Whats your carbon footprint?

[thesunflowergal]

http://actonco2.direct.gov.uk/index.html

Has anyone tried this? To work out their carbon footprint.

Interesting although that survey doesn't take into account a lot of relevant factors - packaging, consumerism (whether we buy second hand or new, etc), nappies, were you buy your food from or if you grow your own.

Ours was 5.84 tonnes. It suggests some really helpful hints at lowering it - if you have the vast quantities of money to do so. Renewable energy,we can not afford the solar panels( at the moment)! Some of our light fittings can't take energy efficient light bulbs either, really annoying but not that easy to change.

[StripyPixieSocks]

4.46 although every one I have done on different sites has wildly different answers though...

[Clara]

3.1 - and it was virtually all travel. As the site doesn´t ask how much of your power comes from renewables I just zeroed all my appliances (except for gas).

[Annpan]

When I did it there wasn't an option for cooking and heating from wood. In the transport section it didn't have the option to say you walk and cycle most places, you are only good if you take the bus It asked you what insulation you had but not the temperature you kept the house at....

Really not designed for the likes of me.

[MKG]

4.0 tonnes, which I thought was high until I compared that figure with "people like me", when I found we were about half of the average. The problem with this calculation, though, is that it takes no account of positives. We have, for instance, about 30 trees doing their bit for the world - but no account of that taken. We don't use plastic bags from the supermarket. We compost rather than using bought-in fertilisers. Etc. etc.

I'd like to know what kind of effect that kind of activity has on the final figure.

Mike

[Millymollymandy]

4.93 which was mostly all appliances, it's all those fridges and freezers that I've got! Mine is 3.26 and the national average is 1.62!!!

It should be a bit more as I do fly about once every 3 years but didn't give you an option for that.

It also worked out my CO2 for hot water but never asked me how I heated my water.

[Annpan]

Ok, I did mine again... it came out at 6.1.....so I thought I would look at the things I can change...

It said I should buy a new TV - I don't have one at all, evidently having no TV uses more electricity that having one

I should fit draught excluders round windows and doors (I have them already, in places, it didn't ask me but I also have double glazing which it did ask)

I should switch my digital radio off at the wall when not in use and not use it very often (I switch all appliances off at the plug when not in use and we only use the digi radio for listening to the digital radio stations)


I got a high figure for transport because of driving and flying (I have never flown and we only use the car for a few family trips at the weekend, we rarely travel more than 40 miles away)
I grow lots of our own food, make a lot of our own entertainment and buy second hand when we can...


No offense guys but what a lot of rubbish



ETA - that was our household one and the average is 10.17

[Millymollymandy]

It is a load of rubbish because I've just looked at the Your Plan and it's telling me to buy a dishwasher. I already told the stupid thing that I've got one!

[Odsox]

I never do them because they are designed for your model lazy family with 2.5 kids living in a semi-detatched in Basingstoke.

Where does it calculate the carbon footprint of all the convenience food and fresh food flown in from Kenya, Chile, South Africa etc,
As opposed to walking out into your garden and picking your own ?

This has been raised before but, which is better for breakfast .. a bowl of cornflakes or a boiled egg from your own hen ?

[thesunflowergal]

Even though I started this thread the more I look at it, the more it looks like a load of parp!!

I have just calculated my personal one, I got 2.77 tons for travel. But I use the car about twice a week, and walk everywhere.

I agree with Odsox

I never do them because they are designed for your model lazy family with 2.5 kids living in a semi-detatched in Basingstoke.

I was just looking for a way to phase it

[thesunflowergal]

No mention of recycling either

[Green Aura]

I daren't post what mine was - mainly due to being all electric with this f*****g coal boiler! My travel was much lower, 1.4, than "people like me" though.

It told me to get cavity wall insulation, even though I told it we had solid, insulated, walls! And told me to replace my over 12 yr old appliances - I haven't got any.

I'm not sure how good these things are, but I suppose if people are filling it in they must be at least starting to think about such matters, so I suppose that's useful.

[boboff]

8.5, against a people like me of 16.5.

I thought that was O.K.

It's a good tool for numpties, and interesting, but people should already be doing all of these things, it should be the Law!

[Flo]

My feet have no carbon footprint - it's the rest of me that causes the problem.

[MuddyWitch]

Well, I scored 1.11 on the personal one, but then it told me to turn my themostate down...on a woodburner?!!!

It also recommended a dishwasher, but thast would use more chemicals & more water than hand washing & the dish washer tablet thingies make me ill after a while.

oh & it suggested a microwave...why?

Still, at least it didn't tell me to have cavity wall insulation in my 1920's solid walls! lol

MW