Breaking it Down: The Parts of my Footprint

Eating the apple, one bite at a time.  

We live in a world of Climate Crisis.
I aspire to be a Carbon Warrior.

My warrior goal? Cut my carbon footprint in half, from 14 tons to 7 tons per year.
I strive to walk the apprentice path to become the future warrior.

I began by cutting our home energy use by about 30% with some simple investments and incentives that all pay for themselves fairly quickly and require few lifestyle changes or sacrifices. 

I became a vegetarian and an occasional vegan, cutting my Food-print by 32%.

So what’s next?

One's carbon footprint is made up of parts.
Some parts reflect necessities - food, heat, shelter…
Other parts reflect choices - travel, recreation, fashion…
Still other parts are a function of lifestyle - where we live, where we work, the size of our house….

The chart below, with data from the Union of Concerned Scientists, shows how the average American's carbon footprint components add up.

From https://www.lowcarbonsimplified.com/my-carbon-footprint-manifesto/ based on a 20 T/Yr Footprint

Using the on-line calculators discussed in The-apprenticeship-begins, I calculated my own pie chart to see how I compare, where the biggest and smallest pieces of my Carbon Footprint lie.

Using the calculator results and an Excel spreadsheet, here is my baseline breakdown:

Holy gas guzzlers batman!"

More than half of my Carbon Footprint comes from transportation.
My driving - to work, or play, or kids sports - accounts for 40%.
My vacations and air travel, only two (2) round trip flights per year, is another 20%.

This surprises me.

My home electric and heating and cooling?
The things I thought about first, like lights and furnace? Those only account for 9% of my total footprint. Important sure, but contrary to my first impression, contrary to the U.S. average, maybe not where my real journey lies.

Miles Driven are my Carbon Demon:
The challenge for me in this journey along the path will be to face and battle my Transportation Footprint.

Living where I do in a semi-rural, semi-suburban community..., my life-style decisions have impacts.

Working where I do, an office one town over..., the daily miles add up.

The challenge that lies ahead will not come from simple, small investments, or from single changes in behavior.  Tackling Mile Driven and Miles Flown will prove to be a true struggle.


The Apprentice Path:

• If you are inclined to use a calculator to create your own baseline pie chart, DO.  I found it powerful.
• If not, estimate your Carbon Demon. Perhaps you fly more than a couple times a year. Maybe you are a meat eater. Perhaps shopping and fashion are your demons. 
• Don't just consider your demon, also consider your strength.  Where are you better than average? Perhaps you drive a hybrid. Maybe you walk to work? Do you live in a city with great public transport? You are a hero. 
• Write down and share, your Demon and your Strength.