The carbon footprint, much talked about in conferences, classrooms, news and work. I have finally come to a decision to take the carbon footprint test to see how much damage I’m contributing towards the planet we share. The results?… a humble 2.97 tonnes of CO2 per year, which is close in to living a low-carbon lifestyle. My breakdowns were:
1. Daily Commute (1.6%): Being the least carbon percentage is not a surprise to me, personally I like to walk everywhere, on sunny days I enjoy long-boarding around campus enjoying the scenic that UBC has. Also, because I live on residence I don’t really use the car hence a low carbon emission.
2. Long Distance Travel (27.5%): Being an international student, carbon emissions from planes are inevitable however, an alternative may be going back once but for a longer period instead of flying back every holiday.
3. Food (65.3%): Most of my carbon footprint is made up from the food I consume, having to eat meat every meal it is very unlikely for me to change that habit however, there are lots to be done. Starting to buy from local farmers and organic food would help. After all, it all accumulates.
4. Shelter (5.7%): Having to rent a relatively new place behind the village has been very exciting for me, knowing that it saves a lot of energy (hence low emission) also adds to that as I am the responsible one to pay the utilities. Having energy star, double panelled windows and relatively well insulated house would definitely help my wallet next year.
Overall, I’m feeling quite good about my current footprint however, to help generations to come I will reduce it further by doing the small things such as turning off the lights, carpooling, and buying more from local farms and grocery stores GIVEN that I don’t have to give up on the MEAT!
