Students from around the world calculated their class mean and standard deviations for their footprints and posted them on our world map.
Do you see differences across the globe? If so, why do you think those differences exist?
Did you use the calculator to try to reduce your footprint down to the average from a citizen of another country? What changes would you have to make to lower your footprint in this way? Are you going to try and take some of these actions in your daily life?
Student Footprints >
my carbon footprint
This week I used the carbon footprint calculator to figure out my approximate carbon footprint. My carbon footprint had originally been quite low, due to my house being run on solar, and driving electric cars, however a recent trip to Mexico, and the flights that went with it, bumped up my score quite a bit. Although in total it was still quite less than the projected average, it still surprised me to see how much plane travel contributes to the denigration of climate. It also reminded me of a podcast that my dad had recommended to me about a podcast episode about how oil companies are the ones who originally popularized 'carbon footprint(s)', with British Petroleum being the first to coin the term and publish a carbon footprint calculator. Carbon footprints were originally used to deflect blame from big (oil) companies and instead on individuals. I found it very interesting, since using this calculator actually helped me to more clearly grasp the immense scale of the problem and the way that fossil fuel-reliant technology and items have truly permeated almost every aspect of my life.
here are some articles if you are interested in learning more!