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THE Carbon Footprint Thread (merged)

How to save energy through both societal and individual actions.

Re: How big is your carbon footprint?

Unread postby Ferretlover » Sat 08 Mar 2008, 12:01:14

Are you figuring in after death?
Oregon man takes posthumous NASCAR spin
Driver tapes urn of ashes to car, makes practice run, fulfills dream
TALENT, Ore. - Big George Helms had tickets for last weekend's NASCAR race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway but died before he got to use them. He still made it to the track, though.
At 6-foot-5 and 400 pounds, Helms wouldn't have been able to fit into a race car. But after his death from a heart attack Dec. 28, loved ones decided to try to fulfill the 54-year-old's dream of participating in a NASCAR race, and arranged for the former logger's ashes to be driven around the track. …
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Re: How big is your carbon footprint?

Unread postby patience » Sat 08 Mar 2008, 19:26:42

Mine is always crappy, because I live in Indiana and am all coal-generated electric, plus, my wife drives 32 miles to work. 22.45

Next year, my wife will retire and we'll have solar and wood heat, and a lot of solar electric, which brings it to 8.95, if we drive the VW half the time. We never fly anywhere, ever. I fudged the mileage on the S10 pickup to allow for 32 mpg on the VW. My S10 has been tricked out a bit to get a steady 28 mpg, which I'm sure is better than they figure. But, they don't say anything about wood heat. No way in hell I can get down to "average", yet I'm way ahead of my neighbors!

Oh, and the electric I figured is also running the business! Not too bad, I think. If I put an electric fan on my S10 and take off the ladder rack I can get another 2 or 3 mpg.
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Re: How big is your carbon footprint?

Unread postby Rabbit » Sat 08 Mar 2008, 20:22:35

3.55 I drive a Yarris (not listed so I choose an echo) and I drive less than 10K per year. I live 6 miles from work and sometimes I bike to work. I don't fly anymore.
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Re: Ecological Footprint Quiz

Unread postby dohboi » Tue 06 May 2008, 18:37:37

Did anyone notice that the folks over at redefining progress have updated their website? I like it. According to this one, I'm down to 1.3 earth! I figure that if they factor in that my wife and I have only had one child and that late in life, that would put me below one earth. Not that this matters much, since most of my compatriots are still consuming like mad--though the economic crunch is surely curbing some of the excess.

I also see a lot more footprint websites, and they give startlingly different results. I got over three earths on another site. Who knows?
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Re: How big is your carbon footprint?

Unread postby vandal49588 » Sat 24 May 2008, 19:32:19

I live in a trailer with no indoor running water, refridgerator, heating or AC. My electric bill is only approximately $20/month. I have a 6-cylinder Ford F-150 but it sits in the driveway and has been driven less than 2500 miles this year. All of my trash has been recycled for the last 15 years thanks to the local recycling center that is funded by government grants. I'm sure my footprint is smaller than most. I also refuse to buy those silly little bottles of water, trash bags and most other plastic things that waste mass quantities of oil.
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Re: How big is your carbon footprint?

Unread postby k_semler » Wed 28 May 2008, 03:51:53

3.4, and I ain't even trying to reduce emissions. I drive a 1993 Ford Thunderbird LX less then 3200 miles a year, (I only drive to work daily and to the store once every 2 weeks), my electric bill is $88.00/mo, I never fly, and I don't have Nat. Gas, LP, or heating oil bills.
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Re: How big is your carbon footprint?

Unread postby WisJim » Wed 28 May 2008, 17:03:08

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?
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Re: How big is your carbon footprint?

Unread postby k_semler » Thu 29 May 2008, 01:45:42

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?

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.
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Re: How big is your carbon footprint?

Unread postby WisJim » Thu 29 May 2008, 12:15:24

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.

On that calculator I came in at 5.804 tonnes, but it didn't take into account growing your own food, or anything between extremes in some options--such as you either buy everything used or everything new. It doesn't have enough house heating options, or take into consideration renewable energy used for electrical generation--but it is interesting to go through these calculators and see how we compare.
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Re: Ecological Footprint Quiz

Unread postby culicomorpha » Sun 08 Jun 2008, 02:51:52

I just took the quiz at Redefining Progress, and get 2.69 Earths. I think they are reporting the values differently than before, because the category breakdowns seem to be different from what most folks posted. Anyway, they were:

Carbon: 45
Food: 8.9
Housing 26.1
Goods 24.6

The thing with these calculators is that they are making all sorts of simplifying assumptions. I know I am using way less electric than the typical American household because I have actually done a very detailed energy analysis. I've been doing them for years, and once a few years back I made a list of all the things I owned that had electric cords on them and tabulated the amperage and estimated usage patterns to come up with a composite estimate. I was so disgusted that I threw out or sold 95% of the crap, and ironically, I barely noticed the loss.

One very notable omission in the quiz is whether you own or rent. A lot of things that could reduce footprint, like getting solar panels, better insulation, having a good garden, or fashioning a water catchment system are much more challenging if not impossible for renters. To a large degree, renters are dependent on landlords to invest in energy saving devices/technologies, but where is the motivation for landlords to do that? I think in the coming years, this will be a bigger problem, as energy costs skyrocket and a collapsing economy and foreclosures increase demand for rentals. Given there are roughly 35 million rental units in the US, it seems to me there are real conflicts of interest related to energy reduction that cannot easily be addressed under the current situation.
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Re: THE Carbon Footprint Thread (merged)

Unread postby wisconsin_cur » Sat 24 Jan 2009, 08:03:56

About 60% of my footprint is my commute to work; something I have been working to reduce for years now. Otherwise it was all the "secondary" emissions which will also be changing as the garden gets up and running. We are already below the national average but above average for industrial world (because of my commute).
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Re: THE Carbon Footprint Thread (merged)

Unread postby Graeme » Sun 23 Nov 2014, 16:17:08

A Carbon Tax on Me: How to Cut Emissions, Save Money, Invest for the Future and Help End Energy Poverty

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).


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Re: THE Carbon Footprint Thread (merged)

Unread postby ralfy » Sun 28 Jun 2015, 05:18:34

"If everyone lived in an ‘ecovillage’, the Earth would still be in trouble"

https://theconversation.com/if-everyone ... uble-43905
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Re: THE Carbon Footprint Thread (merged)

Unread postby ennui2 » Wed 01 Jul 2015, 21:01:39

ralfy wrote:"If everyone lived in an ‘ecovillage’, the Earth would still be in trouble"

https://theconversation.com/if-everyone ... uble-43905


One word: Overshoot.
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Re: Ecological Footprint Quiz

Unread postby Subjectivist » Tue 14 Jul 2015, 19:59:54

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.


You are the only "Vegan" I communicate with on a daily basis and I thought you would find this interesting.



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.

http://www.kptv.com/story/29547911/baco ... z3fuh79wSv
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Re: THE Carbon Footprint Thread (merged)

Unread postby Newfie » Tue 14 Jul 2015, 20:41:34

Since we have this old chestnut floating around, does anyone have an opinion on which are the "best" calculators?

Maybe the most transparent to their methodology?

For example I'd like to know how they account for "shared assets" such as roads, airports, office buildings, air craft carriers, hospitals, government buildings, etc.
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Re: THE Carbon Footprint Thread (merged)

Unread postby dohboi » Sat 25 Jul 2015, 01:04:13

Thanks, Subj, but I never cared all that much for bacon, anyway. And with all the radioactive isotopes flowing into the oceans these days after Fukushima, I'm a bit wary of ocean-derived foods (though staying close to the bottom of the food chain, as these are, is obviously going to be safer than something higher up the food chain like tuna).

Anyway, I've now gone mostly vegan, as has my family. The 'mostly' primarily because before we decided to go this route my daughter convinced us to get a hen. So we still regularly eat eggs. But they're home grown, so pretty low CO2 footprint--certainly the miles traveled to table are about as low as you can get! :lol:

My go-to calculator is www.myfootprint.org. I now score pretty well below one earth. But they have now gone the route of requiring payment (not much). I still encourage anyone who wants to to check it out. It was one of the first, and is designed by the folks who basically invented the concept, like Wackernagel.
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Re: THE Carbon Footprint Thread (merged)

Unread postby Newfie » Sat 25 Jul 2015, 08:06:18

How does it account for the energy spent through your taxation?
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Re: THE Carbon Footprint Thread (merged)

Unread postby dohboi » Sat 25 Jul 2015, 21:57:57

The first question is your country. Students of mine who have tried putting in their exact same footprint but in another country have noticed that it's generally higher in the US than in other countries, all other things being equal.

Of course, their response was that this was somehow unfair or anti-Amercian.

I asked them to reflect on it a while (teachable moment and all that), and some did start talking about the size of the military we support (greater than, what the next 100 largest militaries in the world combined) and all the vast amounts of infrastructure that has been built and must be maintained here...

So yeah, I'm quite sure that is factored in to some extent.

What isn't is things like number of children (hard to be consistent with that, since people of a variety of ages are taking it), level of activism, alcohol consumption, and some other things that it seems to me could be factored in, but might be hard to do so consistently.

Having just gone on the wagon (whole extended family decided to do so at the same time, mostly to support a beloved father in his effort to get off the juice), I would be particularly interested to see if that does make much of a difference. I can't imagine that it is a particularly efficient way to get nutrients into the body.
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