I believe that the biggest impact I make is also an aspect of my lifestyle which I cannot alter. In my personal instance, travelling instigates the largest effect on my carbon footprint. From a singular round flight, I amassed a carbon footprint larger than my home, food, and purchases combined. Although it is something that is seemingly easy to adjust in favor of lowering my carbon footprint, but it is a luxury I cannot afford to lose. I was born in a country 5,000 miles away from my current place of residence, so I have to take long trips to visit all my family members. Personally, flying is not something I can just give up and is “off the table” for discussion
      In addition, I am sure a lot of people agree with me. I am sure that there are many immigrants from different countries that require the ability to visit their family far away from their current location. Unfortunately, flight has been associated with extreme impact upon carbon footprints, as  the New York Times cites the average carbon emissions per person on a flight as 0.9 metric tons! All in all, peopl ,e can reduce cell phone usage, the purchasing of material objects and overall consumption but travel and transportation is a key facet to many society’s well being.
Sources: http://web.stanford.edu/group/inquiry2i … age=fpcalc
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/27/clim … ml?mcubz=0

I don't know if travel is off the table for me or not. I want to see the world because there is so much to do and so much to see, and also I want to visit relatives, and my family has enough money to do so. On the other hand I care a lot about the environment and flying emits so much carbon dioxide. This is such a dilemma for me, which is really quite a privileged dilemma too because many people don't get to ride in an airplane at all! I could so easily not ride in an airplane because so many people don't anyway, but then again, could I do that easily? If my family wants to go to the East Coast, do I just say no or we're driving? Do I force my older sister to drive 12 hours every time she wants to see us, or does she just take the one hour flight? How can I refuse the convenience and amazing possibilities of flight if I'm presented with the opportunity? How can I refuse to go on an amazing science trip if I can? Who wouldn't refuse that? But how can such a wonderful thing be so bad for the environment which I care so much about? How could I ever make up for the carbon em issions that flight causes? Then again, what will me not going on a trip really do? People will still fly in airplanes and drive their cars and use their heaters and eat meat and destroy the environment. What real significant good will it do for me to avoid traveling?

I guess traveling is off the table for me, and my excuse is being with my family and seeing the world, and hopefully I'll do something with that someday. I don't want to burn that much fuel, but the experiences that come out of it seem like they're worth it. Maybe I'll get something out of flying that will help me do something great for the environment later, but then again that doesn't necessarily seem to be a reliable cause and effect. I can't just assume that it's okay for me to go on an airplane because later I'm going to reduce carbon emissions. No one can assume that, I mean, imagine if everyone who rode on an airplane became an environmental activist. It just doesn't happen and it's not a reliable excuse. I want to do something great for the environment, but I just don't know if I will. For now traveling is off the table for me because I'm a selfish hypocrite, as I love the earth, but I guess I don't enough to not fly in an airplane. How sad is that!

I agree that the luxury of traveling is "off the table". I am so lucky to say that I get to travel the world with my family. Traveling the world opens my eyes to different perspectives of the world. I learn to appreciate and understand other cultures and ideas. There are some things we can do to reduce our footprint while traveling. The article, https://www.travelandtransport.com/blog … footprint/ , reminded me to turn off any appliances that will not be in use while traveling. Even though these acts are really small compared to one air plane flight, being aware of our carbon emissions and making an effort to reduce our carbon footprint is already a step in a positive direction. Buying eco-friendly products or staying at eco-friendly hotels can reduce your traveling carbon emissions greatly. Most eco-friendly hotels are under the Green Hotels Association. If you would like to see additional sources regarding trav eling and reducing your carbon footprint, refer to: http://www.greenhotels.com/ and http://www.davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can … stainably/

As I worked on my carbon footprint calculations, I, too, realized I could look to my traveling for taking up much of my carbon footprint! I must say that I agree with you. Although one round trip can take up so much energy, I don't think I can give up the experience to see most of my family 8,000 miles away or experience other cultures and see the world. For me, this is off the table. However, I do care about the environment, and while I travel, my family and I rarely burn fuel on the ground. We walk everywhere, or use the common metro or train, instead of using one individual car which can also increase your carboon footprint rapidly. I try to make my carbon footprint as low as possible everywhere, especially when I'm in a foreign place by doing as little as using eco friendly products or turning off the lights and water. Instead of drastically adding to my carbon footprint, I do all I can to minimize energy use and improve the environment in anyway I can.

I, too, understand the value of travel, but there are ways to reduce our footprint, as Katherine L mentions above. Dr. Jason Hodin, research scientist and the person who designed the ISCFC Carbon Footprint Calculator, sets wonderful examples for us. He take the train whenever he can in place of planes, and he points out that it is always best to take a plane trip with no stops, if traveling by plane. He also show that it is always better to walk, bike, or take public transportation when we can.

I completely agree with you.  My transportation accounted for well over half of my carbon footprint results.  This is mostly because I have taken eight flights in the past year.  My family and I love to travel, and it is an experience that has shaped me in many ways.  We also travel so much because we have relatives that live all across the globe.  I was born in London, and my siblings were born in Canada.  We have been exposed to travel ever since we were babies.  I have lived halfway across the world, and I would not forfeit that experience for anything.  I do not want to have such a large carbon footprint, but traveling is such a big part of who I am.  I do try to reduce my waste in everyday life.  I recycle, turn off the lights when I'm not using them, and encourage others to do the same.  I do all this because I do believe that humans are the reason the global average temperature is rising.  All in all, I could never give up traveling and the experiences that come with it, but I do my best to reduce my carbon footprint in other areas.

I can relate! Travel is a huge part of my life. I mainly travel around America to participate in club softball tournaments with my team. Not flying is not an option for me. Especially through my four years in college (since I will continue my softball career at the college level); I will be traveling more than ever to play different college softball teams.  It is frustrating because I want to contribute to lessening pollution, especially since transportation is a huge pollutant, but there is no way I can stop flying. I see that many others feel this way as well. What if a new type of fuel was created? Or a new type of plane? Something less harmful to the environment or maybe even helpful? Is it possible to create a plane that could run off the carbon dioxide that is being emitted into the air by humans or maybe off of other toxic pollutants in the atmosphere? I remember hearing in my Honors Chemistry class last year that a car that runs completely off of hydrogen  is in the works. Would it be possible to create a plan that runs entirely off of hydrogen as well? If any of you have answers or thoughts please post them below. I'd love to hear!

Just recently, I took a trip to Spain, and being on a plane a total of 4 times, actually made the travel portion of my carbon footprint longer than the entire national average. As a person who rarely flies, I had never really considered the damage planes have on our environment. According to the NY Times, air travel is to blame for 5% of global warming, and that number is expected to rise. While I understand the damaging impact air travel has, it disappoints me. I just discovered my love for travel, and travelling (by air) was something that I wanted to do much more in my life. Now, knowing what it does to my carbon footprint, I'm not sure what to do. I don't need to travel by plane--all my family is here--but I looked forward to the future experiences.

The majority of my greenhouse gas emissions are derived from transportation, too! Like you, I currently reside in a country almost 10,000 miles away from the rest of my family members, so my parents and I make it a point to visit them during long holidays. That being said, we are aware of our carbon footprint and have taken that into consideration when planning our flights. We also limit the amount of transportation on ground in order to cut down on our carbon footprint.