Jon Cousins – carbon footprint calculations
Hi, I’ve never blog-ed before, so I’m not sure how this all works – but here goes.
My current carbon footprint (1st October 2007)is:
GAS HEATING – £1 of gas bill £160 x 13.3 = 2,128 kg
ELECTRIC – Good Energy 100% renewable supply = 0 kg
CAR small diesel car (I used 100% pure vegetable oil bio-diesel for about half of my miles, but as there is no option for this I’ve calculated as if it were all evil diesel)
CAR – 6,500 Miles (over estimated approx) x 0.19 = 1,235 kg
PUBLIC TRANSPORT – 612 miles x 0.11 = 67.32 kg
EMBODIED ENERGY IN GOODS = 750 kg
total = 4,180.32 kg or 4.2 metric tons (I hope I’ve done that conversion correctly)
I know that this footprint is not as ‘all embracing’ as it could be, but I’m not a scientist so hey! I will continue to use the same process for my future footprints, so there is at least a consistency in my non-scientific calculations.
If I could add anything to all this, it is that we should also consider our ‘ethical fingerprints’ too.
Ok, lets see what button I’m supposed to press now – is it ‘Say It!’? – knowing the impossible american-isms of the WWW, probably!
3 Comments so far
Leave a comment
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <pre> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
If this is the second time you see this message, it is because I don’t know what I’m doing – Ned Ludd is my hero after all.
Comment by Jon Cousins July 25, 2008 @ 11:32 pmWell, I’ve completely forgotten how to access this page, so I’m leaving my update as a comment …
My big news is that on Thursday 3rd July 2008 I put my dustbin out for the first time this year.
I was mainly full of plastic, and shows just how miserably I have failed to live a plastic-free life !!!
So, that was a big event for me – putting the bin out for collection.
Stay tuned for more excitement …
I still have no idea how to update this page, so I am writing my ‘news’ as a comment.
Well, my big news is that I have put my bin out again (twice actually)!! once in October, and once in December (Christmas bringing an interesting increase of plastic and ’stuff’).
Although not directly part of ‘carbon reduction’, I am very pleased to have cut down on the household waste I produce. In 2008, I have only put my bin out three times – achieved mainly by being mindful about packaging, trying not to buy plastic (which is extremely hard!). Everything else goes into re-cycling.
Well, the next post from the group should be the result of our attempt to reduce our carbon emissions from the past year by at least 5%. I wonder how we will do …
Comment by Jon Cousins January 12, 2009 @ 4:49 pmWell, still not remembering how to access this blog properly, I am posting my ‘end of year’ Carbon Footprint calculations as a ‘comment’.
Well, we agreed to try and reduce our footprint by 5%. My ‘good news’ is that I have reduced my CO2 emissions by 10.5% to 3,745.45 kg – however, my ‘bad news’ is that 3,745.45 kg is nowhere near being sustainable for the planet. My big problem has been using a car – this will have to change. My resolution for 2009.
Here are the full details:
CRAGs review: 28th January 2009
Jon Cousins
When calculating, I was unsure of the exact date when the last figures were calculated – so I worked worked with assumption that it is actually greater than 12 months (probably 15 months)
Car: 120,000 miles less 101,601 miles = 18,399 x 0.19 = 3.5 tons (3,495.81 kg) of CO2 in 2007/8
As I shared the car during 5 months of the period: I take full responsibility for 2/3 = 2,330.54 kg of CO2
and ½ responsibility for 1/3 = 582.64 kg of CO2
Car total = 2.91 tons (2,913.18 kg)
Electric:
at ‘No 2′ Ecotricity = 187 units or £118.65 + 13 units or £8.47 (final bill) = 200 units or £127.12
at ‘No 3′ Good Energy = 100% renewables = 0 tons
£127.12 ÷ 11p (ref. Lynas) x 0.43 = 0.5 tons (496.92 kg) of CO2 in 2007/8
As I shared the house at No 2, I take responsibility for ½ total
Electricity total = 0.25 tons (248.46 kg)
Gas:
at ‘No 2′ £48.91 x 13.3 = 650.50 kg.
As I lived with another person in No 2 I will take responsibility for ½ total = 325.25 kg.
at ‘No 3′ £36.44 x 13.3 = 484.65 kg gross
I had someone sharing the house for 2 months during this 12 month period, so I take responsibility for 10 months + ½ of 2 months – on an average basis of 40.39 kg per month
i.e. 11 months net = 444.26 kg
Gas total = 0.77 tons (769.51 kg)
Public Transport: 6 miles x 0.11 = 0.66 kg
Embodied Energy in Goods = 750 kg
Total Kilograms for year
Car 2,913.18 kg
Electric 248.46 kg
Gas 769.51 kg
Pub Tran .66 kg
Goods 750.00 kg
Total 4,681.81 kg (15 months)
2007/8 3,745.45 kg (12 months – average)
2006/7 4,180.32 kg less
2007/8 3,745.45 kg equals
reduction 434.87 kg
a reduction of 10.5%
Comment by Jon Cousins March 16, 2009 @ 9:29 pm