Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Features

Are you bad for the environment?

Depending on your lifestyle, you may be producing more than your share of gas. Carbon dioxide, that is.

By SUSAN ASCHOFF
Published May 11, 2006

Can a teenager who carpools rather than drives, a woman who recycles rather than discards and a man who eats salad rather than steak change the specter of global warming?

Well, yes.

The mileage we get, the trash we pitch and the food we put on our plate all involve production and wastes. Environmentally friendly choices can eliminate thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, a major component in global warming.

Global warming occurs when extra heat is trapped near Earth’s surface by so-called greenhouse gases. Though emissions of nitrous oxides, methane and chlorofluorocarbons are down, carbon dioxide has increased more than 25 percent in 15 years.

Not my problem?

About 40 percent of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States come from burning fuels to generate electricity. Another 20 percent are attributable to vehicles owned by individuals.

Several government and environmental Web sites allow visitors to calculate how lifestyle contributes to carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Some sample calculations follow. If your total is more than 40,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year, the experts say you are living too large.

TRASH: 4,800 to 5,700 pounds of carbon dioxide
A couple produces about 1,000 pounds of trash per year and 4,800 pounds of carbon dioxide as a result. A family produces more. If you are a casual recycler, subtract 50 pounds of carbon dioxide from the total. If you’re an obsessive recycler, subtract 250.

Easy tip: Buy in bulk to eliminate packaging.

ELECTRICITY: 8,000 to 20,000 pounds of carbon dioxide
These figures factor in a mix of fuels to generate electricity, and an average monthly electric bill of $80 for a residence with two people. A typical electric bill in Florida is higher. The type of dwelling makes a difference: An apartment in a large complex produces 8,000 pounds of carbon dioxide in a year, a mobile home about 11,500, and a single-family detached house 15,000 or more.

Easy tip: Raise your air conditioner thermostat 2 degrees.

TRANSPORTATION: 13,500 pounds of carbon dioxide

The above figure is an average based on driving 15,000 miles a year in a vehicle that gets 23 miles per gallon combined city/highway mileage. If you drive less or your mileage is higher, the carbon dioxide emissions are lower. On the other hand, if you drive a truck that gets 15 miles to the gallon, you could dump more than 16,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
Easy tip: Combine errands.

FOOD: 771 pounds of carbon dioxide

If you eat beef, add the above figure for cow flatulence.Calculations for carbon dioxide resulting from food consumption vary greatly, depending on what we eat and how the food reaches our grocery store. So it’s difficult to come up with an average.

A group of Swedish researchers compared four meals, from vegetarian using local ingredients to one with meat and imported ingredients, to evaluate resources used to put the food on the plate. They found the meat/imported meal resulted in 9.5 times more carbon dioxide emitted than the vegetarian/local meal.

Easy tip: Think seasonal and simple.

Sources: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; global
warming.enviroweb.org; Wired magazine; www.greenmatters.com; Rocky Mountain Institute; www.InfinitePower.org (Texas State Energy Conservation Office); www.ecobridge.org.

[Last modified May 11, 2006, 07:02:49]