Carbon Emission – Better energy uses to offset your carbon foot print

Carbon Dioxide seems to be the bad guy now days when we look to environmental hazards. No matter where you turn, commercials, advertisements, and articles tell you to curb your carbon dioxide emissions. Every time I hear, read or see one of the warnings, I wonder how many tons of carbon I really emit as an individual. Believe it or no, it only takes seconds to figure out.

There are many means of determining your carbon dioxide emissions. Most commonly, scientists look to the cars you own, the house you heat and cool, and the trips you fly to each year. Logging on to the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s website on climate change, you can fill out an entire form to calculate your personal emissions, and then walk through the steps to reduce this.

1. CARS: The US EPA notes that the average American vehicle drives 231 miles per week. Because we live in Chicago, our cars emit even more CO2 from simply waiting in traffic.
Solution: Take a bus, ride a train, or carpool with friends! By finding a means of transportation that is shared by many, each individual can cut their personal CO2 emissions.
It would be important to note that the average car emits 12,100 pounds of CO2 emissions a year, so any reduction to this would be wonderful. Simply driving 131 miles a week would reduce your vehicle CO2 emissions by nearly 50%

2. WASTE: A household of 2 people creates about 2,020 pounds of CO2 a year simply though their waste… talk about disgusting! But did you know recycling can fix this?
Recycle Newspapers = -184 pounds of CO2/year
Recycle Glass = -24 pounds CO2/year
Recycle Plastic = -47 pounds of CO2/year
Recycle aluminum = -166 pounds of CO2/year

In only two steps, personal carbon dioxide emissions can be curb drastically. If you are interested in finding out your personal emissions, visit www.epa.gov and click on the CO2 emissions calculator under climate change. It’s fascinating to see the difference by driving a few less miles or reusing a bit more paper.

Happy Recycling!