Carbon Footprint
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 burning fossil fuels.
Carbon Footprint is made up of the primary footprint and the secondary footprint. The primary footprint is a measure of our direct emissions of CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels including domestic energy consumption and transportation (e.g. car and plane). We have direct control of these. The average American emits about 35,000 lbs or 17.5 tons of direct emissions the atmosphere each year.
The secondary footprint is a measure of the indirect CO2 emissions from the whole lifecycle of products we use - those associated with their manufacture and eventual breakdown. To put it very simply – the more we buy, the more emissions will be caused on our behalf.
The Town of Coupeville participated in a program with Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) and Northwest Clean Air Agency to conduct a greenhouse gas emissions inventory for the community. This inventory created a baseline. Subsequently, the town adopted a Climate Action Plan with a target to reduce our emissions by 20% by 2020. Climate action plan.
Coupeville’s carbon emissions for 2005 are broken down as follows:
Commercial 45%, Residential 28%, Transportation 27%
Calculating Carbon Footprint
Get started by calculating your own primary carbon footprint today!:
http://www.empowermentinstitute.net/lcd/lcd_files/LCDcalcNet.html Low Carbon Diet Calculator
http://www.b-e-f.org/offsets/calculator/ Bonneville Environmental Foundation Calculator
Carbon Footprint Calculator for businesses
http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/partnerships/wastewise/carboncalc.htm
Electricity
You can get this information from your Puget Sound Energy (PSE) bills or by contacting PSE directly. The carbon footprint calculator will ask you to provide how many Kilo Watts you consumed over the past 12 months.
Heating
If you use something other then electricity to heat your home and water you will also need to provide this data. In Coupeville, Natural Gas is not an option, so you will be using either propane or home heating oil. The Carbon footprint calculator will ask you to provide how many gallons of fuel you consumed over the past year.
Transportation
Automobile travel is also a key component of green house gas emissions. You will be asked how many miles you traveled in 1 year and the average miles per gallon (MPG) of your automobile.
Airplane travel is also separated out because it is a big component of green house gas emissions. You will be asked how many miles you traveled in 1 year on an airplane.
Waste
Waste is considered part of your secondary carbon footprint. The link between carbon emissions and your garbage is not always obvious. You have to take into account the amount of emissions the garbage truck emits in picking up and trucking your garbage. Also the amount of gasses that are omitted from a landfill is significant. More information
Consumption
Some carbon footprint calculators factor in consumer habits. For example buying locally grown foods can make a big impact on secondary carbon footprint. The average family meal travels 1500 miles to get to your plate.
Would you like to know how to offset your carbon footprint starting today? Buy Greenpower from PSE.