Eco-calculator

How much does your lifestyle impact on the environment? Answer the questions below, click “Calculate”, and we'll show your personal "Star Rating" plus how much water, land and energy is used to support your lifestyle in a year. Read on after that and we'll show you some easy ways to reduce your impact by joining the GreenHome Challenge.

Where do you live?

--- NSW ACT VIC WA TAS QLD NT SA

Environmental impacts vary from state to state due to differing conditions like electricity supplies, water supply and agricultural practices.

How many people live in your house (including you)?

We need to know how many people you live with so we can share your household bills with your family or housemates. This calculator will give you your individual impact (not the whole household).

How many serves of red meat do you eat each week (a serve equals 60-100g or two small chops)?

Animal products make up the biggest part of your eco footprint - 34% to be exact. Meat, particularly beef, has a very high environmental impact, using much water and land to produce it, and creating significant greenhouse pollution. In fact if you reduce your intake by one 150g serve of red meat each week, you'll save 10,000 litres of water and 300kg of greenhouse pollution in a year.

How many serves of dairy products do you eat each week (a serve equals 1 slice of cheese or a 250ml glass of milk)?

The high quality pastures and crops which feed dairy cattle require a lot of water. In Victoria, where most of Australia's dairy farms are, the dairy industry consumed 24% (1685GL) of all water used in 2000 - enough to fill about 750,000 Olympic swimming pools!! In fact, if you reduced your dairy intake by just 2 cups of milk (or equivalent) per week, you would save 13,000 litres of water and 250kg of greenhouse pollution in a year.

How much do you spend on new clothing on average each month?

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Producing clothes has a significant environmental impact, using much water, energy and land. The amount of water used in the production and transport of clothes bought by an average Australian household each year is 150,000 litres - buying second hand clothes or repairing old clothes could save much of this water. Cotton in particular requires a lot of water and often also uses a lot of chemicals. On average worldwide, every new T-shirt made takes about 1.5 kilograms of chemicals (pesticides and fertilizers) to produce.

Estimate how much you spend on other goods (not including food or clothing) on average in a month? (goods include; toiletries, stationery, furniture, appliances, magazines etc.)

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Everything we buy has an environmental impact. Goods such as clothes, appliances and toys all need water, energy, land and materials to be produced. An easy way to reduce your impact is to spend less money on "stuff". Services such as movies, theatre, and sport have much lower impacts than goods, so you could spend the money you save on goods and clothes on entertainment. Or better still, put your savings in the bank (or even donate them)!

How much do you spend on average each month on petrol?

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One car costs about $7,700 to run each year and produces 7 tonnes of greenhouse pollution (average Australian figure based on travelling 15,000 kms per year). This is not including the embodied energy and water used to make a car - 83,000 litres of water and 8 tonnes of greenhouse pollution to make one mid-size car. For every litre of petrol you save, you reduce greenhouse pollution by 2.9 kg.

How much do you spend on average each month on public transport?

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Public transport has a much lower impact than private vehicle transport. Per person, bus travel generates only 9% and rail travel only 6% of the greenhouse pollution of traveling alone by car.

How many kilometres have you flown in the past 12 months?

Australians are flying more than they used to. In fact greenhouse pollution from domestic air travel in Australia is increasing a massive 5.9% each year. One domestic return flight in Australia creates nearly one tonne of greenhouse gas per person (total fuel and embodied energy).

How much was your last quarterly household water bill?

$

We'll divide this by the number of people in your household to calculate your share.

How much was your last quarterly household gas bill?

$

We'll divide this by the number of people in your household to calculate your share.

How much was your last quarterly household electricity bill?

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We'll divide this by the number of people in your household to calculate your share.

Do you purchase Green Power for your home?

No
Yes: What percentage Green Power is it?

%

Green Power is renewable energy supplied to the grid by your electricity retailer. The average home creates 7 tonnes of greenhouse pollution per year through electricity consumption - Green Power can help you cut those emissions (make sure it is accredited GreenPower - see www.greenpower.com.au for a list of accredited products). Some homes also generate their own renewable energy through solar panels, wind turbines and other renewable technologies.

The data for this eco-calculator was calculated using the Integrated Sustainability Analysis method developed by the ISA team at the University of Sydney in collaboration with the ACF.