Nitrogen, Like Carbon, Also Leaving Footprint
People are getting increasingly savvy about their carbon footprint -- now, researchers argue, it's time we started watching our nitrogen footprint, too.
N-Calculator: See How Individual Actions Impact Nitrogen Pollution
The human influences on both the nitrogen and carbon cycles of the Earth are important to understand and to manage.
Over the past decade, great progress has been made in communicating to the public the role that their actions have on the carbon cycle and the environment.
For two reasons this is not the case with nitrogen. First, there has been less scientific focus on nitrogen. Second is the challenge in communicating to the public the complexities of nitrogen’s interactions with the environment.
One way to address the latter is through a nitrogen footprint model: N-Calculator.
The N-Calculator is a tool that allows individuals (you) to calculate their nitrogen footprint. The tool in its current form can also be scaled for use by communities, organizations, or countries.
When using the N-Calculator, you are asked questions about resource consumption in the following areas:
- Food consumption
- Housing
- Transportation
- Goods and services