Carbon Foot PrintPersonal Ecological Impact / Carbon

Footprint……..

The Two’sElizabeth Corro#0257498 & Ruby

Sanchez #0264406May 12, 2011

Table of Contents Introduction 3. All About Us 4 . Personal uses of natural resources 5 . Our impact-CO2 Calculator 6-8. Energy use-CO2, transportation,

and electricity 9. Electricity Consumption 10-12. Comparison of CO2 emissions 13. Proposal for change-everyone 14. Proposal for individual change 15.Conclusion 16. References

All About Us›Age Group: Twenties

›Responsibilities: School and work.

›Occupations:

Ruby- Receptionist at a hotel in Calistoga.

Elizabeth- Cashier at a winery in Napa.

›Activities that we do that use energy:

Driving, eating, computer, television, radio, heating/cooling systems

1. Personal Uses of Natural Resources – Big Picture that characterizes your individual situation

HouseholdWe live in a single family residence in Napa, with a total of 7 occupants.

Electrical Usage Annually: 3637.2 kwh

Natural Gas Annually:708 Therms

TransportationElizabeth: Own’s her own car, and is sole operator.Annual miles- 10,000Average MPG- 20

Ruby: Own’s her own car, and is the sole operator. Annual miles- 15,000Average MPG- 30

Our Impact using Carbon CalculatorsCalculatorsUsed

ElyHome

Ruby Home

Avg ElyTrans

Ruby Trans

Avg

Conservation International 6.0 7.2 6.6 3.2 4.0 3.6

The Nature Conservancy 4.1 4.0 4.1 7.0 11.00 9.0

Carbon Fund 1.7 2.5 2.1 4.0 4.9 8.9

Total Avg: 4.26 Total

Avg: 7.16

Final Total:11.42 tons

Energy Use, Carbon Footprint,Transportation , Electricity………

The natural resource that are being impacted by us are: natural gas, electricity, gasoline, and water.

Combined together the natural resource we use the most are: Electricity and gasoline.

Electricity: 41%Transportation: 34%

Burning carbon containing fossil fuels coal, oil, and natural gas account for most of the human contribution to total carbon dioxide.

Ruby’s Vehicle Footprint Comparison

Elizabeth’s Vehicle Footprint Comparison

Electricity Consumption

“Electricity consumption will increase by 51% from 2002 to 2025.”

“ The annual mean concentration of CO2 has increased steadily since 1958, when measurements began at the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii.”

• This location was selected because it is far from urban areas where factories, power plants, motor vehicles that emit CO2 might bias the measurement.”

Comparison of CO2 Emission

World CO2 Emissions• Some of the

worlds smallest countries and islands emit the most per person

• The U.S is number 1 in terms of per capita emissions among the big countries with 19 tons emitted per person

• For comparison, the whole world emits 4.38 tons per person.

Comparison of Co2

Elizabeth & Rubys

World Avrg

California avg/person

United States Avg

0 5 10 15 20 25

Proposal for EveryoneWe need to decrease our overall energy use and get the majority of our energy from renewable sources. Ex: Indirect Solar Energy -Wind -Biomass -Hydropower -Geothermal -Tidal

We need to increase vehicle fuel efficiency (miles per gallon) and shift to vehicles that reduce or eliminate the need for fossil fuels altogether.

As individuals we may feel like we have little influence, but as a society we are able to make huge shifts in very short periods of time.

“Encourage architects and builders to use more natural resources when building houses, e.g. solar energy to heat water.”

Proposal for Personal Individual ChangeWhile reducing our energy won’t happen overnight, here are steps that we can take: -Reduce your electricity use -turn off computer -turn of radio -Reduce heating/cooling systemIt may take up to one year for one tree to fix the amount of co2 found in 3 liters of gas so: -walk short distances rather than drive -Buy a bike and use itThese tips will help save money on bills as well as water: -Turn off taps properly -turn down water heater -use efficient dishwasher instead of washing dishes by hand

“Unplug your cell phone charger, TV and other electronics from the wall when you are not using them, because they use energy when plugged in and on standby.”

17. Summary Conclusions

It is clear that the use of natural resources has increased over the years. However, the good news is that there are plenty of things that we can do to reduce our carbon foot print. The key word is reduce! We can greatly lessen our impact on climate change by using the planet’s resources more responsibly. It is clear that renewable energy resources combined with conservation and efficiency could provide future generations at least the same standard of living currently enjoyed, with fewer environmental impacts.

Websites and Research Cited

References 1. www.communitypulse.org 2. Raven, Peter H., Linda R. Berg, and David M. Hassenzahl. Environment. Hoboken,

NJ: J. Wiley & Sons, C2010. Print. 3. http://www.wikihow.com/Reduce-Your-Greenhouse-Gas-Emissions 4. http://www.terrapass.com/carbon-footprint-calculator/ 5. http://www.carbonfund.org/Calculators/ 6.http://www.nature.org/greenliving/carboncalculator/ 7http://www.conservation.org/act/live_green/carboncalc/Pages/default.aspx 8.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://makanaka.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/rg_eb_100315_chart2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.energybulletin.net/51948&usg=__iOOjO5bSpnLfXJCVgVt9lGVMv9w=&h=336&w=500&sz=16&hl=en&start=15&zoom=1&tbnid=0OiHWta6F3GXeM:&tbnh=87&tbnw=130&ei=rzXdTcbBNpLSsAP10Y3DBw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dworld%2Bco2%2Bemissions%2Btons%2Bper%2Bcapita%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26gbv%3D2%26tbm%3Disch&itbs=1

9. http://climatechange2008.wikispaces.com/file/view/Per_Capita_Carbon_Dioxide_Emissions.png/33461095/Per_Capita_Carbon_Dioxide_Emissions.png

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