REAL-LIFE SKILLS 5. Read the text, then calculate roughly your carbon footprint. We all leave a mark on our planet. Think of your carbon footprint as your personal impact. In technical terms, your carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gas you produce in units of carbon dioxide. This footprint is determined by your daily lifestyle and activities, such as travelling (car, plane, train, etc.), electrical use, consumption of products and services, foods you eat, etc. Choose one value for each question, unless otherwise stated. How do you get to school? walk 0 ............... bike 0 ............... car 505 ............... bus 60 ............... 1. a. b. c. d. Do you eat mostly... fast food 2185 ............... home cooked food 285 ............... 2. a. b. Do you eat mostly... vegetables/fruits 0 ............... meat 292 ............... bread 165 ............... 3. a. b. c. Do you turn off the lights when you leave a room? yes 60 ............... no 122 ............... 4. a. b. Do you unplug appliances/chargers when not in use? yes 5 ............... no 10 ............... 5. a. b. Do you turn off the water when brushing your teeth? yes 15 ............... no 124 ............... 6. a. b. Do you turn off the TV when you’re not watching it? yes 21 ............... no 64 ............... 7. a. b. Do you turn off your video game system when you’re not using it? yes 13 ............... no 41 ............... don’t have/use one 0 ............... 8. a. b. c. Do you recycle? (for this question, select all that apply) magazines 3 ............... newspaper 18 ............... glass 3 ............... plastic 7 ............... aluminium and steel cans 39 ............... 9. a. b. c. d. e. Add together all the values and report here: ...................................................... This total is your carbon footprint in the number of kilos of carbon dioxide per year. The lower the number, the fewer greenhouse gases are emitted into the atmosphere. 6. Read the information in the table below and complete it with your own ideas and examples. Tips to reduce one’s carbon footprint Examples and personal ideas Alternatives to driving Appliances Lighting Eating locally-produced and organic food Cutting down on beef and dairy Water usage Reusing and recycling Supporting clean energy sources