Carbon Footprint

Make sure you complete "Key Questions" from page 509.

Then click here ---> Carbon Footprint Activity


All the websites are on this page. You may need to copy and paste as the links don't seem to work.


Download the worksheet, type, and email to: tmegahan@dallasisd.org



Or, answer these questions on your own sheet of paper:

 

 

WebQuest: Carbon Footprint

 

Step 1: What is a Carbon Footprint?

 

1.    Using the website(s) listed in Step 1 of the instruction page, define carbon footprint:

 

 

2.    Write down three activities that produce carbon dioxide.

 

 

Step 2: The CO₂Effect

 

Using the website(s) listed in Step 2 of the instruction page, click on the Mission Briefing screen to answer the following questions:

 

3.    What is the name that scientists give to substances in our atmosphere that allow light in, but do not allow heat to escape?

 

 

4.    List 4 things that we are doing that add extra greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.

 

 

5.    What is the name of the greenhouse gas that humans release the most of?  What would the Earth’s average temperature be if humans did not add this gas unnaturally?

 

 

6.    What percentage of greenhouse gases added by humans does CO₂ make up?

 

 

7.    How long does CO₂ last in the atmosphere?

 

 

8.    Name 3 different things that people do on a daily basis that puts CO₂ in the atmosphere.

 

 

Step 3: Your Family’s Carbon Footprint

 

Copy your results from Nature.org’s Carbon Footprint Calculator into the table.  Find three other classmates and copy down their first row into the table.  Then answer the analysis questions.

 

	You	The U.S. Average		The World Average
Estimated Greenhouse Gas Emissions (tons CO2/year)
Classmate A Emissions (tons CO2/year)
Classmate B Emissions (tons CO2/year)
Classmate C Emissions (tons CO2/year)

 

 

Analysis Questions:

 

9.    How does your estimated CO₂ emissions compare to the U.S. average?  Are you below, at, or above the average?

 

 

10. How does your estimated CO₂ emissions compare to the world average?

 

 

11. Record YOUR behavior breakdown and the U.S. AVERAGE breakdown in the table below.

 

My                Behaviors	Percentage of CO2 Emissions (%)		U.S. Average                Behaviors	Percentage of CO2 Emissions (%)
Home Energy			Home Energy
Driving & Flying			Driving & Flying
Food & Diet			Food & Diet
Recycling & Waste			Recycling & Waste

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 4: What You Can Do About It

 

In the first column, write down 2-3 ways that you are producing CO₂.  In the second column, record a goal to reduce your carbon footprint in that area.  Besides writing WHAT your goal is, be sure to write WHEN you want to reach that goal.  In the third column, include 2-3 realistic steps to reach your goal.  This is HOW you intend to complete your goal.

 

 

How Are You Producing Extra CO2?	Goal to Decrease Your Carbon Footprint	2-3 Steps You Will Do to Complete The Goal
Example: I am using too much electricity.  Power plants need to use more coal to make the extra electricity I use.  Burning the coal puts CO2 into the atmosphere.	Example: I want to reduce the electricity I use this year.	Example: 1.    Unplug unused electronics. 2.    Shut down our computers each night, not just hibernate them. 3.    Turn off lights when we exit rooms.
1.
2.
3.