Energy Consumption and Conservation

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  • Lesson Activities
    • Introduction
    • Energy and Climate Change
    • Our Contribution to Climate Change
    • Your Carbon Footprint
    • Calculate Your Carbon Footpint
    • Reducing Your Carbon Footprint
    • Personal Conservation Commitment
    • Your Challenge: Create a Public Service Announcement
    • Explore Possibilities
    • Select an Approach and Develop a Design Proposal
    • Make a Prototype and Test Your Design
    • Refine Your Design and Create Your Final PSA
    • Communicate Your Results
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    • Using This Site
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  • Protect a Home
  • Weatherproof Your Home
  • Final Project
  • Glossary

Calculate Your Carbon Footprint

the word carbon in the shape of a footprint
This graphic illustrates a carbon footprint.

Now that you have learned what a carbon footprint is, see if you can calculate your carbon footprint.

Use the following website to calculate how much carbon dioxide your family releases into the atmosphere every year. Begin by selecting the number of people in your home, and then click "For My Household." Proceed by clicking on the tabs for each category: Home Energy, Driving & Flying, Food & Diet and Recycling & Waste. Once you have finished the last category, Recycling & Waste, look at the Carbon Footprint Calculator on the right of the screen, and you will see a summary of the amount of Greenhouse Gas Emissions for each category. Record this information on page 4 in your Engineering Portfolio.

> Carbon Footprint Calculator opens in new window
(from the Nature Conservancy)

Teacher Note

Instruct students to go to page 4 of their Engineering Portfolios. During class, assist students as they fill out the carbon footprint calculator. They will get a more accurate reading if they fill out the calculator for their entire family rather than as an individual. Afterwards, have students share their carbon footprints with the class.

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Essential Questions

  • How does our use of energy impact the environment?
  • What is a carbon footprint?

STEM Career
Connection

video icon Watch this video to learn about a renewable energy engineer .

> Renewable Energy Engineer opens in new window
(from PBS Kids)

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