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
My name is Rachel and I live in Mooresville North Carolina and am 16 years old. When I calculated my carbon footprint I got a total of 13,466 kgs of CO2 per year compared to the average 15,918 kgs for North Carolina. When split up into sections my home on average gives off 6,954 kgs of CO2 which is higher than the average for my region. I came to the conclusion that it is due to the square feet and the use of gas to warm and cool both water and the home. Food gives 3,565 kgs of CO2 which is lower than the average of my region. This is due to the fact that I buy things that are grown locally and sometimes organic. My purchases where extremely lower than the average of my region. I don't but clothes as frequently as most and don't buy new technology as often. It came to 191 kgs compared to 1950 kgs of my region. Along with purchases my transportation as staggery low because I drive a hybrid car that average 41.6 miles per gallon. It came to 2,756 compared to 4,184 for my region. I expected my footprint to be lower than the average and I was correct. I was not expecting my home to be as over the average that it was. I learned how much carbon dioxide humans give off that could be avoided with selecting a different lifestyle. For instance: conserving water, buying organic locally grown food, limiting ur purchases, types of lightbulbs and how often you use them, and not using gas to warm house/water.