WisJim wrote:Mine came up as 1.6, but I am disappointed in how much this calculator leaves out. No mass transit, as mentioned, no food growing or food source questions, doesn't have enough vehicle choices, no option for solar heat, hot water, etc. It seems that this particular calculator is geared towards car and airtravel inputs.
There must be better carbon footprint calculators available--anyone have any links?
k_semler wrote:Here you go: http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx This calculator takes far more into consideration.
I have a total of 10.112 metric tons per annum as my "carbon footprint". The average footprint for people in United States is 20.4 metric tons per annum. The average for the industrial nations is about 11 metric tons per annum.
Amidst politics, hyperbole, gridlock, bipartisanship, skepticism, cynicism, advocacy and denial, we as individuals can feel powerless in making a substantial difference in the world in which we live. Yet each of us can contribute to solving issues which matter most to us. Take, for example, energy and climate change, key issues facing billions of people around our planet today.
The people of the world need energy. More than a million new potential energy consumers are added to the world's population every week. Energy contributes to many aspects of the quality of human lives including longer life spans, reduced infant mortality, improved health, increased education and literacy, increased employment, higher GDP and income per capita and reduced poverty. Energy heats, cools and lights our homes and businesses, and powers our industries and transportation. So, energy has been, is, and will continue to be a force for good.
But the CO2 thing. Not so good.
The problem? The most reliable, affordable and available energy sources, oil, gas and coal, unfortunately produce CO2. Fossil fuels provide us with more than 80 percent of our primary energy supply today. But increasing levels of CO2 in the atmosphere contribute to climate change - the more CO2, the more the atmosphere warms. And resultant climate change brings not only higher temperatures and rising sea level, but health and safety concerns, and potential ecological, social, and economic disruption.
What can an individual do. I'll start with me. What can I do to produce less CO2, while helping develop and deploy cleaner energy sources. How can I do this and save money, while investing for the future, and even creating wealth.
And what can I do in parallel to help alleviate energy poverty around the world.
So, I met with myself in conference last week. A rigorous internal debate ensued, but after much deliberation a clear path forward emerged.
I decided to impose a carbon tax on me. It has all the pain and benefits of of many other taxes except that the collecting agency is me and the beneficiary is the planet, those living in energy poverty - and, also, me.
There are many practical benefits to this carbon tax on me. For starters, I don't need advisors, lobbyists, committee meetings, a majority vote, alignment, buy in, affirmation, or a comment period. My carbon tax choice is independent of politics and political parties.
I can just put it in place and and do it. And so can you. It will reduce our CO2 output and contribute to energy and climate research and help reduce energy poverty. And investment of the proceeds in energy technology, deployment, ideas and innovation will be good for the planet and good for your investment portfolio.
Here is how my carbon tax on me will work.
I'll start with some simple goals:
Cut my CO2 emissions by 10 percent next year and 50% over the next decade through energy efficiency, conservation, lifestyle choices, and implementation of new technologies.
Tax myself with a self-imposed price on carbon, and put those dollars into an investment account that grows in value while helping fund clean energy for the planet future generations will inherit.
Contribute to organizations and institutions helping to reduce energy poverty around the world. Today, 1.3 billion people have no access to electricity, and nearly 900 million still use unsafe drinking water. More than 2.5 billion people still rely on biomass, like wood and dung, for cooking, with enormous health consequences. Energy is crucial to lift people from a life of hardship and poverty.
How to do it:
Step 1: Determine my current CO2 output
Before anything else I need to establish the starting point for my CO2 reduction goals and ultimately the tax I pay. The more CO2 I emit, the higher my carbon tax on me.
I can calculate my personal CO2 footprint using any number of widely available, free online calculators. Here are links to several good ones. I have purposely chosen sites with varying perspectives:
http://www.nature.org/greenliving/carboncalculator/
http://www.carbonify.com/carbon-calculator.htm
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemi ... l#c=wast...
http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx
With the help of these calculators (there are many others) in less than 30 minutes I can determine my personal CO2 output in tons per year. The calculators produce a reasonable, fit for purpose estimate. I have found it useful to cross check my calculations and assumptions using more than one of the calculators.
Using these carbon footprint calculators not only gives me the numbers to use for my carbon tax on me but increases my awareness of opportunities for reducing emissions ( for example reducing air travel by 2 round trip flights a year from New York to Los Angeles is about the same CO2 savings achieved as by driving a high (40 mpg) vehicle versus an SUV ( 15 mpg) for a year).
ralfy wrote:"If everyone lived in an ‘ecovillage’, the Earth would still be in trouble"
https://theconversation.com/if-everyone ... uble-43905
dohboi wrote:So, this year I have been trying to get close to the "one world" goal. The main changes I've made are in diet and travel. I have gone pretty much vegetarian. This wasn't too hard as I was close to this already. Vegan has been harder to reach. I pretty much gave up an going without eggs. When I have succeeded in greatly reducing my dairy intake, I have noticed improvements in health, but not enough to keep me at it.
I was pretty successful at keeping my car use below 10 miles a week, but came under enormous pressure form relatives to go to a family reunion some 600 miles away.
I am also getting increasing pressure from loved ones to jump in planes for visits, which would really blow any chance of getting close to "one world."
If there's a lesson here, it's that you need to bring your support circle in on your effort. This is much harder than you might think, as even relatively enlightened Americans feel quite offended at the idea that air travel, for example, is something they may have to reconsider if they want to live in a sustainable world.
I would be very interested in the problems and successes others have had in trying to reduce their impact and to power down.
It's good for you. It grows rapidly. And, the real kicker, it tastes like bacon.
Initially, it might not sound or look too appetizing. It's a red marine algae called dulse that looks like translucent red lettuce and grows in the wild along the Pacific and Atlantic coastlines.
It's been used primarily in dried form as a cooking ingredient or nutritional supplement, but researcher Chris Langdon and colleagues at OSU's Hatfield Marine Science Center have now created and patented a new strain of dulse.
This strain is an excellent source of minerals, vitamins and antioxidants with up to 16 percent protein in dry weight. To put it in perspective, researchers say it has twice the nutritional value of a much better known superfood kale.
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