Many students using our footprint calculator said that they could not pledge to reduce their home footprints because they were not making the decisions for the household. Here is your chance to design your own sustainable virtual household!
If you had your own home, what would you do to make it more energy efficient? Where would you get your electricity from? Where would your house be? Would you live near to your school or work or local transit options? Where would you get your food from?
MY Family Footprint >
To compost or to not compost?
Composting is a method for treating solid waste and allows organic waste to be broken down aerobically.
Is composting a much greener option than dumping in landfill?
Is it true that waste broken down in landfill sites produces harmful greenhouse gas emissions, whereas that decomposed by composting does not?
Composting is a much greener option than dumping in landfill because it does not produce harmful greenhouse gas emissions. Yes it is true that waste broken down in landfill sites produces harmful greenhouse gas emissions, whereas that decomposed by composting does not. Essentially its methane versus carbon dioxide. Different greenhouse gases have more heat holding capability in the atmosphere. Methane (CH4) can hold 25 times more heat than carbon dioxide (CO2). Landfill gas is comprised of roughly 50% CO2 and 50% CH4. The methane is developed due to the anaerobic decomposition – lack of oxygen – that takes place in a landfill. Whereas a compost pile decomposes aerobically – with oxygen – producing mainly CO2. This depends upon the types and ratio of material included in the compost (i.e., food, manure, yard waste), and how often the pile is turned or use of another method of oxygen introduction.