Name: Olivia Singer
Date: April 2, 2015
Class:
Freshman
WebQuest: Carbon Footprint
Step 1: What is a Carbon Footprint?
www.timeforchange.org/what-is-a-carbon-footprint-definition
1. Using the website(s) listed in Step 1 of the instruction page, define carbon footprint:
The total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly
support human activities, usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon
dioxide (CO2).
2. Write down three activities that produce carbon dioxide.
 Driving a car
 Flying in a plane
 Using my computer
Step 2: The CO2Effect
www.ecokids.ca/pub/eco_info/topics/climate/co2effect/index.cfm
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?
Greenhouse gases
4. List 4 things that we are doing that add extra greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.
 Driving cars
 Making things in factories
 Using electricity
 farming
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?
CO2
Earth average temperature:15C
6. What percentage of greenhouse gases added by humans does CO2 make up?
80%
7. How long does CO2 last in the atmosphere?
100 to 400 years
8. Name 3 different things that people do on a daily basis that puts CO2 in the atmosphere.


Transportation
Electric power

Industry
Step 3: Your Family’s Carbon Footprint
http://www.nature.org/greenliving/carboncalculator/
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
Home Energy
Home Energy
Driving & Flying
Driving & Flying
Food & Diet
Food & Diet
Recycling & Waste
Recycling & Waste
Percentage of CO2
Emissions (%)
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?
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.
1.
2.
3.
Goal to Decrease Your
Carbon Footprint
Example:
I want to reduce the
electricity I use this year.
2-3 Steps You Will Do to
Complete The Goal
Example:
1. Unplug unused
electronics.
2. Shut down our computers
each night, not just
hibernate them.
3. Turn off lights when we
exit rooms.