July 1- first emissions trial!!!

OK everybody! Tomorrow begins our first carbon trial. We are going to keep track of our carbon emissions for the month of July as a prelude to tracking our emissions for the year beginning September 1. Here is what to do:

On July 1:

Measure your odometer reading on your car. You are going to count the odometer reading at the end of the month (personal use only- subtract business use). When you subtract your beginning of the month mileage from the end of the month, you will plug that number (the miles driven in the month) into the calculator. If you can not count mileage for some reason, count the number of gallons and the type of fuel you use. If someone else uses your car, decide how you will split the use- divide in half or kep a log of your miles.

Look at your electricity bill. What is your billing period? It should be a one-month period. You will be counting the kWh hour usage reported on one bill. It does not matter if your usage is exactly all of July as long as it represents one month in the summer. If your bill is for more than one month, divide by the number of months to get one month. Divide by the number of people in your house to get your personal electricity usage. At the end of the month, you will enter this number in the calculator.

Start keeping a log of where you get on and get off if you are using public transportation. You will have to find a way to calculate the length of your trips so you can plug the miles into the calculator at the end of the month.

If you use natural gas, you will need to track the CCF, MCF or therms you use in the month. If your bill is for more than one month, divide by the number of months to get one month. Divide by the number of people in your house to get your personal natural gas usage. At the end of the month, you will enter this number in the calculator.

Keep track of your flights- your starting airport, layover airports, and stopping airport. At the end of the month you can eaither estimate your trips using the calculator or go to a website that will do an exact calculation for you. You will put these numbers in the calculator.

Look at the gauge on your heating oil tank. If you’re anywhere near Maryland, I doubt you will be using heating oil this summer. The gauge will be an estimate. At the end of the month you will read the gauge againg and read another estimate on the gallons you have used.

If you are using propane, I am not sure how you can measure your use- I assume you have a gauge you can measure. Measure in gallons. Don’t forget to count your barbecue propane.

If you have any questions, contact Shannon, the site admin. Add a comment to this message if you are planning to do the trial. Get your friends signed up by tomorrow so they can do the trial too!

Shannon