How Canadians Can Lower Their Carbon Footprint and Show The World How It Can Be Done: Part 3: A Calculator

March 21, 2018 – In this third posting on the subject of lowering our collective carbon footprint to help us combat a warming planet I reviewed about 30 different carbon calculators and came up with what I hope is one that you may find an interesting exercise. I don’t claim infallibility in putting this calculator on public view and welcome readers’ comments, additions, and subtractions. In creating the questions I had average Canadians in mind with most of us living between 45 and 50 degrees north latitude. There are some measurable things here in Canada that may have little merit in places closer to the Equator. In any case, I hope I hear from many of you as you take the test.

Calculating Your Carbon Footprint

The following is a personal carbon and sustainable living calculator. It measures lifestyle choices scoring them on a variable scale that starts at 0 and goes to 10 or more. Please answer these questions as best you can. When done you can total your score and compare your carbon footprint to others.

1. How often do you eat animal-based products? (beef, pork, chicken, fish, eggs, dairy products)

⚪ Never (Vegan) (Score = 0)

⚪ Infrequently (Vegetarian, eggs, dairy, no meat) (Score = 1)

⚪ Occasionally (Like veggies, occasional meat, eggs, dairy) (Score = 3)

⚪ Often (Balanced meat, veggies, eggs, dairy several times per week) (Score = 5)

⚪ Very often (Meat daily) (Score = 8)

2. How much of what you eat is unprocessed, unpackaged, or locally grown? (grown less than 320 kilometers away)

⚪ None (Score = 8)

⚪ 10 to 20% (Score = 6)

⚪ 21 to 40% (Score = 4)

⚪ 41 to 60% (Score = 2)

⚪ More than 60% (Score = 1)

3. What type of residence do you live in?

⚪ Freestanding single family home (Score = 10)

⚪ Multi-storey apartment (Score = 5)

⚪ Semi-detached or townhouse (Score = 8)

⚪ Luxury Condominium (Score = 8)

4. What material was used in constructing your home?

⚪ Brick/Concrete (Score = 5)

⚪ Wood (Score = 3)

⚪ Steel/Glass (Score = 10)

5. How many people live in your home?

⚪ 1 (Score = 1)

⚪ 2 (Score = 2)

⚪ 3 (Score = 3)

⚪ 4 or more (Score = 4 or higher)

6. What is the size of your home?

⚪ Small (Under 1,000 square feet) (Score = 2)

⚪ Medium (1,000 to 2,000 square feet) ((Score = 4)

⚪ Large (2,000 to 4,000 square feet) (Score = 6)

⚪ Huge (Over 4,000 square feet) (Score = 10)

7. How energy efficient is your home?

⚪ Very inefficient (poor insulation, leaky windows, few LED lights, heating/cooling used often) (Score = 10)

⚪ Inefficient (few LED lights, standard appliances 10 years or older) (Score = 9)

⚪ Average (modern appliances, AC/heat climate controls) (Score = 8)

⚪ Above Average (well insulated, thermal-insulated windows, efficient lighting and appliances) (Score = 5)

⚪ Efficiency-Centred (passive heating/cooling, advanced temperature controls and ventilation, low electricity use) (Score = 3)

8. What percentage of your home’s electricity comes from renewable resources? (hydro, solar, wind)

⚪ None (Score = 10)

⚪ 10 to 20% (Score = 8)

⚪ 21 to 40% (Score = 6)

⚪ 41 to 60% (Score = 4)

⚪ More than 60% (Score = 2)

9. Compared to your neighbours, how much trash do you throw out weekly?

⚪ Much less (Score = 2)

⚪ The same (Score = 5)

⚪ Much more (Score = 8)

10. How much driving do you do per week? (either as the driver or as a passenger)

⚪ Zero (Don’t own a car) (Score = 0)

⚪ Less than 50 kilometers (Score = 2)

⚪ 51 to 200 kilometers (Score = 4)

⚪ 201 to 400 kilometers (Score = 8)

⚪ More than 400 kilometers (Score = 10)

11. What is the fuel economy of the vehicle you use most often?

⚪ Inefficient (10 to 24 liters/100 kilometers) (Score = 10)

⚪ More efficient (6 to 10 liters/100 kilometers) (Score = 6)

⚪ Even more efficient (2 to 6 liters/100 kilometers) (Score = 4)

⚪ Efficient or electric (less than 2 liters/100 kilometers) (Score = 2)

12. When you travel by car how often do you carpool?

⚪ Never (Score = 10)

⚪ Infrequently (10 to 20% of the time) (Score = 8)

⚪ Occasionally  (21 to 50% of the time) (Score = 5)

⚪ Often (More than 50% of the time) (Score = 3)

⚪ Always (100% of the time) (Score = 1)

13. How often do you use public transportation? (bus, subway, streetcar, GO train)

⚪ Never (Score = 10)

⚪ Infrequently (10 to 20% of the time) (Score = 8)

⚪ Occasionally  (21 to 50% of the time) (Score = 6)

⚪ Often (More than 50% of the time) (Score = 4)

⚪ Always (100% of the time) (Score = 2)

14. How many hours do you fly each year? (business and leisure)

⚪ Under 6 hours (Score = 2)

⚪ 6 to 12 hours  (Score = 4)

⚪ 12 to 30 hours (Score = 6)

⚪ 30 to 100 hours (Score = 8)

⚪ More than 100 hours (Score = 10)

What is your total score? ________:

30 or less  = living a sustainable life with a low carbon footprint (less than 3 tons of CO2 emissions per person per year and living within the carrying capacity of the planet

31 and 70 = living more sustainably than average producing a personal carbon footprint between 3 and 6 tons of CO2 emissions per person per year but equal to or more than the carrying capacity of one Earth

70 or more  = contributing more than Canada’s national average per person in carbon emissions, greater than 6 tons of CO2 per year, and requiring more than 4 hectares of land to sustain each of us or the equivalent of the resource capacity of up to 3 Earths.