Challenge: Determine your carbon footprint

Soundings

John Dodge | • Published June 29, 2008

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I'm looking for two or three South Sound families or individuals to embark on a year-long journey with me.

Sorry, this is not an all-expenses-paid trip to some dream destination where we can leave our worries behind. Far from it.

Rather, I'm asking you to calculate your household's carbon footprint for the past year, ending July 1, then keep track of it again for the next year, beginning Aug. 1.

You’ll share the results with me and I'll share them with readers of The Olympian's environment page, which, in the months ahead, will place an increased emphasis on climate change topics at the local, state and regional level.

A carbon footprint is a measure of the greenhouse gases - primarily carbon dioxide - we produce in our daily lives. Simply put, the more we produce, the more we contribute to the accumulation of gases in the atmosphere that lead to global warming.

We’ll use a carbon footprint calculator provided by The Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit conservation group working around the world in a cooperative way to protect environmentally-sensitive places for the benefit of people, fish and wildlife.

The calculator measures carbon dioxide emissions in four major categories: home energy, driving and flying, food and diet, and recycling and waste. It features enough detail to be useful without being overwhelming.

I took the test this week. Here's some of the things I learned about my own carbon footprint during the past 12 months.

My home energy consumption weighed in at 13 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year, which was 31 percent above the national average for a one-person household. I think it’s because I’m living in a three-bedroom home by myself most of the time.

I also was penalized for not yet switching all my incandescent light bulbs over to compact fluorescent and for failing to unplug electronic gadgets not in use.

My driving and flying

Emissions were 10 tons of CO2, or 55 percent below the national average. I drove my medium-sized car 8,500 miles last year, which is below average. I also flew twice within the country.