S/O Climate quiz: How many planets would we need if everyone

[stephogirl]

...lived like you. 

This quiz was mentioned in the climate thread. I was intrigued, so I googled it and took it. 

I thought I was doing pretty well. My score was three earths...ouch! I need to prioritize purchasing a more fuel efficient car and reducing meat consumption. 


www.footprintcalculator.org/

[Deleted]

My score was 4.2 earths. Ouch. I have no doubt that a large portion of that is due to my commute. I have a gas guzzling SUV and commute 70 miles per day round trip in heavy traffic. We recycle as much as we can and produce significantly less trash than our neighbors. We have solar panels, but they are only for our hot water heater. When we re-do the exterior of our house in the next 5-7 years, we'll be adding solar panels to the roof in an effort to completely power our house through solar (we are all electric now, no gas or oil).

I thought I was doing pretty good, but clearly, not good enough.

[juliachild]

I thought it was interesting that it asked what material your house is, but not the age of the building. People building new houses every 10 years are going to have much more impact regardless of building material.

[mrsbro]

Driving is my downfall. While my commute hovers around 114/week there is no option for carpooling or public transit. I really need to consider a more renewal energy source for my home as well (solar panels). From this board I've been doing better with less meat consumption and locally sourced vegetables/fruit, recycling more less consumption of non necessary things but I'm still at 2 earths..

[fuckyourcouch]

I got 1.5 earths for our household.
My commute is short (and so is my husband’s). We recycle nearly everything and produce very little trash. We pay extra to have our electricity all wind sourced. I also try to buy local produce/meats/etc. ithink that’s all that got it that low.
I think we could do slightly better on food but not much. I can’t have dairy, so that’s easy to cut drastically. But I can’t gave soy either, which makes many meatless options unhealthy for me specifically. We do have a couple of meatless meals a week now, but there is room for improvement there.

[moreace01]

4.2. I commute by train and barely drive but live by myself (even though my condo is teeny tiny) and get more crap delivered via amazon than I care to admit. I eat out a lot also. I didn't know if I should count that as processed or not (figured it does. Most of my groceries are unprocessed whole foods though).

[gibbinator]

I got 1.4 earths. I work at home, rarely buy new clothes or gadgets, my county recycles basically everything, and I get a good chunk of my food at local markets. I eat a lot of meat and have a big (not terribly efficient) house though so I expected a higher result.

[smock]

1.1 earths. I WFH, only drive ~25 miles a week, live in an energy efficient townhouse, eat a vegetarian diet, recycle and compost so our trash bin is tiny, and 90% of our city's electricity comes from renewable sources. I also rarely fly.

The quiz really made me realize that a lot of the impact has to do with local infrastructure. If you live in a place that burns coal for your electricity and where most of the housing is sprawling, giant homes in the suburbs, it's going to be really hard to live a sustainable life. If you live in a place that prioritizes clean energy, it's much easier. I don't feel like we're "sacrificing" anything to live a more sustainable lifestyle than probably 98% of Americans. It actually feels easy.

[isabel]

3.6 Earths. If I end up with a different job, my commute would be significantly reduced. If that's the only factor I change, my score drops to 2.3 Earths. I have a really long commute with an SUV right now. My next car will hopefully be an electric vehicle.

There's not a lot I can do about the type of fuel we burn. We don't have renewable energy options where I am. I do minimize trash by recycling, but we had maybe a single bag a week when I lived in an area that had city-wide composting.

[downtoearth]

With all 5 (I answered for us all), it's up to 3.2 earths. And that's eating game meat mostly and having our own (and family) gardens. The driving wasn't a big problem since our commute isn't big, but the flying my husband does for work is super high and add in the 3-4 times per year that I fly for fun, it was huge. We are so far from anywhere that a flight even to the west coast is about 6 hours of flying time, and flying back east is 2-3 flights, so often 12+ hours of flying time just for one trip. Plus our garbage generation is pretty high since we can't recycle a lot of items in our area and need to work on that. The house is pretty good, but not great.

I didn't know how to answer the energy one - our power is about 90% hydroelectric here, but that's not "renewable", right?

[pixy0stix]

Oct 12, 2018 11:15:35 GMT -5 downtoearth said:

I didn't know how to answer the energy one - our power is about 90% hydroelectric here, but that's not "renewable", right?

It's technically renewable (for now), but it's not environmentally sound. If your area experiences a drought, it would switch to non-renewable, because the power source would disappear.

[downtoearth]

Oct 12, 2018 11:19:09 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Oct 12, 2018 11:15:35 GMT -5 downtoearth said:

I didn't know how to answer the energy one - our power is about 90% hydroelectric here, but that's not "renewable", right?

It's technically renewable (for now), but it's not environmentally sound. If your area experiences a drought, it would switch to non-renewable, because the power source would disappear.

I didn't count it b/c it still requires so much infrastructure >20 miles away from us. But I do see that as a borderline "renewable."

[winecat]

I got 1.9. I'm not a shopper so I rarely buy new clothing. I will mend things until they're beyond hope/my skills. I recycle and compost to limit trash. Denver has a lot of options to recycle items that aren't part of the curbside program, so we're pretty fortunate. My kitchen composts so I take my more difficult to compost items there where it'll go to a commercial facility. I compost my regular yard waste through the city's program.

I too thought it was odd that they didn't ask for the age of the home. My 1889 home might not be as energy efficient as a new build but it also hasn't required any new resources to build in 129 years! My car isn't super efficient but I don't drive a lot and I've repaired it vs buying new.

I don't eat a lot of meat but I do eat a lot of cheese and dairy.

[fuckyourcouch]

Oct 12, 2018 10:59:25 GMT -5 isabel said:

3.6 Earths. If I end up with a different job, my commute would be significantly reduced. If that's the only factor I change, my score drops to 2.3 Earths. I have a really long commute with an SUV right now. My next car will hopefully be an electric vehicle.

There's not a lot I can do about the type of fuel we burn. We don't have renewable energy options where I am. I do minimize trash by recycling, but we had maybe a single bag a week when I lived in an area that had city-wide composting.

Do you have Xcel? We use their wind source program.

[isabel]

Oct 12, 2018 11:22:36 GMT -5 fuckyourcouch said:

Oct 12, 2018 10:59:25 GMT -5 isabel said:

3.6 Earths. If I end up with a different job, my commute would be significantly reduced. If that's the only factor I change, my score drops to 2.3 Earths. I have a really long commute with an SUV right now. My next car will hopefully be an electric vehicle.

There's not a lot I can do about the type of fuel we burn. We don't have renewable energy options where I am. I do minimize trash by recycling, but we had maybe a single bag a week when I lived in an area that had city-wide composting.

Do you have Xcel? We use their wind source program.

No. Only for gas. Our electricity is a local co-op that is really bad about renewable sources.

[downtoearth]

Oct 12, 2018 11:22:36 GMT -5 fuckyourcouch said:

Oct 12, 2018 10:59:25 GMT -5 isabel said:

3.6 Earths. If I end up with a different job, my commute would be significantly reduced. If that's the only factor I change, my score drops to 2.3 Earths. I have a really long commute with an SUV right now. My next car will hopefully be an electric vehicle.

There's not a lot I can do about the type of fuel we burn. We don't have renewable energy options where I am. I do minimize trash by recycling, but we had maybe a single bag a week when I lived in an area that had city-wide composting.

Do you have Xcel? We use their wind source program.

Does it really count if you are paying more for that service, but not using it directly? I am on the fence about that, too. I think we need pixy0stix to jump in here. We use an off-set program, so we pay extra to subsidize wind energy, but that energy is actually too far away to get to us and is used in other areas by those people... so I'm paying for it, but not really using the renewable energy.

[pixy0stix]

Oct 12, 2018 11:25:11 GMT -5 downtoearth said:

Oct 12, 2018 11:22:36 GMT -5 fuckyourcouch said:

Do you have Xcel? We use their wind source program.

Does it really count if you are paying more for that service, but not using it directly? I am on the fence about that, too. I think we need pixy0stix to jump in here. We use an off-set program, so we pay extra to subsidize wind energy, but that energy is actually too far away to get to us and is used in other areas by those people... so I'm paying for it, but not really using the renewable energy.

I don't know off-hand without looking it up. It does some good, because you're subsidizing the people who can use it to use it, but there's not guarantee that you're actually using it, kwim? 

[karinothing]

I realized I have no clue where the energy my house uses comes from. I mean we have gas heating but I don't know what kind of plant powers our electricity.

[downtoearth]

Oct 12, 2018 11:51:53 GMT -5 karinothing said:

I realized I have no clue where the energy my house uses comes from. I mean we have gas heating but I don't know what kind of plant powers our electricity.

Your power company often has a breakdown in their info, but you can also zoom in on your town in this map and see if you have a coal power plant or hydroelectric plant nearby. Those typically help.

www.eia.gov/state/maps.php

[rbp]

My Prius v, which I have always thought of as fuel-efficient, is on the "inefficient" side of the slider

[downtoearth]

Oct 12, 2018 12:08:44 GMT -5 rbp said:

My Prius v, which I have always thought of as fuel-efficient, is on the "inefficient" side of the slider

Really? What's the mpg? I'm so surprised.

[fuckyourcouch]

Oct 12, 2018 11:25:11 GMT -5 downtoearth said:

Oct 12, 2018 11:22:36 GMT -5 fuckyourcouch said:

Do you have Xcel? We use their wind source program.

Does it really count if you are paying more for that service, but not using it directly? I am on the fence about that, too. I think we need pixy0stix to jump in here. We use an off-set program, so we pay extra to subsidize wind energy, but that energy is actually too far away to get to us and is used in other areas by those people... so I'm paying for it, but not really using the renewable energy.

The calculator specifically mentioned offset credits, so I’m counting it in this context. I get what you’re saying though. My other choice is to not do it, so it’s definitely the best option for us for now. We plan to do solar eventually.

[mouse]

Yeah, part of my problem with this quiz is that it's really pushing the carbon offsets. My understanding is while it's better than nothing, these offsets aren't a replacement for actual conservation efforts. If everyone continues as they are, but bought offsets, it wouldn't fix our problems of overconsumption and pollution.

But it's also really an eye-opening way to look at persona consumption, especially as it relates to local infrastructure.

[rbp]

Oct 12, 2018 12:17:05 GMT -5 downtoearth said:

Oct 12, 2018 12:08:44 GMT -5 rbp said:

My Prius v, which I have always thought of as fuel-efficient, is on the "inefficient" side of the slider

Really? What's the mpg? I'm so surprised.

40 mpg (it's the station wagon style that Toyota no longer sells in the US).

[mrs.jacinthe]

3.2 earths. I'm pretty sure it's my driving and flying time that gets me. My mom and R's parents both live on the other side of the country, plus I travel for work (and other things) semi-frequently, so my flight hours added up quick (it's 12-14 per round trip, at least.)

[elleblue]

2.6 earths

We should cut down our meat and dairy consumption to only a few times a week but unfortinately most vegetarian/meat substitutes aren't celiac friendly and soy isn't something I'm supposed to eat regularly because of being hypothyroid.

[usuallylurking]

1.4 Earths. For our household of 6. My husband and I both work from home, so zero commute. The driving we do is to take our kids to school, which is less than half a mile. When they are older, we will walk (rural roads, not awesome for walking on, plus need time away from home to be as short as possible due to work). I am rethinking this walking thing, though. Especially next year when DS3 will also be at the elementary school and not preschool. I grocery shop once a week at most, and that’s our biggest “commute” throughout the week.

However, I do think we got dinged harder than the reality of our food consumption. We eat a lot of eggs and meat, but we raise it ourselves. Rabbits are a very small “footprint”, as we graze them on our grass or other fodder. Our pigs also graze on our grass. Our chickens also graze, and provide us with over a dozen eggs a day. We have a giant garden, plus fruit trees literally in every direction you look. We can and preserve so we aren’t buying these things during the winter. We compost and/or feed scraps or “didn’t eat in time, now it’s bad” to the chickens and pigs.

I know it’s more than 1 Earth, but I’m open to making changes and it’s way better than I would have guessed.

[kballerina]

Oct 12, 2018 11:22:36 GMT -5 fuckyourcouch said:

Oct 12, 2018 10:59:25 GMT -5 isabel said:

3.6 Earths. If I end up with a different job, my commute would be significantly reduced. If that's the only factor I change, my score drops to 2.3 Earths. I have a really long commute with an SUV right now. My next car will hopefully be an electric vehicle.

There's not a lot I can do about the type of fuel we burn. We don't have renewable energy options where I am. I do minimize trash by recycling, but we had maybe a single bag a week when I lived in an area that had city-wide composting.

Do you have Xcel? We use their wind source program.

Thank you so much for mentioning Xcel’s wind program. I had no idea it existed. I just switched us over to 100% windsourced. I’m so happy! (ETA: I’m totally fine knowing I’m subsidizing for people who can use it directly - I figure any bit to help is better than nothing.)

[dreamcrisp1]

3.2. . I travel a lot by plane so I think that’s my biggest contribution.

I walk/take the tram to school with a super short commute, live in an energy efficient apartment, eat all local food, and we have minimal trash that is all recycled and thrown out very well. But planes are terrible for environment so.

[aspentosh]

1.4 earths. I drive very little and we recycle everything we can. We also don't buy a ton for ourselves or our house (really just replacing broken/outgrown things).

We have looked into solar panels and this may have pushed me over the edge to re-research it.