What is a Carbon Footprint?

A carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases that are produced by human activities, usually expressed in the amount of Carbon Dioxide (C02) released into the environment. It is one of several ways to determine the environmental impact of an activity, business, or individual person.

For example, when you drive a car, the engine burns fuel which creates C02, or when you heat your house, a certain amount of C02 is released, depending on what your house is heated by. Even watching television or Netflix has a carbon footprint attached to it. A great study by the University of Michigan about an average carbon footprint can be found here

Food and drinks are not immune to having a carbon footprint. In fact, the average North American household’s yearly carbon footprint is roughly 8.1 Metric Tons of C02. This can have massive environmental ramifications, and as such, it’s extremely important to consider ways to reduce our footprint as much as possible.
 

What is a carbon offset, and how do they work?

A carbon offset is a credit for greenhouse gas reductions that can be purchased and used to compensate (offset) emissions. Carbon offsets are typically measured in tonnes of CO2-equivalents and are bought and sold through a number of international brokers, online retailers and trading platforms.

For example, wind energy companies often sell carbon offsets. The wind energy company benefits because the carbon offsets it sells make such projects more economically viable. The buyers of the offsets benefit because they can claim that their purchase resulted in new non-polluting energy, which they can use to mitigate their own greenhouse gas emissions.

Many types of activities can generate carbon offsets. Renewable energy such as the wind farm example above, or installations of solar, small hydro, geothermal and biomass energy can all create carbon offsets by displacing fossil fuels. Other types of offsets available for sale on the market include those resulting from energy-efficiency projects, methane capture from landfills or livestock, destruction of potent greenhouse gases such as halocarbons, and carbon-sequestration projects (through reforestation, or agriculture) that absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

In short, purchasing a carbon offset can not only work to reduce your personal or business’ carbon footprint, but can also work to spur new environmentally-minded businesses and encourage growth in green technology.

For a more thorough examination of carbon offsets, check out Gold Standard’s page regarding them.

How does the Calculator work?

The Cocktail Carbon Footprint Calculator works by factoring in how much of a carbon footprint the ingredients you’ve used in a cocktail have. The table is broken down into three components: spirit, citrus juice, and sugar. Each ingredient has been thoroughly researched, and the average carbon footprint has been included. Each main spirit category is represented - Vodka, Gin, Tequila, Whisk(e)y, Rum and Brandy. You merely need to add the amount of each ingredient you’re using in a single cocktail, and the calculator will create an estimate of how much C02 makes up that drink’s footprint.

Additionally, the calculator is set up to calculate how big a cocktail’s carbon footprint is over a specific amount of time. Using your bar’s POS system, inventory system, or whichever other method your business uses, determine how many of that cocktail has been sold. You can then put that number into the calculator and it will calculate how big your cocktail’s carbon footprint is over a month, quarter, year, etc.

Note that the Cocktail Carbon Footprint Calculator is a rough guideline. It does not take into account the variety of other ingredients that may be used in a cocktail, such as herbs, flowers, bitters, etc. It is instead intended to showcase how the three main components in a cocktail (Spirit, Citrus, and Sugar) contribute to the drink’s carbon footprint, and sets a minimum for you to work towards offsetting.
 

Now that I know the carbon footprint, what’s next?

The Cocktail Footprint Calculator is designed to create a clear understanding about your bar program’s carbon footprint. Buying the credit to offset this footprint is extremely easy. Simply head over to our How to Offset page to find the right program to use.

With the Calculator in hand, it’s easy to forecast how big your carbon footprint will be, and therefore it’s easy to factor into your bar’s cocktail costing. Whether you decide to buy a credit yearly, quarterly, or through any other time period that makes sense for you, the tools are here for you.
 

How were the carbon footprints calculated

The carbon footprint of each ingredient in the calculator has been calculated by researching an amalgamation of peer-reviewed studies and industry-released figures, an extensive list of which can be found on the Further Reading Page.