American Statesman
Updated: 4:28 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 17, 2010

Austin Energy unveils carbon calculator at expo - web site lets users know their emissions and how to tamp them down.
By Asher Price, AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

To encourage Austinites to trim their environmental impact, Austin Energy unveiled an online carbon calculator Friday at the Austin Climate Protection Conference and Expo.

The calculator, which is free to use, tabulates an individual’s carbon dioxide emissions, based on a user’s energy and water consumption, garbage production, travel miles and eating habits.

Actually a Web site, the calculator also comes in a children’s version and offers tips about how to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, which have been linked to climate change .

“Everybody complains about the climate, but no one does anything about it,” said Karl Rábago, a vice president at Austin Energy . “Well, now you can.”

City officials consider the calculator a keystone in encouraging residents to lower their carbon emissions and in keeping with the city’s plan to encourage enough energy efficiency by 2020 to reduce peak demand by 700 megawatts. That’s about the amount that would come from a moderate-size power plant.

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