Other

Instructions:
1. Research and define what the term “Carbon footprint” means.
2. Watch the Green Restaurant Association Educational video
Discuss five (5) different ways in which you can personally leave a smaller carbon footprint.
3. Your answers should be:
clear and concise
typed into a Microsoft WORD document, save the file, and then upload the file.

Link to Green Restaurant Association video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSusmL-Nvk8

Carbon Footprint Discussion

ANSWER

Carbon Footprint Discussion

A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases, including methane and carbon dioxide, that is generated and released into the atmosphere by the actions of human beings. Greenhouse gases are the primary causes of global warming. A carbon footprint is a measure that can be used broadly or applied in the measurement of the actions of a particular individual, organization, event, or nation. It is measured as the number of tons of carbon dioxide emitted or released into the atmosphere per year (Pandey et al., 2011). However, this number is usually supplemented by the number of tons of methane, nitrous oxide, and other greenhouse gases emitted every year. Factors such as the amount of fossil fuel used by a company or a vehicle, electricity usage, and the carbon footprints of related services have to be considered when calculating a nation’s, event’s, activity’s, or organization’s carbon footprint.

To minimize my carbon footprint, I can first consider how often I travel and see if I can minimize it. By minimizing the number of times that I travel, I will minimize the amount of fossil fuel that I use and the carbon emissions produced by my car. Flying less often also minimizes carbon emissions significantly (Albeck-Ripka, 2017). Second, I could eat less meat and meat products. The production of red meat and its products uses a lot of water, feed, and land while giving off methane emissions. Third, I could minimize waste at home and school to minimize the amount of waste that ends up in landfills and waste disposal facilities. I could also recycle and reuse waste products instead of tossing them away (GreenRestaurants, 2009). Fourth, I can minimize the usage of air conditioners and heaters at home to conserve energy and minimize heat production and emissions. Lastly, I can replace light bulbs and old electronics with more energy-efficient ones to cut down energy usage (GreenRestaurants, 2009). LED bulbs, for instance, use up to 80 percent less energy compared to other types of bulbs (Albeck-Ripka, 2017).

References

Albeck-Ripka, L. (2017). How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint. https://www.nytimes.com/guides/year-of-living-better/how-to-reduce-your-carbon-footprint.

GreenRestaurants. (2009, February 5). Green Restaurant Association Educational Video. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSusmL-Nvk8.

Pandey, D., Agrawal, M., & Pandey, J. S. (2011). Carbon footprint: current methods of estimation. Environmental monitoring and assessment, 178(1-4), 135-160.