I just used the carbon footprint calculator on his Inconvenient Truth site. It said my personal contribution to global climate change is "l arger than average" -- 13.2 tons of CO2 per year. According to that site, the US average is 7.5 tons per year, per person.

And this is considering that I've gone carless -- relying mainly on bike, bus, and walking to get around, and occasionally using Boulder Car Share.

Oh well, so much for saving the planet.

One main culprit of my current carbesity is that, as a consultant, I take 8-12 airplane trips per year, all over the country. When I zeroed that out from this calculator, my footprint dropped to 8.6 tons/year -- in the "average" range.

Also, I currently live alone. When my husband was here, our utility bills were shared across two carbon footprints.

Obviously, there's more I could be doing: replacing old inefficient windows and appliances, etc., moving to a smaller place or getting a housemate, etc. And I'm considering all those options. But I can't say fighting global warming is the main motivator. Mostly I just don't prefer to live alone, and also I know my clunky central air conditioner is getting ready to die, and my fridge is too noisy.

It just goes to show: When it comes to climate change, "green" is more about numbers than appearances.