional certification.
Start today
Type it, answer a few questions, open Lesson 1.
A starting goal
I want to reduce my carbon footprint, but I do not know which changes matter. Help me see where my emissions really come from and which actions make a real difference rather than a small one.
Want new features first?