Climate change solutions that will be seen right here in Peterborough is now just a couple mouse clicks away.

Donald Fraser, air quality, transportation and climate change manager for Peterborough Green-Up, said Peterborough is the latest on a list of cities that is trying to reduce its footprint to zero through a new web-based tool.

“I often think of Peterborough as a microcosm of the rest of Canada and indeed Peterborough is very green,” Fraser said. “The environment is a trend right now and at the top of everyone’s list. So I think we will really take off with this.”

Yesterday was the official launch of Green-Up’s Peterborough Carbon Countdown featuring the new Zero Footprint Peterborough website.

“This is about making people think about the choices they make,” Fraser said.

“People can log onto the website and see the impact they make on the environment every single day,” Peterborough MPP Jeff Leal said.

The website is also a social networking site similar to Facebook to help inspire people to work together in communities to fight climate change at a local level, Fraser said.

The networking groups will allow people to carpool, share interests, such as gardening and tree planting, or recommend local services like environmental assessments for homeowners, he said.

Funded by the Community Go Green Fund through the Ministry of the Environment, Fraser said Green-Up was given more than $100,000 to develop the project, which started about a year ago.

Once users calculate their total carbon footprint, Fraser said, they can purchase carbon credits at about $16 each to support sustainable local initiatives.

NOTE:Millbrook singerSerena Ryderwill be a campaign spokeswoman in marketing for the website around Peterborough.