For individuals
For individualsThe CO2 equivalent is the measure by which we express our total greenhouse gas emissions, which we call carbon footprint. It is smaller in developing countries, where people are more likely to consume less energy and resources, and do not drive cars or heat their homes. It is bigger in Western European countries or in the US, where the average carbon footprint is 17 tons of CO2 eq/person.
The size of our footprint is also influenced by our individual consumption habits, diet, lifestyle, and systemic factors, such as a country’s energy mix. If our home is supplied by renewable (solar, wind) energy, our personal footprint will be lower than if the source is wood or natural gas. Some emissions are very easy to understand. Everybody knows that cars burn fossil fuel, airplanes consume kerosene. It is well known that these have (harmful) emissions. But our carbon footprint also increases when we “burn calories” in a less direct way. Products also have a carbon footprint. For example, by buying a new t-shirt carbon is emitted from the transportation and production of the raw materials, energy and resources used to produce the textile, storage and distribution of the product, and other factors all along the supply chain. Environmentally conscious consumers are increasingly expressing their need for low-emission products.
Our common goal is to enable carbon neutrality with you by 2050.
We calculate for you!
Together with the ZeroKarbon team, you can calculate your individual carbon footprint. If you’re committed enough, we’ll work with you to create a reduction plan based on the information gathered from the calculation.
We help you reduce your emissions!
It is important for us to provide you with a sense of success, so we try to set effective but realistic interventions. We’ll suggest to you commitments which will make the biggest difference to your carbon footprint, but won’t ruin your life. You will still be able to fly, if this is something important for you (maybe not every month). There are countless ways we can reduce our footprint, but we believe the most important is taking small steps that you feel comfortable with, so you don’t give up the fight.
We give you offset options!
Unfortunately some parts of our carbon footprint are not something that we can eliminate. For example, we cannot turn off the heating in winter. We can help with that, too! These unavoidable parts can be offset by supporting projects with a negative carbon footprint that do not emit but absorb CO2, such as tree planting. It could easily be that you are completely carbon neutralizing your entire year by planting a couple trees! Carbon neutralization should be seen as a last solution and should in no way be used to make us feel comfortable while leaving our consumption patterns unchanged.
A few tips to reduce your consumption and carbon footprint
The more you reduce the number of miles you travel by plane, the more you reduce your carbon footprint.
Biking and walking are the zero carbon options, if you use these, you burn only calories! Generally speaking, train is better than bus, and bus is better than car. If you are interested in lowering your emissions, try to prioritize your transportation means according to these principles.
Remember: walk/bike <train < bus < car <plane
There are two important rules to keep in mind if you want to reduce the carbon footprint of your meals:
1. The carbon footprint of food containing meat is always higher than plant-based meals. The carbon footprint of beef and lamb are the highest.
2. If home cooking is an option, it has a smaller carbon footprint than eating out in addition to saving money.
Comparing cooking at home or eating out, home meals are sure to have a smaller carbon footprint, so if you wish to save money and emission you should introduce meals cooked at home in your diet.
In your free time you can save on emissions by choosing an inland destination instead of a cruise-liner or going by train instead of a car.
Biking trips and hiking are sure to have the lowest possible emissions.
Instead of shopping, consider an activity that doesn’t involve consumption; such as visiting a gallery, going to a board game cafe with friends, reading a book, or visiting a park.
The production and consumption of goods emits CO2. Instead of purchasing an item that will be used seldomly, consider renting or borrowing the item if possible. For example, if a neighbor and you are both planning on purchasing several tools that will be only used occasionally, consider each of you buying one of the tools and lending them to each other when needed. Some neighborhoods have even collaborated to do this on a larger scale. Instead of each family buying tools that the neighborhood has, they will buy a unique tool to share among them and use together. These kinds of collaborative plans also have the benefit of having less stuff to worry about.
Residential buildings are consuming the 32% of all energy consumed in Hungary and they are responsible for 36% of CO2 emissions according to the national carbon inventory. We can make our home more environmentally friendly with less heating in winter. That might require more warm clothes. Nature-based solutions are also a cool form of making cooling less necessary in summer: green walls can increase air humidity and with an additional layer on the wall they also insulate against heat.
The fashion industry is an extremely polluting industry which is showing a dynamically developing trend, doubling production between 2000-2015. According to the UN, this industry is responsible for 20% of global wastewater production and 10% of waste. The main players in the production are countries where ecological and social considerations are nowhere to be seen in comparison with European expectations. We maintain this highly exploitative business model with our purchases. If you’ve realized that less is more and your clothes can no longer fit in your closet, you might want to find out about “slow fashion” and sustainable fashion. Or simply buy second-hand. It is definitely cheaper and more environmentally conscious. There is a lot of valuable information on the topic on Eszter Mengyán’s blog.
Purchase and Gift
Donate carbon neutralization to offset a month or a year emissions of your loved ones!
Carbon footprint reduction
The impact of human activity on the ecological systems has now become unquestionable. Hundreds of research results and reports present the phenomenon of climate change, biodiversity loss, degradation of ecosystem services. It is also well known that we are contributing individually to the deteriorating state of our environment, and the idea that we can take responsibility for all this is beginning to spread. The topic of carbon neutrality makes this individual and organizational responsibility possible and available in Hungary through the ZeroKarbon program. With carbon awareness, we make one step further in looking at our habits, and make decisions on changing them if needed. We learn how and to what extent we contribute to the preservation or possible degradation of our environment with our way of life and habits, and what new habits we can try, which are in favour of a healthy environment.
Offset - Carbon footprint neutralization
Carbon footprint neutralization works on the principle of compensation. As a first step in neutralization, we calculate the individual or organizational carbon footprint and differentiate the amount that we cannot avoid. In exchange, we contribute to a project or activity that acts as a carbon absorber. Increasing energy efficiency, replacing fossil fuels with renewables, increasing biodiversity, and restoring ecosystem services all bring positive benefits. Carbon neutralization projects are available all over the world and focus on a variety of topics, most typically sustainable energy. With the help of the ZeroKarbon program, compensation for the carbon footprint will become available in Hungary as well. We strive to include a large variety of topics in our offset portfolio, to help achieve the target of carbon-neutrality by 2050.
