In the thread entitled "First Post" someone (Cybele, I think) asked "So what do we do? Really, I want some help in making more positive choices for a sustainable future. Besides recycling and making better product choices to reduce packaging, buying locally grown or manufactured products, what else should I be doing? " I don't have all the answers, but I have just learned of a fun site that can get people thinking about these issues. The Government of Canada has very recently launched the "One-Tonne Challenge", an initiative that encourages Canadians to reduce their annual CO2 consumption by one tonne (i.e. one thousand kilograms or about 2, 204 pounds). The One-Tonne challenge people have developed a little calculator where people can calculate their current CO2 usage, compare themselves with the national average, and identify measures they can take to reduce their consumption. I've been having fun playing with it. It can be found at http://www.climatechange.gc.ca/onetonne/english/ Since it's a Canadian site, you will be asked what province you live in and what the first three digits of your postal code are. Margaret
Excellent site! Thanks for the link. I plugged in as much as I could. Unfortunately, it gave me very bad scores for my heating ... but I'm going to ignore that since I had to tell it I lived in Vancouver since it won't accept US addresses. We have a small gas heater in the floor of the living room ... that's it for the heating in our house. We turn it on in the evenings about 6 weeks out of the year, I think I calculated it once and it amounted to 10% of our annual gas bill. I fear that the other adjustments to reduce our CO2 emissions are going to be more painful than just switching cars ... Anyone know of something similar for the lower 48? I've listed this one before - it's for Environmental Defense's Tailpipe Tally. It still doesn't have the info for the 2004 models, but will tell you what your other car might be getting.
I tried this for my MINI Cooper, but the model isn't listed! I know my mileage thanks to the onboard computer, and I have a general idea on emissions from the new car sticker. I eliminated the VW TDI from consideration even though it gets better gas mileage because of its much higher emissions level.
I found another carbon calculator. You'll need to have your recent utility bills in order to fill it out. It doesn't take into account your car's emissions rating, just your mileage. OneWorld.net Carbon Calculator
hmm i would think that a better contest would be to reduce by one ton the amount of CO2 produced instead of consumed
