Carbon Footprint
Content
GEOGRAPHY: CARBON FOOTPRINT ASSIGNMENT ARTS Abstract
BY: TABITHA
I used two of the three online calculators to determine my carbon foot print. In both cases my carbon footprint was significantly above the Canadian average. Using the Zerofootprint kids online calculator (http//www.zerofootprintkids.com/kids_results.aspx) I calculated my total carbon output at 12.6 tonnes of CO2 per year whereas the Canadian average was much lower at 8.2 tonnes of CO2 per year. My Carbon output was lower than the Canadian average in two of the five categories, transportation and what you use. However my carbon output was allot higher than the Canadian average in the other 3 categories which were what you eat, home and school and what you throw away. Using the BP online calculator (http://www.bp.com/carboncalculator.do) I calculated my total carbon footprint to be 25.35 tonnes per year whereas the Canadian average was 11.71tonnes per year. I am now aware and ashamed that my daily habits and lifestyle are creating such a high level of carbon output which is having such a negative effect on the environment. I am determined to change my daily habits and lifestyle in all categories so that I do my part and at the very least reduce my carbon footprint to what the Canadian average is. Introduction
A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact our activities have on the environment, and in particular climate change. It relates to the amount of greenhouse gases produced in our day-to-day lives through direct emissions of CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels including domestic energy consumption and transportation (e.g. car and plane) which we have direct control of as well as indirect CO2 emissions from the whole lifecycle of products we use – those associated with their manufacture and eventual breakdown. In other words the more we buy the more emissions will be caused on our behalf. Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is one of the major pollutants in the atmosphere. CO2 is a good transmitter of sunlight, but partially restricts infrared radiation going back from the earth into space. This produces the so-called greenhouse effect that prevents a drastic cooling of the Earth during the night. Increasing the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere reinforces this effect and is expected to result in a warming of the Earth’s surface which can cause very serious environmental issues for our planet. We all need to do our part to reduce our carbon output to prevent this from happening. Due to human activities, the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere has been rising extensively during the last 150 years. About 22% of the current atmospheric CO2 concentrations exist due to human activities. In this century, carbon dioxide emissions are expected to double they are expected to continue to rise and cause problems for many years to come. This is a very serious environmental issue and needs to be addressed by all of us. Governments and world leaders are constantly discussing and implementing
plans on how we all must reduce our carbon output. Awareness and education are key tools to use to get people to change. The online carbon footprint calculators that I used are easy to use calculators that anyone can use. The results are powerful. . Using the Zerofootprint kids online calculator (http//www.zerofootprintkids.com/kids_results.aspx) I calculated my total carbon output at 12.6 tonnes of CO2 per year whereas the Canadian average was much lower at 8.2 tonnes of CO2 per year. My Carbon output was lower than the Canadian average in two of the five categories, transportation and what you use. However my carbon output was allot higher than the Canadian average in the other 3 categories which were what you eat, home and school and what you throw away. Using the BP online calculator (http://www.bp.com/carboncalculator.do) I calculated my total carbon footprint to be 25.35 tonnes per year whereas the Canadian average was 11.71tonnes per year. The carbon footprint is a tangible number that is measurable. It gives me my score or grade mark similar to getting a mark for my school courses. My mark in school allows me to see how I am doing and how I am doing compared to the class average. It helps me identify what areas I need to improve on. My carbon footprint number has the same effect. I am a competitive person and knowing that my carbon footprint score is below the average surprised me and has motivated me to change my habits and lifestyle so that I can reduce my carbon footprint. Now that I am aware of how serious a problem that this is has given me extra motivation to make changes in my habits and lifestyle. My carbon footprint can easily be
recalculated after I change my habits and lifestyle so that I can reduce my carbon output which gives direct satisfaction and meaning to my efforts. I am a little surprised that how easy some of the changes are and if we all do our part how much of a huge impact this has on the overall global solution. Methods
I used two online calculators to calculate my carbon footprint. The two calculators I used were http://www.zerofootprintkids.com/kids_results.aspx and http://www.bp.com/carboncalculator.do. There are 6 people in our household. We live in a detached house with a big yard. My home is heated with gas. We use about 327 cubic metres of gas per month to heat our home. We use incandescent lightbulbs. We use about 81 Kwh of electricity every month. We have 2ehicles, a car and a truck. We are a very active family and are involved in many organizations and we all play alot of sports so we travel alot. We drive about 40,000 km for all vehicles. My sisters and I either ride the bus to school or we get a ride from our parents. We eat all kinds of food and we eat out about twice a week. I do not drink pop but my other family members do. We use alot of water. We are a family of 6 that shower every day. The washing machine, dryer and dishwasher is used every day. We do not dry our laundry outside. I brush my teeth once per day. We have a swimming pool. We have 4 computers that we never shut off, 4 televisions, 4 DVD players, gas stove and 3 refrigerators. We recycle but we do not compost. I try to turn off the lights when I leave a room, however I must admit that I do forget some times.
Results
Table # 1 – Carbon Footprint (measured in tonnes of CO2 per year) – Source of data was using the online calculator http://www.zerofootprintkids.com/kids_results.aspx Me 3.0 2.6 4.9 1.0 1.1 12.6 Canada 3.1 1.7 1.4 1.1 0.9 8.2 US 5.7 1.5 1.3 0.7 0.6 9.8
Transportation What you eat Home and School What you use What you throw away Carbon Footprint
Figure # 1 – Comparing My CO2 output to the average for Canada and the USA (measured in tonnes of CO2 per year) source of data was using the online calculator http://www.zerofootprintkids.com/kids_results.aspx
C on Footprin arb t Wh you th at row away Wh you u at se Home an S d chool Wh you eat at Tran ortation sp 0 2 4 6 8 10 1 2 1 4 US A C anad a Me
Discussion I was surprised that my carbon footprint was higher than the Canadian and USA average. I have always heard of global warming and how why should recycle and reuse but I never realized until now how and why it is such a serious problem and that we all have to change our habits and lifestyle to protect our environmental future. The carbon footprint calculators are a very simple way for me to illustrate how I am doing and where I need to improve. Now that I know that I am worse than the Canadian and USA averages I am really motivated to make some changes so that I can do my part. I am going
to explain how and why it is important and what our carbon footprint is to all of my family members so that we as a family can work together to reduce out carbon footprint. I believe we can achieve bigger results if we work together and motivate each other to change. I can do some of the changes on my own however I need my parents to make some changes that have to do with our vehicles, household energy use and our eating habits. We do recycle but we will be making sure that we recycle everything that is possible to recycle. We will be turning off all electronic devises especially all our 4 computers when we are not using them. We will make sure we turn off all lights when we leave the room and we do not need them. We will shower once every 2 or 3 days instead of everyday and take shorter showers. We will do laundry less often and dry the laundry outside whenever possible. We will replace all of our lightbulbs to fluorescent or to the new energy efficient bulbs that are available. We will start composting. We will start carpooling when we have to make the many trips for all of the activities such as sports that we are involved with. We will not eat out as much. We will no longer use plastic bags and plastic water bottles. We will use reusable bags. All of these changes are not difficult at all. We just need to be aware of what we are doing day to day and we need to realize what the right thing to do is and just do it. I have recalculated my carbon footprint several times assuming that we make some of these simple changes and the results were significantly lower and is at least getting closer to the Canada average. Some changes are more difficult like replacing our vehicles with more energy
efficient vehicles. I am now aware, educated and motivated to make changes to my habits and lifestyle so that I can have a positive impact on reducing carbon emissions and protecting our environment.
BY: TABITHA
I used two of the three online calculators to determine my carbon foot print. In both cases my carbon footprint was significantly above the Canadian average. Using the Zerofootprint kids online calculator (http//www.zerofootprintkids.com/kids_results.aspx) I calculated my total carbon output at 12.6 tonnes of CO2 per year whereas the Canadian average was much lower at 8.2 tonnes of CO2 per year. My Carbon output was lower than the Canadian average in two of the five categories, transportation and what you use. However my carbon output was allot higher than the Canadian average in the other 3 categories which were what you eat, home and school and what you throw away. Using the BP online calculator (http://www.bp.com/carboncalculator.do) I calculated my total carbon footprint to be 25.35 tonnes per year whereas the Canadian average was 11.71tonnes per year. I am now aware and ashamed that my daily habits and lifestyle are creating such a high level of carbon output which is having such a negative effect on the environment. I am determined to change my daily habits and lifestyle in all categories so that I do my part and at the very least reduce my carbon footprint to what the Canadian average is. Introduction
A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact our activities have on the environment, and in particular climate change. It relates to the amount of greenhouse gases produced in our day-to-day lives through direct emissions of CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels including domestic energy consumption and transportation (e.g. car and plane) which we have direct control of as well as indirect CO2 emissions from the whole lifecycle of products we use – those associated with their manufacture and eventual breakdown. In other words the more we buy the more emissions will be caused on our behalf. Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is one of the major pollutants in the atmosphere. CO2 is a good transmitter of sunlight, but partially restricts infrared radiation going back from the earth into space. This produces the so-called greenhouse effect that prevents a drastic cooling of the Earth during the night. Increasing the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere reinforces this effect and is expected to result in a warming of the Earth’s surface which can cause very serious environmental issues for our planet. We all need to do our part to reduce our carbon output to prevent this from happening. Due to human activities, the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere has been rising extensively during the last 150 years. About 22% of the current atmospheric CO2 concentrations exist due to human activities. In this century, carbon dioxide emissions are expected to double they are expected to continue to rise and cause problems for many years to come. This is a very serious environmental issue and needs to be addressed by all of us. Governments and world leaders are constantly discussing and implementing
plans on how we all must reduce our carbon output. Awareness and education are key tools to use to get people to change. The online carbon footprint calculators that I used are easy to use calculators that anyone can use. The results are powerful. . Using the Zerofootprint kids online calculator (http//www.zerofootprintkids.com/kids_results.aspx) I calculated my total carbon output at 12.6 tonnes of CO2 per year whereas the Canadian average was much lower at 8.2 tonnes of CO2 per year. My Carbon output was lower than the Canadian average in two of the five categories, transportation and what you use. However my carbon output was allot higher than the Canadian average in the other 3 categories which were what you eat, home and school and what you throw away. Using the BP online calculator (http://www.bp.com/carboncalculator.do) I calculated my total carbon footprint to be 25.35 tonnes per year whereas the Canadian average was 11.71tonnes per year. The carbon footprint is a tangible number that is measurable. It gives me my score or grade mark similar to getting a mark for my school courses. My mark in school allows me to see how I am doing and how I am doing compared to the class average. It helps me identify what areas I need to improve on. My carbon footprint number has the same effect. I am a competitive person and knowing that my carbon footprint score is below the average surprised me and has motivated me to change my habits and lifestyle so that I can reduce my carbon footprint. Now that I am aware of how serious a problem that this is has given me extra motivation to make changes in my habits and lifestyle. My carbon footprint can easily be
recalculated after I change my habits and lifestyle so that I can reduce my carbon output which gives direct satisfaction and meaning to my efforts. I am a little surprised that how easy some of the changes are and if we all do our part how much of a huge impact this has on the overall global solution. Methods
I used two online calculators to calculate my carbon footprint. The two calculators I used were http://www.zerofootprintkids.com/kids_results.aspx and http://www.bp.com/carboncalculator.do. There are 6 people in our household. We live in a detached house with a big yard. My home is heated with gas. We use about 327 cubic metres of gas per month to heat our home. We use incandescent lightbulbs. We use about 81 Kwh of electricity every month. We have 2ehicles, a car and a truck. We are a very active family and are involved in many organizations and we all play alot of sports so we travel alot. We drive about 40,000 km for all vehicles. My sisters and I either ride the bus to school or we get a ride from our parents. We eat all kinds of food and we eat out about twice a week. I do not drink pop but my other family members do. We use alot of water. We are a family of 6 that shower every day. The washing machine, dryer and dishwasher is used every day. We do not dry our laundry outside. I brush my teeth once per day. We have a swimming pool. We have 4 computers that we never shut off, 4 televisions, 4 DVD players, gas stove and 3 refrigerators. We recycle but we do not compost. I try to turn off the lights when I leave a room, however I must admit that I do forget some times.
Results
Table # 1 – Carbon Footprint (measured in tonnes of CO2 per year) – Source of data was using the online calculator http://www.zerofootprintkids.com/kids_results.aspx Me 3.0 2.6 4.9 1.0 1.1 12.6 Canada 3.1 1.7 1.4 1.1 0.9 8.2 US 5.7 1.5 1.3 0.7 0.6 9.8
Transportation What you eat Home and School What you use What you throw away Carbon Footprint
Figure # 1 – Comparing My CO2 output to the average for Canada and the USA (measured in tonnes of CO2 per year) source of data was using the online calculator http://www.zerofootprintkids.com/kids_results.aspx
C on Footprin arb t Wh you th at row away Wh you u at se Home an S d chool Wh you eat at Tran ortation sp 0 2 4 6 8 10 1 2 1 4 US A C anad a Me
Discussion I was surprised that my carbon footprint was higher than the Canadian and USA average. I have always heard of global warming and how why should recycle and reuse but I never realized until now how and why it is such a serious problem and that we all have to change our habits and lifestyle to protect our environmental future. The carbon footprint calculators are a very simple way for me to illustrate how I am doing and where I need to improve. Now that I know that I am worse than the Canadian and USA averages I am really motivated to make some changes so that I can do my part. I am going
to explain how and why it is important and what our carbon footprint is to all of my family members so that we as a family can work together to reduce out carbon footprint. I believe we can achieve bigger results if we work together and motivate each other to change. I can do some of the changes on my own however I need my parents to make some changes that have to do with our vehicles, household energy use and our eating habits. We do recycle but we will be making sure that we recycle everything that is possible to recycle. We will be turning off all electronic devises especially all our 4 computers when we are not using them. We will make sure we turn off all lights when we leave the room and we do not need them. We will shower once every 2 or 3 days instead of everyday and take shorter showers. We will do laundry less often and dry the laundry outside whenever possible. We will replace all of our lightbulbs to fluorescent or to the new energy efficient bulbs that are available. We will start composting. We will start carpooling when we have to make the many trips for all of the activities such as sports that we are involved with. We will not eat out as much. We will no longer use plastic bags and plastic water bottles. We will use reusable bags. All of these changes are not difficult at all. We just need to be aware of what we are doing day to day and we need to realize what the right thing to do is and just do it. I have recalculated my carbon footprint several times assuming that we make some of these simple changes and the results were significantly lower and is at least getting closer to the Canada average. Some changes are more difficult like replacing our vehicles with more energy
efficient vehicles. I am now aware, educated and motivated to make changes to my habits and lifestyle so that I can have a positive impact on reducing carbon emissions and protecting our environment.
