Why start by measuring?

You cannot cut what you have not counted. A quick calculation (see our guide on how to calculate your carbon footprint) shows which few items make up most of your total. For many city households these are grid electricity, a car, flights and food. For a company, the answer is often in purchased goods and services rather than its own buildings.

Measure once, act on the biggest items, and measure again a year later with the same method.