About Carbon
Carbon in the Atmosphere and Global Warming
Carbon at the Everyday Level
Carbon Emissions Around the World
About Carbon Offsets
Renewable Energy Credits (RECs)
How RECs work
Tree Reforestation
Methane Harvesting and Industrial Efficiency Measures
About MakeMeSustainable Affiliates
Energy Federation Incorporated ("EFI")
NativeEnergy
About Actions and Lifestyle Choices to Reduce your Environmental Impact
Lighting Choices
Household Actions
Transportation and Travel Choices
Business and Office Choices
Lawn and Garden
Consumer Choices
Water Conservation
About Energy Use
Energy Consumption
Energy Diagram
Anout the Manager
Carbon Calculations
Money Calculations
Helpful Links
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Carbon in the Atmosphere and Global Warming
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a chemical compound naturally present in the earth's atmosphere in small amounts. CO2 acts as an insulator for the earth's atmosphere allowing the planet to retain heat from the sun in a process known as the Greenhouse Effect. Over the last century the amount of carbon being released into the atmosphere by human activity has risen drastically. Global Warming is caused by the presence of these artificially high levels of greenhouse gases, particularly CO2. The Intercontinental Panel on Climate Change announced in February 2007 that unequivocal evidence exists that human activity is the primary driver of global warming.
Carbon at the Everyday Level
The average passenger car emits one pound of carbon for every mile driven. That is roughly equivalent to dumping a large handful of charcoal out the window every mile. Carbon emissions are the byproduct of our activity. Every gallon of gasoline you use, every kilowatt of electricity flowing to your lights, each degree turned up or down on your thermostat, and every can you recycle is associated with a quantity of CO2.
When we burn fossil fuels such as coal, oil, or natural gas at power plants and boilers to provide electricity and heating for our homes, we release carbon. The combustion of gasoline to power our cars and the vehicles, cargo ships and airplanes to transport the goods we consume everyday, releases carbon. The average American's carbon emission is 20 tons according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). In order to offset 20 tons of carbon, 1,263 American motorists would have to stop driving for one day.
Carbon Emissions Around the World
The United States represents only a fraction of the world's population, yet Americans use one out of every four barrels of oil consumed globally. According to the EIA, the average British, French and Kenyan citizens respectively emit 9.62, 6.71 and 0.26 tons of carbon annually compared to the average American's 20 tons. Change needs to happen at both the individual and the national levels if we are to avoid the drastic effects of global warming.
Renewable Energy Credits (RECs)
The nature of the electricity grid does not allow consumers to discriminate between electrons. Once introduced to the grid whether from a wind turbine or a coal power plant the electrons become indistinguishable. As a result, the U.S. has constructed a system that grants Renewable Energy Credits ("RECs") to renewable resources, such as wind, solar, etc. for every unit of energy they produce. This allows a wind turbine to sell its energy to the electricity grid for the set price (the same price given to a cheaper producing coal plant) and then sell its RECs to cover the extra costs associated with producing renewable energy. Therefore, by purchasing RECs you are ensuring that wind turbines, hydro plants and other renewable facilities get built when they otherwise would not, a principle referred to as "Additionality".
RECs can be thought of as representing the environmental attributes of clean energy sources. When a wind farm is working, we are getting measurable environmental and health benefits in terms of the air pollutants and global warming gases that are not going into our air. These benefits are represented on the market by RECs. The sale of RECs is the primary method for financing clean energy projects and development. When you buy green RECs, you are helping to directly reduce global warming and air pollution. The more RECs that homes and businesses purchase, the more clean energy sources that come on line, and the less polluting sources our society uses.
How RECs work
Imagine a glass full of water which represents the total amount of energy supplied in the U.S. Everyone in the U.S. connected to the energy grid drinks from this glass of water. As people drink more water from the glass, more water needs to be added to the glass. This is the basic principle of supply and demand. Your energy supply must meet your energy demand for everything to run smoothly. A REC ensures that a portion of the energy added to the glass is from renewable sources. The more renewable energy added to the grid, the less traditional, carbon-intensive energy from coal, gas and oil is needed. The less fossil fuel generated energy is produced for the energy grid, the more carbon is offset by avoiding those emissions.
Tree Reforestation
Trees are an essential part of the greenhouse cycle. Humans breathe in oxygen and emit carbon dioxide the same way burning fossil fuels uses oxygen and produces carbon dioxide (amongst other chemicals). Trees, however, absorb carbon from their surrounding environment. Forests in the tropics sequester a significant amount of carbon and reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere, while simultaneously evaporating water, increasing cloud coverage and decreasing temperature.
One interesting catch exists with forestry projects. Only forests planted in the tropical regions of the world are effective at reducing global warming. A study by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Carnegie Institution Department of Global Ecology found that forests in the mid and high latitudes can actually increase temperatures, because forests are dark and absorb sunlight and heat, a phenomenon known as Albedo. Though forests sequester carbon and evaporate water, both of which cool the atmospheric temperature, high latitude forests absorb too much heat, offseting the positive effects of carbon absorption and water evaporation, and instead increase temperature.
Methane Harvesting and Industrial Efficiency Measures
Livestock farms emit large quantities of methane gas, a potent greenhouse gas responsible for global warming. Biomass methane harvesting projects trap the methane and use it to power generators which feed electricity onto the grid. Using the biomass process ensures that no new carbon is produced, methane in the air is reduced, and as long as there is cow manure, there can be electricity!
Industrial efficiency measures, such as replacing outdated machinery or introducing less energy intensive heating and cooling systems, reduce the quantity of energy a factory requires to produce the same amount of goods.
Energy Federation Incorporated ("EFI")
EFI was incorporated on 25 May 1982 by six non-profit energy organizations with the purpose of helping member groups purchase quality conservation products economically and assisting the public in using energy resources efficiently.
EFI believes it is essential to encourage environmentally benign and sustainable use of our planet's limited energy and water resources. EFI strives to assist people in their efforts to use energy and water efficiently by distributing resource conserving products and the providing objective, accurate information.
NativeEnergy
NativeEnergy is a privately held Native American energy company. In August 2005, the Inter-tribal Council On Utility Policy (COUP) acquired a majority ownership interest in NativeEnergy on behalf of its member tribes, marking another significant step in the Great Plains tribes' historic effort to power America with native wind.
NativeEnergy helps build Native American, farmer-owned, community-based renewable energy projects that create social, economic, and environmental benefits. Native Americans and farmers have a long tradition of environmental responsibility. They are seeking a way to build their economies and their communities. This is another reason we developed our novel approach to renewable energy; we want our business - our work - and our customers' purchases, to make a difference.
Lighting Choices
Household Actions
Transportation and Travel Choices
Business and Office Choices
Lawn and Garden
Consumer Choices
Water Conservation
MakeMeSustainable does not currently offer a water conservation management system. However, water conservation is an extremely important part of a sustainable lifestyle. Water is a valuable and increasingly scarce resource which should be used in an intelligent manner. Below are a few tips to easy water conservation.
Energy Consumption
For every 10,000 kWh of electricity consumed (roughly the annual usage for the average american household), a power plant has to burn 11,000 pounds of coal. In order to generate this amount of energy from wood, the power plant would have to burn the equivalent of eight acres of forest. To produce this energy from a mechanical source, such as a stationary bike, it would be the equivalent of an Olympic cyclist pedaling for three straight years.
The End Result: We are careless about how we consume energy, because we rarely see where it comes from or what harm the it does to the environment. The good news is, the same forces that have churned out cheap, dirty energy are governed by prices and consumer preferences. As energy prices have risen and environmental consciousness grown, the market has changed gears to produce energy efficient products and renewable energy technologies that are smarter and cheaper. Being intelligent about energy is not only environmentally responsible, but financially savvy. For more information on Resource Productivity and Natural Capitalism visit The Rocky Mountain Institute Website
Energy Diagram
Carbon Calculations
Electricity
Carbon emissions from electricity vary according to your location due to the carbon intensity of the fuel used to generate power. For instance, a Wyoming resident will emit roughly twice as much carbon per kWh consumed than someone in Massachusetts. This is because Wyoming generates most of its energy from coal, while Massachusetts gets most of its energy from natural gas, a cleaner fuel. MMS uses the emissions factor from your state provided by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) to more accurately estimate the electricity component of your carbon footprint.
Heating
Carbon emissions vary by the fuel used to heat your home. MMS uses the carbon coefficients provided by both the EPA and EIA for Natural Gas, Heating Oil and Propane to calculate the heating component of your carbon footprint. To see more about fuel emissions factors visit the Energy Information Administration.
Transportation
We use the new EPA fuel economy ratings for each automobile in our database to estimate the gallons of gasoline used per year for each user. We then apply a carbon emissions factor from the mobile source emissions data in the GHG Protocol Initiative to estimate the transportation component of your carbon footprint. To see more about the GHG Protocol Initiative visit the World Resource Institute.
Travel
We use passenger-miles carbon emissions factors from the mobile source emissions data in the GHG Protocol Initiative to calculate the travel component of your carbon footprint. To see more about the GHG Protocol Initiative visit the World Resource Institute.
Money Calculations
MMS uses data from the Energy Information Administration and AAA for state electricity, heating fuels and gasoline prices and the National Climatic Data Center for local weather data to provide geographically specific energy consumption and cost estimations. Our database is updated regularly to provide users with the most accurate calculations possible.
Helpful Links
EPA Recycling Program: Valuable resources and tips on recycling from the Environmental Protection Agency.
The Global Youth Climate Movement: The site, started by Energy Action, is a collection voices from student and youth leaders of the global movement to stop global warming. Energy Action is currently working heavily on the Campus Climate Challenge, a program designed to empower colleges and universities to reduce their carbon emissions.
Clinton Climate Initiative: The initiative is a Clinton Foundation project dedicated to making a difference in the fight against climate change in practical and measurable ways.
WorldChanging: This site provides links and analysis of tools, models and ideas designed to guarantee a better future.
An Inconvenient Truth: The revealing documentary film's home page, which provides information about the film, its message, educational tools and more.
Treehugger: This is a very elaborate online magazine and blog with news and analysis regarding everything that has a modern aesthetic yet is environmentally responsible. Treehugger aims to mainstream sustainability.
Phantom Energy Loads Chart: This site provides a list of household products that draw electricity by simply being plugged into an outlet.
Opt-Out of Credit Card Solicitations: Besides being a nuisance, credit card solicitations are responsible for significant carbon emissions through paper production and printing. Opt-out to reduce the quantity of these credit card mailings. It's free!
Get off Unsolicited Direct Mailing Catalogs: This service costs $1 and removes subscribers from unsolicited catalogs permanently. Stop the paper waste!
Paper Calculator: The Environmental Defense Fund's paper task force started this website to inform people on their paper decisions and understand the financial and environmental costs of various paper choices. A great resource for businesses and individuals alike.
Local Cooling: This service provides a free, downloadable tool that enhances the power management on PC's. In addition, users can hook into the global Local Cooling network.
Wiki for How to Reduce Greenhouse Gasses: This site provides a very extensive tip sheet on how to reduce your and your community's greenhouse gas emissions in your everyday living and consumption decisions.
Sustainable Style: The Sustainable Style Foundation (SSF) is an international, member-supported nonprofit organization created to provide information, resources and innovative programs that promote sustainable living and sustainable design.
Dept. of Energy Insulation Tool: This is a zip-code based tool that gives you information on what type of insulation is ideal for your area. Insulation is good for both heating and cooling, look here to find out what's good for you.
The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation: The actor's foundation homepage dedicated to environmental activism and change.