I was quite shocked after seeing my results from the carbon footprint challenge, however the thing that surprised me the most was transportation. My transportation took over 7/8 of the amount of waste I used, and this was all because of air transit. Each year I visit my grandparents in China by air, but little did i know: each flight takes up massive amounts of fossil fuel. It's devastating to think how 2 simple flights were 7 times the other amount of waste i produce each year. So I talked to my mother and father about this and we came to an agreement that I would only go back to China once a year from now on.

I agree, transportation definitely takes up a big majority of our carbon footprint. I had the same thing happen to me, I had no idea my transportation took up such a large amount of my carbon emissions, especially my air traveling, and I was quite shocked at my results. I too love to take vacations with my family, as we took 3 round trips to Mexico in the past year, which I now realize it produces massive amounts of waste. When I was calculating my carbon footprint, it was over 6 times the amount of my regions average footprint! In my region, the average carbon emissions for transportation was 2,557 kgs, while mine was as high as 13,871 kgs. This was primarily because of my air traveling. It is important to realize that many people in this world are not even given opportunities like these, and we should be extremely grateful for these that are given to us. Several individuals often take these opportunities for granted, however. They do not realize that while they  may be having a fun time on their vacation across the country, they are hurting the earth in the process. I know for me, I will definitely make sure to limit my air transit this upcoming year, and I hope you do too!

My carbon footprint was extremely low in transportation, it was mostly because I live very close to where I need to go, and I believe that a huge part of it was that I didn't travel anywhere by plane

After seeing my carbon footprint and what I contribute to the world I was kinda disappointed in myself but then realized that our generation needs and can do more to help our atmosphere. I know that we can't tell our parents to stop driving to work or to buy an electric car. But maybe we can walk that extra block instead of having our parents drive or take a uber. I think that transportation is the number one contributor to global warming.

I agree, I was shocked when I saw my carbon footprint break down. A large portion of my carbon was contributed to travel, mainly air transportation. I visit my grand-mother three times a year and she lives in Portland, Oregon. This is not a very long travel distance but traveling one mile on an airplane it reduces 53 pounds of CO2. So, a simple one way flight to Portland, Oregon from San Francisco, California travels 551 miles releasing 29,203 pounds into the daily air we breathe. There is nothing I can do about reducing this air transport because I must see my grand-mother at least twice a year and I also do not live in Oregon or in close enough proximity for a quick travel either by car or air. Currently, there is nothing being done on the point of reducing CO2 emissions from aircrafts because they are very useful and necessary. They are the easiest way to transport mail such as packages and letters. They are also the easiest way to see friends and family for most Americans. It is not necessary for everyone to stop traveling altogether but to become more conscious of o ur flight/traveling choices. There are quite a few alternatives besides flight, enjoy some long road-trips if it is in state/country, cruises if traveling out of country, or enjoy the scenic route on the train.

http://blueskymodel.org/air-mile
https://www.c2es.org/federal/executive/ … -emissions
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/clima … te-change/
http://www.wisebread.com/alternatives-t … e-to-there

Dear Dylan

The trip from SF (actually Oakland) to Portland can be done by train; I do it a lot.  If you don't mind sleeping in your seat (they recline a lot and are *much* bigger than airplane seats), the daily train to Portland leaves Oakland at night (around 9:30pm) and arrives the next day in the early afternoon.  It's also a really pretty trip!  Going the other way, the train leaves at about noon and arrives in Oakland the next morning (9 am I think).

Maybe the next time you go to visit your Grandma you can fly one way and take the train the other way to see how you like it?  If you get your ticket in advance it's usually under $100 each way.

Air traveling was also the largest contributor to my carbon footprint. This past year, I went on three flights from the east coast to the Midwest (US), and this had a huge impact on my carbon footprint. In all, the amount of air-travel time added over 3000kgs to my footprint. After I added this information into the website, I was shocked. I definitely want to try to drive more on these annual trips, or try to take public transportation. I do drive the full way on this trip every once in a while (14 hour drive), which is rough, but I know now that it is better than flying. The amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere from flying in a plane is insane—it really made me realize how much this affected my carbon footprint. Before I did this activity, I had absolutely no idea how much an air plane ride can affect the amount of carbon dioxide put into the atmosphere. I also realized how much carbon dioxide I put into the atmosphere from traveling by car. I live a good 30 minutes from my school, which is a hassle to get to and from, especially for sports and after-school activi ties. I usually take the bus in the morning and some afternoons, which helps. Overall, I want to try to limit the negative impacts that are caused by my transportation.