i was somewhat disappointed to discover how high my individual carbon footprint is, as I am usually pretty aware about my own impact on our ever-warming climate. The main contributor to my surprisingly high carbon footprint is transportation, which ridiculously outweighed the data from the three other categories. While this makes logical sense, as I often have to travel up to 100 miles per week for volleyball tournaments alone, I was still a little overwhelmed by my compiled data in the transportation department. My transportation average was 29,143, and the average in my area is 2,557. Unfortunately, I'm not entirely sure what I could do to reduce my impact on the climate in this way, as I already carpool and don't have access to public transportation anywhere near where I play. I can't just quit playing volleyball entirely, but maybe I could play on a less-competitive team in the future.

Hi Reilly,
My carbon footprint is also unusually high because of transportation. My transportation average alone was 21,321 kgs. It's great that you want to cut down your footprint by playing on a less competitive team. Another way you can cut down your carbon footprint is to assess other ways you use transportation. For example, if you can't lower your carbon emissions from volleyball tournaments, you can change the method of transportation you use to get to school or go hang out with friends. I live at least 30 minutes away from my school (driving) so I can't walk or bike to school, but I am in a carpool because I don't want my carbon footprint to go any higher than it already is. Another factor that increases your transportation footprint is travel by plane. I took six flights in the past year and it greatly increased my transportation total. It's great if you want to travel and expand your horizons, but remember that every flight takes its toll on the environment.

My carbon footprint was very high as well, at 19,371. I was disappointed but at least I'm more aware now. Travel was huge not only from two plane rides but because I live in Maine I find myself often going hours more south for soccer all the time, even though I carpool sometimes it really does add up, exspecially in the spring and fall time of years.

My situation is similar. My Carbon Footprint was generally average with the exception of transportation. Between driving to school and driving to my extracurricular activities the miles add up. My transportation footprint was 7,864 while my region average was 2,557. Despite the fact that I carpool and bus to my everyday destinations my carbon footprint in that area still exceeds the typical average. I agree that differences can be made in my transportation habits in order for me to reduce my personal carbon emissions but I am also unsure of where to start.