The Carbon Cube is about relating to carbon.

When we talk about water, visualizing our consumption is easy - we think of how many pop bottles, or milk cartons, or bathtubs full of water we have used.

But how can you get a sense of your carbon footprint? What kind of imagery do you associate with carbon? There isn’t much out there to help us see all of the invisible carbon in our atmosphere.

Zerofootprint offers you the Carbon Cube to make the invisible visible.

Build the 10 gram cube to sit in your hand - that’s the amount of CO2 produced when you boil water for 1 cup of tea or use one piece of paper. Or, build the 1 kilogram cube and really get the big picture - that’s the amount of CO2 produced when you perform just under 140 internet searches, or eating one hamburger.

Does that change how you relate to carbon?

The 10 gram Carbon Cube

The 10 g Carbon Cube is an easy project you can make using a printer, a pair of scissors, some cardboard, glue or tape, and little creativity!

Click here for the 10 g Carbon Cube - you will need the pattern (PDF) and the instructions (PDF).

The 1 kilogram Do-It-Yourself Carbon Cube

Build a 1 kg Carbon Cube as a part of your school’s efforts to reduce its environmental impact. Customize it with pictures, stories & ideas of what your school is doing to reduce its carbon footprint, kilogram by kilogram, day by day. Share your ideas and pictures of your customized cube on our Zerofootprint Challenge Facebook page.

Click here to download the instructions (PDF) for the 1 kg Do-It-Yourself Carbon Cube for your school.

Start decorate your cube with images (PDF) Zerofootprint has put together for you.

Need ideas about how your school can reduce 1 kg of carbon emissions each day? Download a list of tips (PDF) here - each tip helps your school prevent the release of the equivalent of 1 kg of CO2.

Want to know how we came up with our our tips? Find out by taking a look at our calculations (PDF).

The Original 1 kilogram Carbon Cube

Note that the images for this cube are large and will require professional colour printing. A finished cube will measure 80cm x 80cm x 80cm.

Click here for 1 kg Carbon Cube - you will need the pattern for the sides (PDF) and the top (PDF) and the instructions (PDF).