Essay #4: Carbon Footprint

Learning Objectives

1. Analyze which individual activities create the most GHG emissions.
2. Discuss what actions individuals can take to reduce their GHG emissions.
3. Reduce your own emissions by 50% for one day.
4. Discuss what the experience was like.
5. Analyze the costs and benefits of reducing individual GHG emissions.

Summary

Before you begin this assignment, complete Exercise 4. At the end of Exercise 4 you were asked to make pledges to reduce your carbon footprint by 50%. For this essay assignment, you will try to reduce your personal GHG emissions by 50% for one day. In your essay, describe what actions you took and what the experience was like.

Prompts

For this essay, answer the following questions and prompts.

1. Discuss what individuals can do to reduce their GHG emissions:

a. What are the major sources of individual GHG emissions?
b. What pledges did you make to reduce your emissions by 50%?

2. Describe a day in which you attempt to reduce your own emissions by 50%:

a. What specific changes did you make?
b. In what way do each of the changes you made reduce GHG emissions?
c. Did you succeed and do everything you had planned to do? Explain.
d. Was it easier or harder than you expected?

3. Discuss the costs and benefits of reducing your emissions:

a. Do you think you could continue with the changes you made in the long term?
b. If you continued with the changes, how would they both limit and/or improve your life?

4. Analyze which actions you found most useful

a. What actions had the most GHG reducing potential and why?
b. What actions were the hardest for you to do?
c. Based on your experience, which of the pledges would you encourage other people to try?

References

http://www.coolcalifornia.org/calculator

Formatting