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What is your carbon foot print

Discussion in 'Environmental Discussion' started by oxnardprof, Mar 31, 2007.

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What is your carbon footprint?

  1. Less than 10 tons per year

    0 vote(s)
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  2. 10 to 19 tons per year (US Average is about 19)

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%

  3. 19 to 28 tons per year

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%

  4. more than 28 tons per year

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  1. oxnardprof

    oxnardprof Member

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    What is your carbon footprint?

    lots of calculators, take your pick:

    Carbonfund calculator
    (mine was 11.28 tons per year)

    Carbonfund.org
    (mine was 12.4 tons per year)

    or here:

    My footprint org
    (I got 15 tons per year) {this one includes food impact.}

    How much did your Prius reduce your impact?

    Carbonfund.org shows I reduced my foot print from 12.69 to 11.28 tons per year when I stopped driving a 34 mpg vehicle.

    The first two sites ask for your actual consumption of electricity and gas, and the actual mpg of your vehicle - which makes the estimate more 'individual'.
     
    #1 oxnardprof, Mar 31, 2007
  2. jdenenberg

    jdenenberg EE Professor

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    2020 Prius
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    LE AWD-e
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(oxnardprof @ Mar 31 2007, 07:11 PM) [snapback]415667[/snapback]</div>
    Let me say that these calculators seem to have a conflict of interest. They are trying to sell "carbon offsets" which are a fund raising scam. People who feel guilty about their life style buy these to feel better about their behavior.

    There are two ways to reduce pollution:
    1. Make a point of individually producing less pollution.
    2. Encourage world-wide population control (fewer people = less polution).
    If we don't do either (especially the second), mother nature (or warfare) will find a way to do the second for us.

    JeffD
     
    #2 jdenenberg, Mar 31, 2007
  3. Godiva

    Godiva AmeriKan Citizen

    Joined:
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    Location:
    San Diego, CA
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Carbonfund: 11.27
    (Single person. I went with the average default they supplied as I don't know my gas or electric for a year. I'll bet theirs is higher than what I really use.)

    Lexington: 6.11

    None of them asked me if I use compact fluorescents. Or if I recycle.

    Earth day quiz: Average 24 mine 19

    So if everyone lived like me we'd need 4.2 earths. I think we should get everyone with a higher average than me to reduce theirs to at least mine. Then we can work from there.
     
    #3 Godiva, Mar 31, 2007
  4. Ichabod

    Ichabod Artist In Residence

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    Location:
    Newton, MA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    I got 15 on the carbonfund calculator and 14 on the earthday quiz.

    I'm a fat American.

    The Prius seemed to bring my carbonfund score down by about 4 (using 45 mpg vs 20 mpg, fairly close to the actual values between the Prius and the car it replaced).

    I didn't get too accurate with the numbers but the carbonfund calculator is definitely geared toward providing you with excessive overestimates in the hopes of guilt-tripping you into paying for a carbon offset.
     
    #4 Ichabod, Mar 31, 2007
  5. Mirza

    Mirza New Member

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    Let's just say I have some habits to overcome...
     
    #5 Mirza, Mar 31, 2007
  6. jiepsie

    jiepsie New Member

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    carbonfund.org: 7.9 tons
    lexgwac.org: 7.99 tons
    earthday.net: 4.1 planets
     
    #6 jiepsie, Apr 1, 2007
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