My Carbon

Footprint
Miranda Burns

Friday May 21
2010
Abstract

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if someone just throw
trash all over you? Or maybe drained all the energy they could from your
body to help them have more? I have not thought about any of this until I
really thought about it. We as a Country take 8.2 tons of CO2 and we put it
all into the atmosphere, we take up 4.2 earths and the average person needs
annually 2.1 earths daily. I have calculated my carbon footprint to analyze
how much damage I have done, and how much carbon I produce as a
person, and how much carbon my family produces. A carbon footprint
measures the amount of CO2 individuals emit into the atmosphere per year.
I as an individual have found out that I produce 1.55 CO2 emissions, and as a
family produce 3.1. I need 4 earths in my lifestyle annually. I thought about
people just throwing random trash at me or taking all my energy, and it is
exactly what we are doing to the earth. I have researched and found other
ways to reduce my carbon footprint to possibly help out earth stay clean.
Introduction
In Canada alone we produce 747 tons of emissions, including the shares of
industrial, manufacturing, and transportation emissions, we need at least 4.2 earths
annually to support the average Canadian’s person’s life style, and the average
person requires 2.1 earths a day. Our country is using more C02 than most
countries in our earth, which means we acquire more than most people, and
contribute to global warming gravely. Us as people need to bring our individual
carbon foot prints down, and start to make a change in how much carbon we
produce as a country to bring global warming down. My family has already started
to change our life style and reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. My life
style requires an average of 2 earths, which is .1 earths away from the average.
Everyday my household attempts to bring down the amount of carbon and reduce
global warming. Everyone needs to realize that a carbon foot print is important
because it allows you to realize how much of an impact that you, and your family
have on the environment and how much you can improve to make it a better place
for people to live.

Methods of Use
In my house hold we currently own one car; we drive approximately 10km a day,
and spend approximately $2.30 to drive 40km. We use little electricity and our
approximate emissions are 29%. Our carbon foot print for travel, and use of energy
is 179ilbs [81kg.] of carbon dioxide per month, meaning that I use 90ilbs [41kg.]. To
contribute to making our carbon footprint less than most, we use; fluorescent light
bulbs, compost, and turn off the lights when we leave a room. My family is on our
town’s water, and we do not pay a water bill, so it is hard to accurately calculate
how much water we use. I am sure that I and my family use a lot of water though.
Each of us showers at least once a day, we do dishes twice a day, but do not have a
dishwasher, I am the dish washer. We do laundry twice a day on a top load washing
machine and top load dryer. Also we use water to cook daily. My family and I
recycle every day, and very rarely eat out.
Results Section
My results were lower than average. My family is below Canada’s average by 16%.
In my household we use 2785 kWh/yr for lighting and appliences, 12633 kWh/yr for
heating and cooling. We produce approximatly 2.7 CO2 for house hold appliences,
and produce .4 CO2 for waste. We produce a total of 3.1 CO2, meaning that by
myself i produce 1.55 of our CO2 contribuitions, and my household requires 4
earths a year, and 1.9 daily. Most families require 4.2 earths yearly and 2.1 earths
daily.

Both of these graphs show the

contributions to my carbon
footprint.
Discussion Section

I have looked back into my studies to find out what the most harmful
apparatus is in my house that is advancing my carbon footprint. I have found
out that it is my household appliances. My household appliances take up
82% of the energy at my home, and contribute to 2.7 CO2. I believe that to
make this better for my home, and the environment we could use more
appliances that are energy efficient and better for the environment, also, we
could un-plugged the appliance when we are finished using it. I suspect that
changing the way that I do things, as well as the things I do in my home; we
could bring our carbon footprint down, and be more environmentally friendly
than more than 16% of Canada. If i can looked back and see what i am doing
wrong I believe that I could make a difference in the atmosphere and
possibly help someone else understand what we are doing to the earth and
hopefully they will understand how harmful we can be to our planet, and
ourselves.

People tend to focus on the here and now. The problem is that, once global
warming is something that most people can feel in the course of their daily
lives, it will be too late to prevent much larger, potentially catastrophic
changes.

ELIZABETH KOLBERT