How much greenhouse gas do you produce?

Too many people use more than their fair share of the Earth's resources. If this resource is wood, it leads to the destruction of oxygen-producing forest land; if the resource is oil, the resulting loss of fertile land and release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere harms plants and animals.

Environmental footprints are a quick and easy way to gauge the impact you have on the world around you. Find out how much of the planet's resources you consume, and what you can change to be more environmentally friendly. Click 'Next' to get started.

I eat meat

At every meal
Daily
Some days
Never/Rarely

Definitions: 'At every meal' means that you eat three 3 oz portions of some kind of beef, poultry, or pork product a day, on average. 'Daily' means you eat one 3 oz portion of meat a day, on average. 'Some days' means you eat a serving of meat more often than once a week, but not daily. Finally, 'Never/Rarely' means you eat meat less than once a week.
Justification: Because meat has a higher environmental impact than other foods, the land spent supporting a student's diet is higher for meat than vegetables.
(1) A serving of meat is 3 oz.
(2) Of the meat consumed in the United States, 31.7 kg/c was pork, 49.4 kg/c was chicken, and 45.3 kg/c was beef. For simplification, consumption of other types is negligible.
(3) Each Kcal of pork releases 9.03g CO2 into the atmosphere. Each Kcal of chicken releases 1.67g CO2. Each Kcal of beef releases 13.82g CO2.
(4) There are 55 Kcal in each ounce of lean meat. For simplification, assume that is the only kind of meat produced.
So, extrapolating from (2), of the meat consumed in the United States, 31.7/(31.7+49.4+45.3)=25.1% was pork, 49.4/(31.7+49.4+45.3)=39.1% was chicken, and 45.3/(31.7+49.4+45.3)=35.8% was beef.
From this, a generic 'meat' can be inferred that costs (25.1*9.03)+(39.1*1.67)+(35.8*13.82)=7.87 g/KCal
Next, serving of meat has 3oz*55Kcal/oz*7.87g/Kcal=1.30kg CO2
The first response implies 1.30*3*365*2.20=3124 lbs/year. The second response implies 1.30*1*365*2.20=1045 lbs/year. The third response implies 1.30*52*2.20=149 lbs/year. The fourth response implies 0 lbs/year.

I eat out-of-season produce

At every meal
Daily
Some days
Never/Rarely

Definitions: 'At every meal' means that you eat three servings of out-of-season produce, on average. 'Daily' means you eat one serving of out-of-season produce a day, on average. 'Some days' means you eat a serving more often than once a week, but not daily. Finally, 'Never/Rarely' means you eat out-of-season less than once a week.
Justification: This also relates to the energy required to grow food. Out-of-season food needs to be either shipped or grown in a greenhouse. Shipping food requires oil to transport and electricity and chemicals to keep it fresh, while forcing food requires fertilizers, heaters, and space. (1) Ecuador produces bananas; Jacksonville, FL produces oranges; and Yuma, AZ produces lettuce. Assume these are representative samples of nonlocal food.
(2) Ecuador is 3000mi from Worcester. Jacksonville is 1100mi from Worcester. Yuma is 2800mi from Worcester.
(3) Diesel fuel releases 22.2lbs/gallon of CO2
(4) Diesel trucks get 5.7 mpg, on average
(5) The maximum hauling capacity of a semi-trailer truck is 164 tons. Assume a reasonable working estimate is 100 tons of cargo
(6) A serving of fruit is about 1/4lb So, hauling a ton of fruit releases 22.2/5.7/100=0.0389lbs CO2 per mile.
Hauling a ton of bananas releases 117lbs CO2, hauling a ton of oranges releases 42.8lbs CO2, and hauling a ton of lettuce releases 109lbs CO2.
If consumption is spread evenly, each pound of produce releases (117+42.8+109)/3/2000=0.0448lbs CO2
The first response implies 3/4*365*0.0448=12.26 lbs CO2 per year. The second response implies 1/4*365*0.0448=4.088 lbs CO2 per year. The third response implies 1/4*52*0.0448=0.582lbs CO2 per year. The last response implies 0lbs CO2/year.

I live in

East Hall
Morgan Hall
Daniels Hall
Institute Hall
Ellsworth-Fuller Apartments
Stoddard Complex
Founder's Hall
Sanford-Riley Hall
Off-campus

Justification: Each of the different residence halls uses different amounts of resources to stay heated. Some are better insulated, and some have finer control over the heating system.
1. East Hall used 78914 Kwh to power 192 residents for 4 months, for an average annual electricity use of 1233 Kwh.
No data is available for Morgan or Daniels Hall, but they are expected to be similar to Founders based on similar layout, age, and occupancy.
Institute Hall used 57120 Kwh to power 66 residents for 4 months, for an average annual electricity use of 2596 Kwh.
No data is available for Ellsworth-Fuller Apartments, but it is expected to be similar to Stoddard Complex based on similar layout, age, and occupancy.
Stoddard Complex used 200400 Kwh to power 154 residents for 4 months, for an average annual electricity use of 3904 Kwh.
Founders Hall used 421760 Kwh to power 232 residents for 4 months, for an average annual electricity use of 5454 Kwh.
No data is availabe for Sanford-Riley Hall, but it is expected to be similar to Founders based on similar layout, age, and occupancy.
2. There are three energy suppliers for this area: Dominion Retail, Easy Energy, and MXENERGY.
3. Dominion Retail sells from 15.5% coal, 34.7% natural gas, 7.5% oil, 28.6% nuclear, and 13.7% from other sources.
4. Easy Energy sells from 12% coal, 8% hydroelectric, 27% natural gas, 16% oil, 32% nuclear, and 5% from other sources.
5. Coal releases 207.91 lbs CO2 per mmBtu. Natural gas releases 116.39 lbs CO2 per mmBtu. Oil releases 159.66 lbs CO2 per mmBtu.
No disclosure label was available from MXENERGY, so assume that the two that had labels are representative. Also assume the two companies have equivalent market share. Finally, assume hydroelectric and nuclear power are carbon-neutral.
The energy is, on average, 13.8% coal, 4% hydroelectric, 30.8% natural gas, 11.7% oil, 30.3% nuclear, and 9.4% other.
So, there are 83.2 lbs CO2 released per mmBtu.
There are 3412 Btu per Kwh, and 10^6 Btu per mmBtu. So, there are 0.284 lbs CO2 released from a Kwh of electricity.
East implies 350 lbs CO2, Morgan, Daniels, Founders, and Sanford-Riley imply 1550 lbs CO2, Institute implies 737 lbs CO2, and Ellsworth-Fuller and Stoddard imply 1110 lbs CO2.

The place I live is

Hot
Warm
Cool
Cold

Definitions: 'Hot' refers to room temperature above 70 degrees, 'Warm' refers to room temperature between 65 and 70 degrees, 'Cool' refers to room temperature between 60 and 65 degrees, and 'Cold' refers to room temperature below 60 degrees. Justification: Local buildings are heated with fossil fuel. Because fossil fuels are created so slowly, it has a high environmental footprint associated with it.
1. WPI is heated with natural gas.
2. Natural gas releases 116.39 lbs CO2 per mmBtu.
3. East Hall uses 69150 therms
Assume East Hall is representative of the dorms. There are 10^5 Btu per therm, so heating a building results in 805000 lbs CO2 per year for the building.
For each of the 192 residents, that means 4192 lbs CO2 per year.

Answer one of the following:

I use gallons of gas per week
I fill my tank every days
I get mpg and drive miles per week
I use an alternative fuel
I don't have a car

Justification: Cars run on gasoline, a high-carbon fuel.
1. Each gallon of gasoline releases 19.37 lbs CO2. Assume that alternative fuels and those without cars create no greenhouse gases in this category. For the first part, the number of gallons can be multiplied by 52*19.37=1007 to get the number of pounds CO2. For the second part, assuming a 12-gallon tank, 19.37*12*365=84840 should be divided by the number of days to get the amount of CO2. For the third part, the distance should be divided by the mpg, then multiplied by 19.37*52=1007.

How many flights do you take each year?

short flights
medium flights
long flights

Definitions: Flights are round-trip. A long flight is equivalent to a New York-Tokyo flight. A medium flight is equivalent to a New York-Los Angeles flight. A short flight is equivalent to a Boston-Washington flight.
Justification: Flights take far more energy to take off and land than to fly, so they follow a different model than cars.
1. A long flight releases 15714 lbs CO2.
2. A medium flight releases 5546 lbs CO2.
3. A short flight releases 1327 lbs CO2.
Assume the flight was made on an 80% capacity Boeing 747.
The amount of CO2 released is the sum of the number of each kind of flight times the amount of CO2 released.

Based on your responses, you used total tons of CO2 this year.

	from meat
	from produce
	from electricity
	from heating
	from gas for your car
	from gas for plane flights

You have the greenhouse gas emissions of average Americans.

To put this in perspective, you would need acres of forest to be sustainable.

If everyone lived the same way you do, there would have to be Earths.

What you can do about it

You wrote that you eat meat at least once a day. You can reduce your environmental impact by reducing your meat consumption or even going vegetarian. If you would like to try this, vegetarian recipes can be found at VegCooking.com
You wrote that you often eat out-of-season produce. Shopping at local farmer's markets would help the environment by reducing the distance each calorie of food needs to travel. This website can help. Also, if your living space allows it, herbs and citruses can be grown indoors. Check with a local plant nursery for more information on this topic.
Consider living in East Hall next year. Institute Hall is also a very environmentally sound place to live.
The hotter you keep your home, the more resources are consumed to support it. If you can, turn down the heat while you are away or while you are asleep. Wear warmer clothes indoors if you feel cold, or invest in an electric blanket. (Why heat the entire place if you can keep just yourself warm?)
You wrote that you use a significant amount of gas. Try to carpool as often as possible. There is a Facebook application to help you coordinate carpooling
If you are in the market for a new car, consider investing in a small, energy-efficient car, a hybrid, or a fully alternatively fueled vehicle. Bear in mind that some fuels are not available here.