Colorado Leads The Way With New Carbon Footprint Information

Colorado legislators have done is introduce a law that requires the building industry to clearly identify the embodied carbon associated with materials.

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There are many things we buy, do, and order on a daily basis where we have no idea what the true carbon footprint is. You might understand that driving and flying less would have an impact on greenhouse gas emissions.

But what about that new decking or driveway you’re thinking about?

What Colorado legislators have done is introduce a law that requires the building industry to clearly identify the embodied carbon associated with materials. It’s like the nutrition label on food.

Greenbiz has reported some more details on the concept.

“Embodied carbon is typically quantified as the amount of carbon generated per unit of material. This data on the "global warming potential" of a material is documented in environmental product declarations (EPDs), which are analogous to the nutrition labels on food products.”

Taking this concept further, the Buy Clean Colorado laws aim to increase the use of low-carbon materials throughout the construction industry, which has a poor track record of making significant improvements.

For example, cement is responsible for 7% of global CO2 emissions, and forcing construction companies into greener alternatives would make quite a big difference.

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Chris Bolt

Chris is one of GreenCitizen’s writers who has been a long-time advocate of individual responsibility when it comes to the environment. He shares GreenCitizen's passion for making the world a better place every day of the year.