SNC 2D - CALCULATING YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT
Go to the following website to determine what you carbon footprint is on the planet: click here or visit
http://www.epa.gov/climatestudents/calc/index.html.
This website will ask you a series of questions on the following themes:
o ‘turn off the tap’
o ‘lighten your impact’
o ‘stretch those legs’
o ‘don’t trash it’
o ‘give it a rest’
Your answer choices for all the questions in these themes are: ‘YES’, ‘NO’, or ‘I ALREADY DO THIS’.
Then it will provide you with “Your summary” at the end.
To get started, click on the ‘NEXT SECTION’ button at the bottom.
This Quiz should take about 10 minutes to complete. As you progress through all the themes, you will
notice that on the top right of your screen your ‘total savings of _____pounds of carbon dioxide per year’
keeps changing, and so does ‘the equivalent to emissions from driving a car _____ miles. Watch to see
how certain actions really have a positive (or negative) influence on this value.
Quick Math Skill: Convert your final answer of pounds (lb) of carbon dioxide to kilogram (kg) by
dividing by 2.2. Convert your final answer of miles (mi) of driving a car into kilometers (km) by
multiplying by 1.6.
Once you have completed your quiz, it will provide you with a summary about you. Record your values
in this chart and make any necessary conversions to metric units.
YOUR SUMMARY:
Based on what you're already doing, you're avoiding ___________ pounds of carbon dioxide emissions
per year. Convert to kg ___________
This is equivalent to the emissions from driving a
car ________miles. Convert to km __________
If you take the additional actions that you checked
above, you will avoid another _______ pounds of
carbon dioxide emissions per year.
Convert to kg ________
This is equivalent to the emissions from driving a
car ________miles. Convert to km
___________
There are 5,922,400
students in Canada ages 519 (according to the 2014
Canadian Census data)
Now Multiply Your Results…
If all the students in the Canada took the actions you checked, together they would save a total
of _______________kg of carbon dioxide emissions per year. (to solve this: multiply your converted
answer in kg by the number of students in Canada ) 
YOUR TURN AGAIN…
Now that you have completed calculating your carbon footprint, read a summary below of the proposed
Local Action Plan by the Durham Region that is meant to curb Carbon Dioxide emissions for the
Region. Then consider the questions on the next page. Discuss your answers with a shoulder partner.
Come up with solutions together on how you can make personal changes to your daily living to have a
positive impact on your community’s emissions of CO2. Be prepared to share your responses with the
class in a discussion.
SUMMARY OF THE DURHAM REGION LOCAL ACTION PLAN ON CLIMATE CHANGE.
What is causing climate change?
The greatest contributor to human-caused climate change is carbon dioxide created by the burning of
fossil fuels: coal, oil and natural gas. Currently fossil fuels constitute about 85% of energy supply
worldwide. Other gases, such as methane, water vapour, ozone, nitrous oxide and
chlorofluorocarbons, and other sources such as forest fires, deforestation, agricultural and industrial
practices also contribute to the increase of GHGs in the atmosphere. These gases trap heat in the
atmosphere through the Greenhouse Effect.
What is the Role of the Community?
Of all the GHG emissions from Durham region, only four per cent come directly
from The Regional Municipality of Durham (Regional facilities, bus and vehicle
fleets, water and sewage treatment, traffic signals and landfill emissions). As
shown in Figure 1, the other 96% of emissions result from the community
(transportation, homes, industries, businesses and institutional buildings). In
addition to managing its own GHG emissions, The Regional Municipality of
Durham, through Council direction, is taking a leadership role in community
action for climate protection.
Where do emissions come from in Durham Region?
Most of the GHG emissions in Durham result directly from energy
consumption (e.g. natural gas, gasoline and diesel) or indirectly through
the generation of electricity. A small portion of local GHG emissions
come from methane released by landfill sites and from sewage
treatment. Other minor sources of GHGs in Durham come from
agricultural and industrial sources.
How are the emissions broken down by sector and by source in Durham Region?
The pie graph on the left shows the emission of GHGs by sector and the pie graph on the right shows
the emissions of GHGs by source.
How can emissions be reduced?
We can reduce emissions by:
• Substituting non-carbon forms of energy (renewable energy and nuclear) for fossil fuels.
• Reducing energy consumption through energy conservation and efficiency.
Possible energy strategies include:
• Stimulating the retrofit of buildings and processes to conserve energy.
• Promoting energy-efficient, new construction of buildings.
• Promoting energy-efficient modes of transportation together with energy-efficient and alternative fuel
vehicles.
• Promoting and installing renewable forms of energy generation.
• Designing our communities to reduce energy consumption and increasingly using community energy
systems.
Possible non-energy strategies include:
• Reducing emissions from solid waste through further diversion and alternative treatment of residual
waste (including energy from waste).
• Planting trees and reforming agricultural practices to sequester carbon.
• Increasing local food production and use.
YOUR TURN AGAIN….
With a shoulder partner, answer the following questions about how you can have a role in lessening the
impact on climate change in the Durham Region. When answering the questions, consider everything
you have just learned about your carbon footprint, the summary you have just read on the Durham
Region’s Local Action Plan, as well as draw on previously learned material from this course or any other
course where you have learned about climate change (e.g. Geography). Remember to be prepared to
share your answers with the class in a general discussion.
1. After having completed the Carbon Footprint calculator what are some changes that seem fairly easy
for you to make to your daily living in and out of the home that you know will have a positive impact on
reducing the amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gasses being given off? Describe your actions that
you could take?
2. What are some changes that may seem a little more difficult for you to take? Why might these be
more difficult, then say: simply remembering to turn off the lights when leaving a room?
3. Suppose you were elected as a member of Student Council and were given the ‘Environmental
Portfolio’. What can your school do as a collective effort towards achieving some of the goals outlined
in the Durham Local Action Plan How can emissions be reduced?
4. How could your school have a real positive impact on improving its overall Carbon Footprint? What
positive actions are already happening in your school? Do you think there is still room for
improvement? Describe.
5. What is it important to take actions against climate change? Think all levels:
individualcommunityprovincecountry when writing your response.
6. The term ‘mitigation’ is important when discussing climate change. It means: reducing the severity or
impact of something. Discuss how climate change can be mitigated and propose 3 things that you
could do starting today to mitigate climate change.
7. The term ‘adaptation’ is equally as important when discussing climate change. It means: modifying or
changing a strategy, behavior, idea etc...for a desired outcome. Discuss how climate change will
demand a certain level of adaption of each of us. How may you need to adapt in the future? Discuss
any examples of things that you may need to adapt to as a result of local climate change here in
Durham Region.
8. Now create a VENN DIAGRAM showing both the words mitigation and adaptation in both circles and
in the overlapping area show ‘actions taken in both these domains CAN lessen the impact on the
environment (GHG emission)’. (See last page).
9. What questions do you still have about climate change?