To use the calculator: The calculator is the graphic above. Click on the arrow (>), select a primary bank from the drop-down menu at the top, and use the slider and drop-down menu on the right side to choose an amount of money in your account. You will see a bar graph of emissions that a specific bank (like Citigroup) finances with your cash deposits compared to a much lower level of emissions if that cash were in a greener bank. On the next page, your emissions ‘savings’ or ‘avoided’ emissions are calculated and are then compared to other metrics like miles driven or flown. To use it again, please refresh the whole webpage (the circle arrow by the main browser bar).
Consider this: On average, $24 of every $100 dollars Wall Street’s largest banks lend out are repurposed to finance fossil fuels. Most clients of big banks can reduce their individual carbon footprints by 60-70%, and some by 90% or more, by moving their money away from Wall Street banks to greener ones.