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David Garcia
Pre-AP Physics 4
Quackenbush
5/15/2016
Carbon Footprint
Everyone from a caveman to a billionaire has a carbon footprint. A cavemans carbon
footprint may be a simple fire, while a billionaires carbon footprint may include their fifteen
cars and air conditioning for their mansion and appliances out the wazoo. A carbon footprint is
simply a representation of carbon emissions of an individual or group. The emissions leave a
footprint of the Earth that have measurable effects, that in recent history, has grown to be a
significant issue. The average energy consumption for a US citizen is 10908 kWH per year,
which is exactly amount of energy I consume per year. The average americans carbon footprint
is around 20000 kilograms of carbon, while mine was short of 3000 kilograms of carbon. The
deviation in carbon footprints of the average American and I, is that I didn't take into account
driving or the electricity used outside my house. Therefore, the number representing my carbon
footprint is not comparable to the footprint of an average American; but the energy consumption
for the average Americas only for the consumers household, so the numbers are very
comparable.
Although my energy consumption is close to the average Americans, the average
Americans energy consumption is double that of the rest of the world's. Even the most energyconserving Americans have a gigantic energy use. This is a result of Americas consumer
society, where every item from appliances to toys rely on electricity. Ways of reducing energy
consumption have begun to rise to combat American energy over-consumption. The air

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conditioning is a black hole for power. It is used to chill and heat houses, especially in the South
during the summer; because of the ACs overuse, many solutions to cut down AC use have
become popular. For example, cross ventilation can cool down a house for free. If sometime in
the summer I open my windows, I wouldnt need to use the AC to cool down my house and
could reduce my footprint, for that day, by about 45%. This is because the AC accounts for a
large portion of my energy consumption. Another way I could reduce my power consumption,
which then reduces my carbon footprint, is by unplugging devices not in use. Appliances, such
as a cable box, draw phantom power, this means that as they arent being used, they are still
drawing power. Phantom power is like a landfill for power because energy goes to waste
powering something that isn't being used. I could reduce my carbon footprint by about 20%.
Even though I dont have many appliances to unplug, reserving some energy is better that
reserving none.
Offsetting a carbon footprint is different than reducing one. Offsetting is reducing
emissions in one area in order to compensate for emissions elsewhere. A good example of this is
installing compact fluorescent lights, or CFLs. These bulbs use less energy and allow energy to
be used elsewhere and still keeping energy low. Installing CFLs in my house could cut my
carbon footprint by about 15% because I dont really use lights that much except for at dusk,
dawn, and night, other times I use sunlight. Solar panels provide a free source of clean power
that can provide power for small appliances and the power that was going to the small appliances
could be rerouted to be used for other purposes. So if I made an investment in solar panels I
could reduce my carbon footprint by about 10% by creating free, clean power to power my small
appliances, like a radio or cable box.

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Works Cited
Carbonfund. Reduce What You Can, Offset What You Cant. Carbonfund Foundation. Web. 12
May 2016.
OConnor Karl. 5 Easy Ways to Reduce Air Condition Use. Postconsumers Home. n.p. 8 June
2011. 11 May 2016.
Carbon Offsetting Explained. Web. n.d. 12 May 2016.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Carbon Footprint of Best Conserving Americans is Still
Double Global Average. n.p. 29 April 2008. Web. 10 May 2016.