Carbon Footprint: A carbon footprint is the measure of the amount of greenhouse gases, measured in units of carbon dioxide, produced by human activities. A carbon footprint can be measured for an individul, household, organization, nation and so on. It is typically given in tons of CO2-equivalent (CO2-eq) per year. Source
wahhhh my carbon footprint is terrible despite the fact i catch the train and walk to work every day! boo! and i can't stop eating meat based products because i'm so low in iron. help meeee!!
Yep, I hear ya, and mine is also shocking. We were talking about the value of these carbon footprint calculators at Uni last week.
As you'd know from using the software - it's pretty basic & its value is probably more as a shock-tactic to alert people that we've all come to live a bit beyond our means - not even our fault - we've been cultured that way since the industrial revolution. Consumerism basically took off without much thought to the consequences and now, this is just life.
But the thing is - although this IS life right now, we don't really have a choice but to change because the fact is, the way we're living isn’t sustainable.
So yeah, on the one hand these calculators can be good because they make you stop and think - on the other hand they can backfire because you may think - we'll I can't alter my lifestyle as much as they want me to, so I may as well not try at all.
But - that would be a terrible conclusion and the one we want to avoid!
If you think about some of the things in the calculator, it does assume a lot. It doesn't ask you questions such as how much water you use, if you have a rainwater tank, how often you annoy everyone by turning off light switches so they have to feel their way down two flights of stairs in the dark, etc. -all the little stuff.
A lot of the big stuff is going to come from the top - we're waiting on technology, industry and government to meet us half-way on a lot of things. Such as... electric cars, greater access to and affordability of renewable energy, better public transport, tariffs on trade, stringent requirements for building regulations for new and existing buildings/homes etc.
Other major factors in the survey included where your electricity is sourced from. Personally, I know this house doesn't source electricity from renewable resources (you have the option on your bill to source from renewable energy) and although it kills me I can't change that because I don't own the house and my dear ol Daddy is a work in progress. When I do have one - hello rain tank, renewable electricity, solar panels, vegie garden, the works. All that will make a huge difference and I'm excited!
In the mean time, don't fret because little things do make a difference and are not done in vain.
Air travel is another huge one that boosts the number up. Speaking from someone who LOVES to fly, that unfortunately is one of the areas where we do actually need to start having to think of living in ways that are a little more simplistic. E.g. I have to go to Albury in a few weeks and whilst I would LOVE & can afford to fly down, I've actually booked on a train. It's a big trip, but I'm trying to walk the talk here!
The meat thing is a little controversial and I need to look into it a little more myself and will write about it later. The basic argument is centred around the land that needs to be cleared for cattle to graze. In Aus. this is more problematic because cattle aren't native Aussie animals, obviously, and grazing land is often ruined as their hooves eventually tread the land to an unusable state (grasses won't grow). Aussie native animals have padded feet not hooves like introduced species including cattle, sheep and piggies. The padded feet are more suited to our dry climate (isn't ecology great). So... many greenies support eating kangaroos because this is more sustainable. They're not endangered, they're suited to the land, and they're local so don't have to be transported) I have yet to try Roo myself - am still a little apprehensive.
But as I said, this point is a little controversial and will visit it again later.
wahhhh my carbon footprint is terrible despite the fact i catch the train and walk to work every day! boo! and i can't stop eating meat based products because i'm so low in iron. help meeee!!
ReplyDeleteYep, I hear ya, and mine is also shocking. We were talking about the value of these carbon footprint calculators at Uni last week.
ReplyDeleteAs you'd know from using the software - it's pretty basic & its value is probably more as a shock-tactic to alert people that we've all come to live a bit beyond our means - not even our fault - we've been cultured that way since the industrial revolution. Consumerism basically took off without much thought to the consequences and now, this is just life.
But the thing is - although this IS life right now, we don't really have a choice but to change because the fact is, the way we're living isn’t sustainable.
So yeah, on the one hand these calculators can be good because they make you stop and think - on the other hand they can backfire because you may think - we'll I can't alter my lifestyle as much as they want me to, so I may as well not try at all.
But - that would be a terrible conclusion and the one we want to avoid!
If you think about some of the things in the calculator, it does assume a lot. It doesn't ask you questions such as how much water you use, if you have a rainwater tank, how often you annoy everyone by turning off light switches so they have to feel their way down two flights of stairs in the dark, etc. -all the little stuff.
A lot of the big stuff is going to come from the top - we're waiting on technology, industry and government to meet us half-way on a lot of things. Such as... electric cars, greater access to and affordability of renewable energy, better public transport, tariffs on trade, stringent requirements for building regulations for new and existing buildings/homes etc.
Other major factors in the survey included where your electricity is sourced from. Personally, I know this house doesn't source electricity from renewable resources (you have the option on your bill to source from renewable energy) and although it kills me I can't change that because I don't own the house and my dear ol Daddy is a work in progress. When I do have one - hello rain tank, renewable electricity, solar panels, vegie garden, the works. All that will make a huge difference and I'm excited!
In the mean time, don't fret because little things do make a difference and are not done in vain.
Air travel is another huge one that boosts the number up. Speaking from someone who LOVES to fly, that unfortunately is one of the areas where we do actually need to start having to think of living in ways that are a little more simplistic. E.g. I have to go to Albury in a few weeks and whilst I would LOVE & can afford to fly down, I've actually booked on a train. It's a big trip, but I'm trying to walk the talk here!
The meat thing is a little controversial and I need to look into it a little more myself and will write about it later. The basic argument is centred around the land that needs to be cleared for cattle to graze. In Aus. this is more problematic because cattle aren't native Aussie animals, obviously, and grazing land is often ruined as their hooves eventually tread the land to an unusable state (grasses won't grow). Aussie native animals have padded feet not hooves like introduced species including cattle, sheep and piggies. The padded feet are more suited to our dry climate (isn't ecology great). So... many greenies support eating kangaroos because this is more sustainable. They're not endangered, they're suited to the land, and they're local so don't have to be transported) I have yet to try Roo myself - am still a little apprehensive.
But as I said, this point is a little controversial and will visit it again later.
Phew. (Oopsy!) :)