12.5.07
Google Doc
Introduction
Global climate change is one of the greatest threats to our well-being and significant reductions in energy, about 80% in industrialized nations, are necessary, as soon as possible, to prevent a collapse in civilization.
I observed as many behaviors as I could in my personal lifestyle related to energy and tracked my energy consumption, or carbon footprint, by keeping track of what and how much I ate, how much electricity I consume living in my house, and figuring out how much I will travel this year. I measured this in pounds and tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). Qualitatively, I tracked my interactions with my community in a journal. I also compared my vegan diet to my previous vegetarian diet. I then compared my own carbon footprint to the average American.
While doing this project I learned how individuals can reduce energy consumption by more than 80 percent. I also found out that specific lifestyle changes are absolutely necessary to make this happen, and the most cost effective ways for individuals to go about starting these important behavior and attitude changes.
I examined the manifestation of my changing environmental ethic in my interactions with my family, friends, and direct community because of the important this has on raising awareness and facilitating beneficial changes among other people.
I realize that I was unable to include a complete and holistic carbon footprint analysis, such as my stove and microwave use in my house, my consumption of bottled drinks (about two per week), and the carbon footprint of producing products such as my iPod, computer, or clothes. Despite this shortcoming, I did include enough data, I believe, to make a number of definitive conclusions and recommendations about how to reduce the average individual’s carbon footprint.
Quantitative Analysis
HOUSING
According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), the average household uses about 10,656 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity, and with each kWh of electricity generating an average of 1.34 lbs CO2, the average household generates 10,656 lbs CO2 (Clayton: 2005, EIA: 2005 & EIA: 2002). The average household has three people, which is the situation that I am currently in. However, my house-mates do not have the same behavior habits as I do, so I made an important assumption that I was living with two other people with similar habits.
The breakdown for the amount of electricity used in the average household, and the percentage of which I use, is (Source: EIA: 2005 & Clayton: 2005):
Air-conditioning 16% -80% (+/- 10%)
Average: 72 degrees summer
Me: 80 degrees summer
Refrigerator 14% -80%
Average: 1,462 kWh for refrigeration
Me: 290 kWh mini-fridge
Freezer 4% -100%
Space heating 10% -70% (+/- 10%)
Average: 68 degrees winter
Me: 50 degrees winter, plus window insulation
Water heater 9% -83% (+/- 10%)
Average shower: 6 minutes
Me: 1 minute
Lighting 9% -55% (+/- 10%)
Fluorescent bulbs are about 5 times more efficient
Clothes dryer 6% -50% (+/- 10%)
I estimate I wash my clothes half as frequently as the average person
Total: 68 v. 17.58 (+/- 5.2) = -74% (66.5-81.5%)
Based on the above calculations, I only use about 25% of the average household energy total, or put another way, I use about 75% less energy than the average resident (assuming that I extrapolate my data [reducing consumption about 74%] from including only 68% to include 100%). I believe that this assumption is accurate because home electronics are responsible for 7.2% and HVAC appliances for 5% of the average home and the only electronics that I use are the microwave (about 10 minutes a day) and a desktop computer.
I use my home computer about 30hr/wk X 200 watts + 100/wk X 2 watts sleeping) X 52 wks /1000 = 322.4 kWh X 1.34 lbs per kWh = 432lbs CO2, (Bluejay: 2007). I am not including the TV because I only watch it if my house-mates are (about 3 hours a week). Nor am I including my phone and iPod charger, which I unplug when they are not charging (saving about 300 lb CO2 per year).
Thus, the average U.S. resident consumes about 10,656 lbs (5.3 tons) CO2/yr according to the EIA (2005) and I consume about 3,096 (4,003 to 2,403) lbs (1.55 tons) CO2/yr in my home, or about 69% less. Therefore, if the average American were to make a few changes to their household energy consumption, then this alone would reduce their carbon footprint by 7,560 lbs (3.78 tons) CO2/yr, or about 16%.
FOOD
To calculate my carbon footprint related to food, I used the calculator from FoodCarbon.co.uk. This is the most comprehensive food calculator I could find. However, it is based on UK information, which could be a problem. I used the following information to determine the major carbon emitted from the process of producing my food, per year:
Bags/wk (2, but I use my school backpack to carry groceries); Frozen in store (0%); Chilled in store (10%); Where? (Local Grocery Store, Wild Oats); Beef? (no); Chicken? (no); Milk? (no); Cheese? (no); Apples? (2/wk: from the US, non-organic, packaged in a tray); Bananas (from the U.S. [UK, for this survey], non-organic); Potatoes? (651-700g: local, organic); Carrots: (251-300g: local, organic); tins of Baked Beans? (6/wk) [I eat dehydrated local, organic beans in bulk, not tins]; Loaves of Bread? (1/wk: baked in-store, organic); Rice? (401-450g/wk: local, organic)
According to this calculation, my personal carbon emission from food is 2920 lb of CO2 per year (1.46 tons/yr).
This is broken down as follows (1324.5 kg per year):
Carbon from beef: 0 kg per year
Carbon from chicken: 0 kg per year
Carbon from milk: 0.1 kg per year
Carbon from cheese: 0 kg per year
Carbon from apples: 21.9 kg per year
Carbon from bananas: 81.9 kg per year
Carbon from potatoes: 101.8 kg per year
Carbon from carrots: 79.1 kg per year
Carbon from beans: 850.5 kg per year
Carbon from bread: 117.9 kg per year
Carbon from rice: 71.1 kg per year
I will add 353 lbs CO2/yr to compensate for eating out about four times a month. So, my carbon footprint from food is approximately 3,273 lbs (1.64 tons) CO2/yr. Thus, my food carbon footprint is about 55% less than the average American’s footprint of about 7,168 lbs CO2/yr, according to Evo.com (2007).
However, I expect that my food diet is actually closer to 85% less than the average American because there are a great number of externalities involved in the meat industry production that I am confident are not included in Evo’s carbon calculation, such as the carbon footprint of deforestation for soybean farms in Brazilian rainforests for animal feed or carbon loss from soil erosion caused by animals. I am very conscious of buying bulk foods to limit packaging, not buying coffee (which is the second most valued and traded commodity after oil), and avoiding refrigerated and frozen foods.
Another reason I believe 7,168 lbs CO2/yr per person is an underestimation is because other sources such as small-farm-permaculture-and-sustainable-living.com (2007) estimate that an omnivore has a seven times greater carbon footprint than a vegetarian. This would mean that, compared to myself (a vegan: therefore, this number will be under-estimated), the average American has a food footprint of about 22,911 lbs CO2/yr. (This is 3.2 times, or a 69% increase over 7,168 lbs!)
A final justification for comparing myself to this higher number is that the United Nations identifies a vegetarian diet as the most significant lifestyle change a person (in an industrialized country) can make to reduce greenhouse gasses. I expect 22,911 lbs CO2/yr to be more accurate and is more inclusive of negative externalities and thus more representative of a life-cycle analysis I am trying to do(PETA: 2007).
Thus, my food carbon footprint is about 3,273 lbs (1.64 tons) CO2/yr compared to an average American footprint of 22,911 lbs (11.46 tons) CO2/yr. This is an 85% decrease in energy consumption. If the average American were to only change their diet to vegan, then they would decrease their carbon footprint by 19,638 lbs (9.8 tons) CO2/yr, or 41%.
TRAVEL
My own travel habit consists of approximately 85% public transit, 5% driving, 5% carpooling, and 5% walking or biking. I do not own a car and I do not drive more than half a dozen times a year—and when I do, I drive less than ten miles round-trip. Each gallon of gas produces about 19 lbs of CO2 and the average car gets about 24 miles per gallon (O’Neill: 2006). If I drive 100 miles total in the year, then I am using 4.2 gallons or 67 lbs CO2/yr.
I take the bus to and from school every day. This is a 13 mile round trip, for about 90 days, or about 1,170 miles of public transit just for school. I also take about four trips back and forth from Boulder to Denver, which is about 50 miles round-trip. Therefore, I am traveling at least 1370 miles on public transportation, which would use 57 gallons of gas, or 1083 lbs of CO2/yr, if I were to drive the average car. I am not including this in my calculations because it would be extremely difficult to determine how much one person’s use affects a public service.
Living in Colorado, I fly back to my home in Boston once a year. This one round-trip results in 1,363 lbs of CO2. This one action increases my total carbon footprint by about 17.5%.
Riding my bike whenever I need to get around Boulder helps reduce my impact by about 250 mi/yr or 190 lbs (0.1 tons) CO2/yr and helps me stay in shape. Not having a car also saves a significant amount of money on gasoline, insurance, and parking.
The average American drives 8,322 miles by car annually, emitting 3,800 to 9,400 lbs (1.9 to 4.7 tons) CO2/yr (Koppes: 2006). However, according to Evos (who I believe underestimated the average American’s food footprint by 69%) our automobile impact is 11,395 lbs (5.7 tons) and our travel impact is an additional 3,580 lbs (1.8 tons), for a total travel impact of 14,975 lbs (7.49 tons) CO2/yr (Evos: 2007). This is consistent with other life-cycle studies that show an average UK person’s travel impact being 11,760 lbs, which is 21.5% less than Evos’ estimation—a reasonable figure considering the differences between American and British travel habits (Scenta: 2007). The annual gasoline consumption in the U.S. per capita is around 470 gallons, or 9,400 lbs (4.7 tons) CO2/yr, compared with only 90 gallons, or 1,800 lbs (0.9 tons) CO2/yr, in Western Europe.
Thus, my total travel impact is about 1,430 lbs (0.72 tons) CO2/yr, not including my use of public transit. This is 10.5 times less, or a 90.5% reduction in my carbon footprint compared to the average American who is responsible for 14,975 lbs (7.49 tons) CO2/yr. Therefore, if an average American were to limit there transportation and primarily use public transportation, then this alone would reduce their impact by about 13,545 lbs (6.8 tons) CO2/yr, or 28%.
SUMMARY
My Carbon Footprint: Difference Average Carbon Footprint:
Housing: 3,096 lbs -71% 10,656 lbs
Food: 3,273 lbs -85% 22,911 lbs
Travel: 1,430 lbs -90% 14,975 lbs
Total: 7,799 lbs -84% 48,055 lbs
3.9 tons 24 tons
My findings are consistent with what other researchers have found in terms of the average American’s cumulative carbon footprint being 20 to 24 tons of CO2 every year. My calculations do not include things like consumption (manufacturing computers, iPods, clothes, books, etc) or services (postal, trash, etc). This could be a significant omission and should be taken into account when analyzing my findings.
Qualitative Analysis
Social crises have been defined by Philip Abbott as a two-by-two matrix that helps frame the debate. After analyzing my carbon footprint, I feel less of a gradualist and that a more active and urgent response is appropriate. I feel less separatist (anti-globalist) and more assimilationist (communitarianism). This is in terms of what I think the most effective approach would be in trying to get people to change their attitudes and behaviors.
Philip Abbott, in Political Thought in America (2005, p.297), helps explain this: Activist theorists “argue that rapid change must be the central goal not only because justice demands it, but also because historical opportunities for change are rare and must be seized when they appear.” This is in contrast to gradualist theorists who “emphasize the need for a slow [change]…and gain the cooperation of the majority on which progress ultimately depends.”
Abbott continues to differentiate assimilationism and separatism: “Assimilationists argue that the best protection against continued and future discrimination [or resistance to change] is to identify with the basic goals and political symbols of the majority and emphasize the essential similarities between [the two groups].” Abbott continues, “Separatists, on the other hand, argue that group autonomy is essential to removing [barriers to change] because the solidarity of the oppressed group will disintegrate unless the differences between the two groups are cultivated.”
My Environmental-Political Ethic/Thought
Gradualism Activist/Urgency
Assimilationism After
Separatism Before
I had a number of interesting experiences. One experience is when I decided to attend the Privilege, Accountability, & the CU Community Forging Solutions event on campus. I made a two minute talk to the fifty or so people there about how I think being vegetarian and taking public transit should be membership requirements for all student groups and organizations that are environmentally and/or socially conscious.
I had experiences talking with about a dozen people about my lifestyle after I began wearing my “Vegan” t-shirt and my “One” campaign t-shirt (to support the UN’s Millennium Development Goal to reduce global poverty). I have been able to notice the changes in the way, and ease, in which I talk about energy consumption.
I have had many noteworthy emotional reactions. My favorite is when people offer me something with meat, I tell them “I don’t support genocide” (but only sometimes explain myself). I also like to respond, “Are you trying to kill me?” At the CU Privilege event, I made a comment that “Every time you eat a piece of meat, you might as well be saying ‘Fuck you’ to a poor person. Every time you get in your car to drive home, you might as well be saying ‘Fuck you’ to a poor person. You are valuing your comfort and convenience above the well-being of billions of people. Oh, and it’s bad for you, by the way.”
Challenges
The main personal challenge was transitioning from a vegetarian to being a vegan in August 2007. I unintentionally consumed non-vegan products like bagels (made with eggs), pesto (usually made with cheese), milk chocolate, a smoothie (made with yogurt), and honey (an animal/insect product) a few days after I made this decision.
I had a strong craving for things with cheese, like pizza and nachos. However, after two weeks, my desires for any non-vegan product were completely gone. This is primarily a function in my shift of thinking about these products as tasting good to associating them with environmental and animal rights violations—and thus, in direct conflict with my moral beliefs about what is right and wrong.
There were also a number of quantitative challenges that I had to overcome to calculate my carbon footprint. I know that my footprint is still incomplete but I now believe I could create a better (more inclusive) carbon footprint based on the Environmental Input-Output—Life Cycle Analysis/Assessment model. I did not include my energy consumption from public services (RTD-buses, CU electricity while I am at school), or control for energy sources: I used the average carbon footprint per energy unit consumed rather than calculate how much carbon is emitted from energy produced from coal (for my home electricity), which would have increased my footprint. And after all of this, it is important to remember that our carbon footprint represents only 58% of our total impact on the planet (Evo: 2007).
A Need for Change
After doing this project, I would prescribe a few changes that impact the environment: First, people should become vegetarian if not vegan. However, I do not think this will happen without the government fixing the market by making meat products internalize the social and environmental costs. This would increase the price (to about $90/lb) over time (I would recommend five years) beyond which almost anyone would be willing to pay.
The second priority is for the government to provide people access to public transportation and encourage it by, once again, fixing the market to internalize the environmental and social costs of driving and flying. This would result in gasoline increasing from about $3/gal to $13/gal, or an increase of 77% in the price of traveling.
The third priority is for people to weatherize their house to prevent warm/cold air from escaping, and to use more efficient appliances. The average house in the United States can reduce their home energy consumption 40% by making simple and cheap changes. This could happen if the price of home electricity use represented the true cost, rather than being subsidized.
A Change in Ethic
This project changed my environmental ethic in one major way: I am now less sympathetic to Aldo Leopold’s Land Ethic. Leopold argues that the next step in the evolution of ethics is the expansion of ethics to include nonhuman members of the biotic community. However, my environmental ethic seems to be more anthropocentric after this project because it made me more aware of my constructed (e.g. home, school, transportation), rather than natural environment.
Nevertheless, I would not disregard Leopold’s basic principle: “A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community.” It is useful to know how our carbon footprint effects the stability of the biotic community, but I think that the average American cares more about how changes can effect their pocketbook, health, and relative impact compared to the average American. Also, knowing this relationship between energy use and our biotic community might represent too high of an opportunity cost to get reliable information. There is less need for an emphasis on biotic stability when reductions in our carbon footprint are synergistic with economic benefits, health benefits, and environmental benefits.
I am sure that my environmental ethic will continue to develop after this project. One aspect that I believe will change is the vocabulary, or rhetoric, that I use to talk about energy or climate change issues with my community. Before this project I was well versed in the global and national policies and challenges related to climate change (not “global warming”). This resulted in a vocabulary (like the term synergy) used by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The IPCC’s audience is primarily the world’s governments, so it is useful for me to change my vocabulary when talking about changes at an individual level. Knowing my carbon footprint, I can now integrate my environmental ethic and my lifestyle, described as “attitude” and “behavior” in the IPCC reports, while trying to convey a sense of urgency.
Bibliography
Clayton, Mark. (16 June 2005). As TVs Grow, so do Electric Bills. Christian Science Monitor. Viewed at http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0616/p13s02-stct.html
Energy Information Administration (EIA). (April 2002). Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Program: Average Electricity Factors by State and Region. Viewed at http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/ee-factors.html
Energy Information Administration (EIA). (14 July 2005). U.S. Household Electricity Report. Viewed at http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/reps/enduse/er01_us.html
Evo Media, Inc. (2007). Your Carbon Footprint. Viewed at http://www.evo.com/content/2303
GoVeg.com. (2007). Vegetarian 101. Viewed at http://www.goveg.com/vegetarian101.asp
Kanter, James. (6 June 2007). A Vegetarian Diet Reduces the Diner’s Carbon Footprint. International Herald Tribune. Viewed at http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/06/06/business/greencol07.php
Koppes, Steve. (13 April 2006). Study: Vegan Diets Healthier for Planet, People than Meat Diets. University of Chicago News Office. Viewed at http://www-news.uchicago.edu/releases/06/060413.diet.shtml
Massi, Brad. (2007). Local Food and Climate Change: The Low Carbon Alternative. Balanced Living Magazine. Viewed at http://www.balancedlivingmag.com/2007/May%20-%20June%2007/Local%20Food%20and%20Climate%20Change%20The%20Low%20.htm
O’Neill, Meaghan. (23 October 2006). Travel Light: How to get Around While Burning Less CO2. Treehugger.com. Viewed at http://www.slate.com/id/2151794/
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). (7 March 2007). PETA to Al Gore: You Can’t be a Meat-Eating Environmentalist. Viewed at http://www.peta.org/mc/NewsItem.asp?id=9579
Putnam, Judy, Allshouse, Jane & Kantor, Linda Scott. (2002). U.S. Per Capita Food Suply Trends: More Callories, Refined Carbohydrates and Fats. Economic Research Service, USDA. Viewed at: http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/FoodReview/DEC2002/frvol25i3a.pdf
Robbins, Michael. (March/April 2006). The Catch. Mother Jones. Viewed at http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2006/03/the_catch.html
Rothschild, David de. (26 June 2007). The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook: 77 Essential Skills to Stop Climate Change. Rodale Books; NY.
Scenta. (2 February 2007). Who has the Biggest Carbon Footprint? Viewed at http://www.scenta.co.uk/Nature/1488560/who-has-the-biggest-carbon-footprint.htm
Singer, Peter. (2007).
Small Farm Permaculture and Sustainable Living. (12 September 2007). Calculating Ecological Footprint Components, and Easy Ways to Reduce Your Impact on Earth. Viewed at http://www.small-farm-permaculture-and-sustainable-living.com/ecological_footprint_components.html
Western Courier. (25 December 2006). How Does Eating Meat Harm the Planet? Consider Vegetarianism. Viewed at http://westerncourier.campusave.com/details/listing.aspx/listing/20782
Appendix
To take my environmental commitment to its logical conclusion, then I should offset my 3.9 tons CO2/yr by buying carbon credits. I have several options:
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ClimateCare.org: I can buy $53.82 worth of credits that I can have invested in bio energy, wind energy, efficient lights, efficient stoves, rainforest restoration, or water pumps for developing countries.
Posted by publius2012 
Posted by publius2012 
Posted by publius2012 