Did you know that lighting a typical office overnight wastes enough energy to heat water for one thousand cups of tea (Climate Care.org). This is only one of many examples of how we waste power and Carbon dioxide. Almost everything we do releases carbon dioxide emissions, and in different amounts. We can save money and CO2 by reducing our carbon footprints, which is the total quantity of greenhouse gases that someone produces. Although we don’t think about them very often, a carbon footprint is part of everyone’s life because it’s measured on things we use, our actions create and waste CO2, and several people have worked to find energy saving ways to reduce them and help the environment.
A carbon footprint is measured by using several different variables about someone’s lifestyle. It’s important to note that depending on where someone may live influences their impact on their carbon footprint. Just as Stephanie Pappas mentioned; “In California, for example, electricity generation is relatively climate-friendly, so focusing on vehicular emissions has a greater impact”. Using an online calculator can show anyone how much CO2 they use on average, by answering the questions provided. “Inevitably, in going about our daily lives – commuting, sheltering our families, eating – each of us contributes to the greenhouse gas emissions that are causing climate change” (Nature.org). Basically, determining your carbon footprint is a great first step to better understanding what uses
Carbon emissions are changing the planet for the worse. Energy production (mostly coal) is producing a one third of the US 's global warming emissions. Renewable sources produce little to zero percent. The balance of coal and renewable energy in the U.S. needs to be evened out with renewable techniques. Statistics from the Union of Concerned Scientist’s “Benefits of Renewable Energy Use” show that most renewable resources emit less than one pound of CO2E/kWh. These have significantly less of a carbon footprint than coal, which emits 1.4 to 3.6 lbs. CO2E/kWh or natural gas, which emits .6 to 2 lbs. CO2E/kWh. This impressive difference of carbon emissions between renewable and fossil fuel is the key to caring for our environment. A 2009 USC study found that if 25 percent of the US 's
On average the world us 39% electricity therefore, electricity consumption is an important portion of a customer’s environmental footprint, which leads to the production of Carbon Dioxide ( Co2) a few ways production of electricity has affected the environment is: The main sources that generate carbon dioxide are thermal powered stations where hydrocarbon fuel (gas, oil, and coal) are burned to produce heat and steam to drive to the generators. Hydrocarbon fuel is what causes carbon dioxide letting out chemicals that pollute the earth’s environment.
In “Save the Earth, Buy Less” Jared Blumenfeld that “China will overtake the United States next year to become the world’s largest producer of greenhouse gases The most worrying threat to our planet at the present time is global warming. Global warming is a massive problem for one to solve, but we can create positive change by making environmentally-conscious personal choices and inspiring others to take collective action. I believe we all can take actions to reduce the global warming: we can reduce pollution, we can recycle products and we can conserve water. These all actions can contribute to making our planet a “greener” place to live.
Thanksgiving is a time to get together with family, eat a delicious meal and reflect upon what we are thankful for. During the busiest time of year, one of the last things people think about is the effect our favorite holidays have on the environment, and yet, it is something we need to consider. Recently, Carnegie Mellon University did a study on people’s ecological footprints during the Thanksgiving holiday. In their article titled “Thanksgiving dinner’s carbon footprint: A state-by-state comparison” published on ScienceDaily.com, the University discussed and compared the emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) in our earth’s atmosphere during the Thanksgiving holiday.
Carbon footprint is the total of greenhouse gases produced by an individual’s habits as well as the energy required to produce things an individual consumes.
In today 's digital era, advancements are being made everywhere in attempt to change the world for the better. We as a society are trying to break through with technological discoveries, yet also try to cut down on our emitted green house gases; are both of these ambitions actually feasible, and can they cooperate with one another? Obviously the manufacturing and use of our internet-connected devices contribute to the overall pollution of the world, so no matter how efficient these devices are, there will always be room for improvement, however does their effect on our environment really play that large of a part? The intended goal for this paper is to deconstruct the 'meaning ' and overall effect behind an average North-American 's embodied greenhouse gases.
Minding your carbon footprint does not involve never driving a car, boat, or anything that involves gas again; it just means limiting it. Earth naturally releases carbon dioxide into the ground which help keep the it warm. Natural CO2 plays a large role in many key biological processes, like photosynthesis, which helps plants create oxygen for us
Getting CFL bulbs can save you over $40 a year rather than keeping your regular incandescent lights. Purchasing water conserving showerheads and toilets can also help not only by cutting emissions, but it will save you money too! When building or purchasing a house, be sure that the insulation in it isn't bad. It needs to be good and reliable. This saves on energy and your money as well. Widows are important too. These are just a few out of the hundreds of ways that you can help. So when people think that they can't help, or have no authority when it comes to reducing the amount of carbon dioxide you use, each person can help. If every person took this serious and pulled their share, maybe the carbon dioxide emissions wouldn't be as high and maybe our oceans wouldn't have to suffer.
One way to maintain biodiversity is to reduce energy use. By reducing energy demand, carbon dioxide release into the atmosphere is reduced, which in turn means that the contribution towards global warming is lowered and the need to disturb habitat for fossil fuel prospecting and extraction is lessened (Morris, 2013). One way that energy use can be reduced is by being watchful of the energy that is used and how. For example, keeping a light on all day is unnecessary if no one is home and the sun is out. Turning off one light can save a lot of energy, so if everyone did it, the demand for energy will lower. Each gallon of gasoline burned releases 20 pounds of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (Hooper, 2004). By taking public transport, carpooling, walking or bicycling a lot of carbon dioxide is saved from being released into the air, in turn, helping the maintenance of biodiversity. Incorporating renewable energy sources into homes is also a great way to drastically reduce energy consumption (Hooper, 2004). Reducing the release of greenhouse gases through the use of energy is very important and can be crucial to the maintenance of
A carbon footprint is the carbon dioxide production we leave behind due to our daily life activities. The size of our carbon footprint depends on what people do daily, and can be caused either directly or indirectly. Thought it is impossible to not have a carbon footprint at all, we can still reduce the amount of carbon dioxide we produce everyday. (Source 1) One reason why our carbon footprint plays an important role in the world, is because we can raise awareness to how much damage and harm we are causing the Earth unintentionally.
What do we know about our energy sources and how our energy choices affect the environment? Many people still do not put much though into this topic or pay any attention to the amount of energy they use or where it comes from. For some it is just willful negligence, but for many others it may be due to a lack of knowledge on the subject. Perhaps it is a good idea to pay closer attention and educate ourselves so we can make informed decisions that may lead to less stress on our wallets and on our environment. In order to make a change, we should observe our currently used energy sources in everyday life, the impact of increasing energy uses, and observe all of the alternative options available to us.
These days, nearly everyone seems to be concerned with how our existence affects the environment. Some even try to come up with ways to reduce our carbon footprint. Many of you probably recycle, compost, or even try to conserve water and electricity. Some of you may even ride a bike, walk, or carpool to reduce the amount of pollution from daily transit, and minimize the use of fossil fuels. But is that enough? What if I told you that the leading cause of climate change and air pollution could be sitting on your dinner plate?
But what is a carbon footprint? Basically, carbon footprints are defined as the total amount of greenhouse gasses that are produced when it comes to supporting human activities (and which are expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide) (What is a carbon footprint?). Driving a car, heating one's house, even buying
The second major contributory factor to carbon emissions is exhaust from vehicles. The vehicular carbon footprint of a college student who lives on campus is most likely less than the national average, so a more specific “average citizen” who is a student going to college out-of-state will be considered here. In the following graph the “miles per year” column will already have factored in the number of people sharing the mileage of the activity and the number of times the activity is performed per year. The lbs. of CO2 per year column is calculated assuming an average of 21 mpg for vehicles and 19.59 lbs per gallon of gasoline [7].
It is reported that nearly three quarters of green house gases are a result of humans burning fossil fuels from nonrenewable energy, cars, and electricity (LaMeaux, 2014). The effects of carbon emission on climate change are having devastating and many irreversible