Today is Earth Day, an annual holiday where we acknowledge the actionable efforts and events meant to support environmental protection for our sacred planet.
With such a mammoth population of humans residing on Mother Earth, it’s always worth looking up your carbon footprint and looking for ways to lessen it in a bid to protect the environment. By definition, a carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide and methane) produced by our actions.
Of course, I’d be remiss not to acknowledge the environmental tradeoff that comes with using AI tools like ChatGPT. These platforms rely on energy-intensive data centers, water-heavy cooling systems and rapidly evolving hardware that must be manufactured and replaced over time. In other words, even digital convenience carries a real-world cost. That makes sustainability conversations even more important. If technology is going to be part of the solution, it also has to be part of the accountability.
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At the end of my latest chat with ChatGPT, I came away with plenty of ideas worth trying — and a reminder that using technology thoughtfully matters just as much as using it at all.
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
To find the answers I needed to reduce my carbon footprint, I first presented this prompt to ChatGPT:
I play video games on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. I also take hot showers, eat red meat, take the train to work three days a week, work on a MacBook, and use an iPhone. Estimate my personal carbon footprint and show me the highest-impact changes based on my lifestyle.
Afterwards, the chatbot pointed out that my habits suggest that my annual carbon footprint is likely below the average carbon footprint of the typical person in the US (14 to 16 tons of carbon dioxide per year). It’s approximated total of my carbon footprint came out to be 10 to 13 tons of carbon dioxide a year, based on the following breakdown of my aforementioned activities:
- Transportation (train commute 3x/week): 1.5–2.5 tons
- Diet (includes red meat): 2.5–3.5 tons
- Home energy + hot water: 3–4 tons
- Gaming + electronics (PS5, Xbox, Switch, MacBook, iPhone): 0.5–1 ton
- Goods/services (general consumption): 2–3 tons
ChatGPT also pointed out that my carbon footprint is better than the US average since I regularly use public transportation instead of driving and my tech usage is relatively efficient compared to using a car.
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
Once I learned about all those aforementioned details, ChatGPT went on to rank the highest impact changes I could implement in my daily schedule to reduce my carbon footprint. It also pointed out how many tons of carbon dioxide I could reduce by implementing more Earth-friendly actions:
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- Cut back on red meat: reduce 1-2 tons/year. Either eat 1-2 servings/week (noticeable impact) or eat plant-based meals a few days/week (major impact).
- Reduce hot water use: reduce 0.5-1 ton/year. Cut showers by 2-3 minutes, install a low-flow showerhead and wash clothes in cold water.
- Clean up your home energy: reduce 1-2 tons/year (if you switch sources). Switch to a renewable energy plan (often easy in the NY/NJ area), use smart power strips and enable energy-saving modes on consoles.
- Optimize gaming + tech: reduce 0.2-0.5 tons/year. Turn off consoles fully (not rest mode) when not in use, use power-saving settings and avoid leaving games paused for hours.
- Transportation: already saving 2-4 tons/year vs driving. To go further, add 1-2 more transit days if possible and walk/bike short trips.
With all those advised methods, ChatGPT made it clear that I could bring down my carbon footprint by 7-9 tons/year.
I took note of all that and made instant changes — embracing more plant-based meals, taking shorter showers, buying smart power strips for every room in my home and turning on the power-saving setting for all my consoles were the quick fixes I implemented on Earth Day and beyond.
Final thoughts
I totally hear you, using AI to give me tips on how to become better at saving the environment is pretty ironic, seeing as how the rise of data centers is harmful to the environment itself. Even still, I wanted to tap into the chatbot’s ability to offer useful advice and use it to adopt new daily practices that could help reduce my carbon footprint and make a concerted effort to honor Earth Day from here on out.
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