Call us a bunch of geeks around here at GreenBiz, but we sometimes spend an inordinate amount of time wondering, "What is the carbon footprint of X?"

We've never given much thought to Santa's carbon footprint, but the good folks at Ethical Ocean have. Today, on the eve of Christmas Eve, we thought we'd share their rendition of Santa's mighty carbon footprint, as well as their advice for how he could trim it.

If you're not familiar with Ethical Ocean, it's sort of an online marketplace for products that are either good for people, animals or the planet. Last month, they brought us the anatomy of a factory farmed turkey in a bid to get consumers to think just a little more deeply about one of America's most beloved traditions.

Santa is another mainstay of the season, but his carbon footprint is huge -- 69.7 million metric tons of CO2, largely from the production, packaging and disposal of toys and his Nike factory-sized workshop. The lumps of coal for naughty children don't help.

Ethical Ocean's advice for Santa can be applied to just about any company concerned about their carbon footprint: Invest in energy efficiency, opt for greener packaging and buy local, whenever possible.

And if you can, don't forget to ditch the coal.

via Ethical Ocean - eco friendly products, fair trade and vegan shopping.

Santa image via Shutterstock.