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- Matt S (Mooresville, NC, USA)
My name is Matt, I am 16 years old and I live in Mooresville, North Carolina, USA. My carbon
footprint is about 15,651 kilograms. This is almost exactly average for my region. The majority of my footprint comes from transportation which takes up nearly half of my total footprint. While I do not drive around very often in my leisure time, I do take long trips every year whether it be a fun vacation or going to see family. Almost every year I travel to Ohio which contributes greatly to my total carbon usage. I expected my results to be slightly below average because compared to other people, I do not drive very much so I expected my carbon usage in transportation to be somewhat low.
My Data:
Transportation: 7,086
Home: 4,646
Food: 3,869
Purchases: 50
Total: 15,651
I was surprised when I saw that I used a lot carbon in transportation until I realized where most of that comes from. I am just about average with carbon usage in the home and in food consumption, which I expected. I learned that it is important to pay attention to what exactly you are doing because almost e verything that you do will add to your carbon footprint. I will start to pay attention to what I am doing that will add to my carbon footprint so I can hold back and be more friendly to our environment. If many people, like me, start to cut back on their carbon usage, the earth will be a much more healthy and habitable place.