Task: Environmental Science Activities
1. Calculating your total emissions:
Enter the values from the Household Carbon Footprint Calculator in the table below and calculate the percent of total emissions for each.
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Category
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Lbs. of CO2 per year
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Percent of Total Emissions
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Household Vehicles
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Home Energy - Natural Gas
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Home Energy - Electricity
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Home Energy - Fuel Oil
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Home Energy - Propane
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Waste - Emissions after Recycling
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Total Annual Emissions
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Analysis:
For each question below, fully explain your answer.
2. In what category were your emissions highest? Does this surprise you? Why or why not? Please explain fully using at least one paragraph.
3. How did your household's overall emissions compare with the average of 60,000 lbs. per year? Does the magnitude of your emissions surprise you? ? Why or why not? Please explain fully using at least one paragraph.
4. Making Changes:
If your results are typical, your emissions from Transportation comprised a significant amount of your overall emissions. Let's see how a highly fuel efficient vehicle would affect your carbon dioxide contributions. A number of "hybrid" gasoline powered vehicles are currently available, and these vehicles get significantly higher mileage than conventional vehicles. One example is the 2002 Honda Insight, which has a combined (average of city and highway) fuel efficiency of 64 MPG. In the first part of the What You Can Do to Reduce Emissions section, enter the appropriate value to increase your current vehicle's mileage to 64 MPG (enter the difference between your current MPG and 64 MPG). Hit the Tab key to register the change, and list the resultant reductions below. You can obtain the New CO2 emissions by subtracting the "lbs CO2 avoided" from your previous total, or by scrolling down to the end of the calculator.
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Percent Reduction in CO2
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New CO2 emissions
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Switching to hybrid vehicle
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5. After seeing the carbon reductions and visiting the web site on hybrid vehicles, would you be willing to seriously investigate buying such a vehicle? Explain why or why not.
6. Clear the preceding change in vehicle mileage by highlighting the value you entered, entering "0" in its place, and pressing the TAB key. Then proceed through Reduce Emissions section, and choose at least three options that you would be willing to embrace. If you need to enter values (more MPG, thermostat changes, etc.) make sure they are reasonable changes. List the three changes below and list the percent reductions in your total emissions that occurred as a result of each.
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Change
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Percent reduction in annual CO2 emissions
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7. Seeing the reductions in emissions that occur as a result of these changes, would you be willing to immediately implement any of them? Explain why or why not.