When I calculated my family Carbon footprint, I was shocked when I saw the results. I thought about what I would do to prevent such a large number in my household when I'm older and came to a couple solutions.
To make my home more energy efficient, I would use solar panels or at least try to use a few. I know that Solar panels are quite expensive and take a lot of work, but if this is something that can make me a better person and help the earth I think it is worth it. Thinking about it, there are days where it is burning hot and very sunny. Instead of letting that sunlight go to waste, solar panels can be very handy. I would live near school but I would also want to live somewhere with efficient transportation. Food is also very important and I would try to purchase organic foods whenever I can.

I also was shocked at my results after I calculated my footprint. I thought that my house was very energy efficient. So, if I had my own home I would make it more energy efficient by getting my energy from solar panels, like you said. I would also choose for my house to be near my school or work so I could walk or ride a bike or take public transportation to work or school instead of driving as well. I would also not only eat organic food but get my food from local businesses that sell locally grown food so it isn’t transported across the country or across the world.

I was somewhat surprised when I calculated my footprint. In some places I thought it was going to be a lot more then what it actually was. My carbon foot print for transportation was vary low to my surprise. I drive a lot so i thought it would be vary high. I compared it with other people and I determined that plane trip were the big cause of co2 emission for transportation.

When I calculated my family carbon footprint I was not that surprised because I knew how the size of my family could impact it. In some of the categories we used a lot less than our region and in others we used a little bit more. If I had my own home I would make it more energy efficient by using many different methods. I would get solar panels, compost food, bike or walk to places, turn the lights off when not in use, use small amounts of water, run the washing machine/dryer and dishwasher only once a week, purchase necessities first and by food that is grown organically and locally. I would create a house and set goals that will not be harmful to the environment.

After calculating my carbon footprint, I was surprised with the results as well. I felt that the category for household was above what I thought it would be. I live in a house that is not large, and my family is cautious to how much energy they use. Looking at it more closely, I saw that the sources for all of the energy in the house were the main sources of extra carbon usage. If I were to create an eco friendly community, I would use solar panels and hydroelectric power for electricity. The main source of power would be from the solar panels. The problem with solar panels is that they will not provide energy when there is no sunlight. That is why there will be hydroelectric power for those days. Hydroelectric power does not release any carbon dioxide because no fossil fuels get burned. The best part about this system, is that these sources are inversely proportional. If there are a lot of clouds and rain that block the solar energy, the more hydroelectric power there is. If there is a small drought, than there will be more sunlight for the solar power. For water heatin g, there would also be solar power, with an electric backup. It is currently possible to have water heaters that use the sun's heat. That would be an eco friendly to have hot showers. In case there is no sun, then there will be an electric water heater. The electric water heater will only be used when necessary. No buildings will be heated or cooled unless the weather exceeds 37°C, or go below 0°C. Otherwise, people will only be able to use blankets and cold beverages to stay at a nice temperature. In this community, all of the lights would be LED, so that they can save energy. By doing all of this, the carbon footprint of entire communities will dwindle significantly.

When I calculated my carbon footprint I found that I was very below average which made me happy. The only thing that I was above average on was transportation. I figure that if I can cut down on air travel and focus more on car travel it would have a more positive effect on the environment. I was below on my home carbon footprint. To make an even greater impact I could switch to LED lights instead of fluorescent ones which would greatly benefit the environment.

My carbon footprint was very high and I was shocked. Solar panels are a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. I use solar panels and it seemed to help reduce it and the amount of energy used. Also turning of lights, stove, etc. associates with energy use so doing that will help. Being close to the city or somewhere where you can get items for your basic needs will help because you can walk or bike.