Welcome to the Discussion Blog for Empire State College students studying sustainability in Panama, Dominican Republic, Lebanon and New York City. This is a great opportunity to share and learn from one another.
What is your Carbon Footprint?
What will is your carbon footprint? Were you surprised at the results? What did you learn about yourself?
My carbon footprint says 0.94 metric tons of CO2 according to the carbon footprint calculator. http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx What I found interesting is that the average footprint for people in Panama is 1.78 metric tons a year per person. According to my results, it seems I am on the right track. There are ways to lower my carbon footprint, I'm sure. By disconnecting my cell phone’s battery charger or turning off the power strip all together will reduce energy consumption. I will make it a project this weekend to change all of my light bulbs for compact fluorescent bulbs. Compact Fluorescent light bulbs use less electricity, emit less heat, and last longer. I will be more conscientious when taking a shower, I will not let the water run when I'm in the shower or while I’m brushing my teeth. I will wash dishes with cold water instead of hot. I will start buying seasonal, organic produce (hopefully I will be growing my own soon-PSP-fingers crossed). At work I will continue to recycle paper, cardboard, plastic, and aluminum. I bring my lunch to work every day to avoid having to buying paper plates and plastic utensils. I also try to work from home at least two days a week in order to reduce the amount of toxins in the environment produced by my car (carbon monoxide). Everything (market, pharmacy, park, parent's house) is relatively close and I prefer walking than driving because the traffic in Panama is horrendous and it takes forever to get from point A to point B, but now that I'm taking this class I'm realizing that I am helping the environment as well by not driving. I was doing it at first because of the traffic issue and second to get some physical activity out of it but I will be doing it more often now that I know it will pay off in the long run.
You can look at my Carbon foot print in the link below!
http://tinypic.com/r/au6ufr/7
I was surprised considering the global stats below!
Your footprint is 16.88 metric tons per year The average footprint for people in Panama is 1.78 metric tons
The average worldwide carbon footprint is about 4 metric tons
These results are actually not even including the electricity and bills since i did not know the energy consumption for the house.
So my foot print is actually very high. Im honestly not very green and im WILLING to do some stuff to improve like recycling or throwing away garbage in the right places. But i am not willing to modify my life like walk or something that would make things harder to get to or do. I like to be comfortable.
I dont have anything against people that are green crazy and actually i do think it is good that people do it but not for me lol.
Do you think that individuals who are environmentally conscientious are not comfortable? I would not consider myself green crazy like you say, but I am aware of unnecessary waste. For example, when I brush my teeth I don't leave the water running. Are you aware of unnecessary waste?
My carbon footprint is 0.18 tonnes of CO2, that could be considered very low, however, i'm not really satisfied. i always say that i'm maverick man, for me it's always possible to do something better, to improve our lifestyle and our environment. Longtime ago, i took the decision to use lamps and low power consumption devices, i only use water when it's necessary, i've a water heater and i never use it. It's kind of responsible from me, right? But, the problem still exists, so i cannot be comfortable. We do what we have to do, and we've to help others take the same decision. It should be seen as a local concern and then take it globally. Help me to do more, to find out what else i could do. Are you willing to help ? Because i'm willing to be challenged.
My carbon footprint is 1.31 tCO2. I considered that this results are ok for the company that I work at. There is only 1 location in Panama and the building is not that big, the employees come and go because most of all are students. The number one concern that I have is the consumption of energy. DSS is a call center that operates 24/7 and most of the time the lights and the electronic devices inside the building are never turned off so the electricity comsumption is very high. Also the numbers of TVs are high (around 25) because we need them to watch the games. They are also always on all day long. What we need to do to reduce our carbon footprint is start saving energy by turning off all the devices that are not being used at night. The total of waste that we produce is also a little bit high. There is only 100 of us working in there but we do consume a lot, specially bottles of water and other liquids. Everyday I see 2 or 3 big trash cans filled up to the top in water containers and also cans. If we could recycle this or use the same bottles to drink water everyday we´ll be reducing our carbon footprint a lot. We as a company have to start doing small things that can change the world for good and starting doing these stuffs will help us achieve it.
Carbon Footprint is an interesting site and I have just discovered that I have a lot of work to do. I’m surprised that my personal footprint 5.76 metric tons per year is by far above of the Dominican Republic average of 2.11. And the Secondary footprint (4.37) is my weakest but somehow I don’t agree with some of the recommendations: • In the Dominican Republic Tap Water is not safe, in the past not even some brands of bottled water were safe • Organic produce is expensive and only sold in exclusive places or Supermarkets • People can’t grow vegetables or fruit everywhere • Activities that people do in their spare time. For example I rather go to the Gym because running in the street or certain parks is dangerous due to delinquency. Is not that I don’t want to reduce my personal footprint is that sometimes circumstances don’t help. I’m not trying to be negative I encourage myself every day to accomplish some personal goals, by recycling, buy local fruit and vegetables (imported ones are expensive), and in the Primary Foot print (1.39) that for me is has the higher impact is better in comparison with my secondary footprint. I’m also surprised that Dominican Republic as a country only has 2.11. I understand we don’t have many industries and the country core activities are Tourism and agriculture. Somehow is very difficult as a country to engage in sustainable development if the politicians and the government are the main obstacle. For Example: Accepting Bribery in order to permit or concede permissions to build a Cement Factory near a National Park that is a Natural Reserve.
I actually do leave the water running when i brush my teeth however i can add that to my promise list.
Yes I do know that their are unnecessary risks but I don't consciously do something like brush my teeth and think to turn off the water and think green or with anything i do.
In some ways, I was surprised that my carbon footprint is only about 0.16. I would have thought my footprint would have been higher than that. However, even though I'm happy that my footprint is that low, there are still ways I could make it smaller. For example, I could turn off my laptop when I'm not using it, and I could buy more local produce. I find it interesting, though, that a gas oven actually produces less carbon than a microwave... fascinating!
My carbon footprint says 0.94 metric tons of CO2 according to the carbon footprint calculator. http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx What I found interesting is that the average footprint for people in Panama is 1.78 metric tons a year per person. According to my results, it seems I am on the right track. There are ways to lower my carbon footprint, I'm sure. By disconnecting my cell phone’s battery charger or turning off the power strip all together will reduce energy consumption. I will make it a project this weekend to change all of my light bulbs for compact fluorescent bulbs. Compact Fluorescent light bulbs use less electricity, emit less heat, and last longer. I will be more conscientious when taking a shower, I will not let the water run when I'm in the shower or while I’m brushing my teeth. I will wash dishes with cold water instead of hot. I will start buying seasonal, organic produce (hopefully I will be growing my own soon-PSP-fingers crossed). At work I will continue to recycle paper, cardboard, plastic, and aluminum. I bring my lunch to work every day to avoid having to buying paper plates and plastic utensils. I also try to work from home at least two days a week in order to reduce the amount of toxins in the environment produced by my car (carbon monoxide). Everything (market, pharmacy, park, parent's house) is relatively close and I prefer walking than driving because the traffic in Panama is horrendous and it takes forever to get from point A to point B, but now that I'm taking this class I'm realizing that I am helping the environment as well by not driving. I was doing it at first because of the traffic issue and second to get some physical activity out of it but I will be doing it more often now that I know it will pay off in the long run.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteYou can look at my Carbon foot print in the link below!
ReplyDeletehttp://tinypic.com/r/au6ufr/7
I was surprised considering the global stats below!
Your footprint is 16.88 metric tons per year
The average footprint for people in Panama is 1.78 metric tons
The average worldwide carbon footprint is about 4 metric tons
These results are actually not even including the electricity and bills since i did not know the energy consumption for the house.
So my foot print is actually very high.
Im honestly not very green and im WILLING to
do some stuff to improve like recycling or throwing away garbage in the right places. But i am not willing to modify my life like walk or something that would make things harder to get to or do. I like to be comfortable.
I dont have anything against people that are green crazy and actually i do think it is good that people do it but not for me lol.
Fernando,
ReplyDeleteDo you think that individuals who are environmentally conscientious are not comfortable? I would not consider myself green crazy like you say, but I am aware of unnecessary waste. For example, when I brush my teeth I don't leave the water running. Are you aware of unnecessary waste?
My carbon footprint is 0.18 tonnes of CO2, that could be considered very low, however, i'm not really satisfied.
ReplyDeletei always say that i'm maverick man, for me it's always possible to do something better, to improve our lifestyle and our environment. Longtime ago, i took the decision to use lamps and low power consumption devices, i only use water when it's necessary, i've a water heater and i never use it.
It's kind of responsible from me, right? But, the problem still exists, so i cannot be comfortable. We do what we have to do, and we've to help others take the same decision. It should be seen as a local concern and then take it globally.
Help me to do more, to find out what else i could do. Are you willing to help ? Because i'm willing to be challenged.
My carbon footprint is 1.31 tCO2. I considered that this results are ok for the company that I work at. There is only 1 location in Panama and the building is not that big, the employees come and go because most of all are students. The number one concern that I have is the consumption of energy. DSS is a call center that operates 24/7 and most of the time the lights and the electronic devices inside the building are never turned off so the electricity comsumption is very high. Also the numbers of TVs are high (around 25) because we need them to watch the games. They are also always on all day long. What we need to do to reduce our carbon footprint is start saving energy by turning off all the devices that are not being used at night.
ReplyDeleteThe total of waste that we produce is also a little bit high. There is only 100 of us working in there but we do consume a lot, specially bottles of water and other liquids. Everyday I see 2 or 3 big trash cans filled up to the top in water containers and also cans. If we could recycle this or use the same bottles to drink water everyday we´ll be reducing our carbon footprint a lot.
We as a company have to start doing small things that can change the world for good and starting doing these stuffs will help us achieve it.
Carbon Footprint is an interesting site and I have just discovered that I have a lot of work to do. I’m surprised that my personal footprint 5.76 metric tons per year is by far above of the Dominican Republic average of 2.11.
ReplyDeleteAnd the Secondary footprint (4.37) is my weakest but somehow I don’t agree with some of the recommendations:
• In the Dominican Republic Tap Water is not safe, in the past not even some brands of bottled water were safe
• Organic produce is expensive and only sold in exclusive places or Supermarkets
• People can’t grow vegetables or fruit everywhere
• Activities that people do in their spare time. For example I rather go to the Gym because running in the street or certain parks is dangerous due to delinquency.
Is not that I don’t want to reduce my personal footprint is that sometimes circumstances don’t help. I’m not trying to be negative I encourage myself every day to accomplish some personal goals, by recycling, buy local fruit and vegetables (imported ones are expensive), and in the Primary Foot print (1.39) that for me is has the higher impact is better in comparison with my secondary footprint.
I’m also surprised that Dominican Republic as a country only has 2.11. I understand we don’t have many industries and the country core activities are Tourism and agriculture. Somehow is very difficult as a country to engage in sustainable development if the politicians and the government are the main obstacle. For Example: Accepting Bribery in order to permit or concede permissions to build a Cement Factory near a National Park that is a Natural Reserve.
Carrie
ReplyDeleteI actually do leave the water running when i brush my teeth however i can add that to my promise list.
Yes I do know that their are unnecessary risks but I don't consciously do something like brush my teeth and think to turn off the water and think green or with anything i do.
In some ways, I was surprised that my carbon footprint is only about 0.16. I would have thought my footprint would have been higher than that. However, even though I'm happy that my footprint is that low, there are still ways I could make it smaller. For example, I could turn off my laptop when I'm not using it, and I could buy more local produce. I find it interesting, though, that a gas oven actually produces less carbon than a microwave... fascinating!
ReplyDelete