Weekly Blog 12/3/17 - Carbon Footprint

Summary

Air pollution is caused mostly by the transportation of goods. Almost all of the items we own are manufactured in other countries. To get from retailers to us products have to shipped around the world creating an insane amount of pollution. Out of trains, trucks, boats, and cars, airplanes release the most grams of CO2 per kilogram per mile. In order to keep our planet fresh and prevent things like global warming, we need to be aware of how much pollution products create and act of that knowledge. Buying your favourite products locally can make a huge difference over time. You can start by visiting local farmers markets to purchase your everyday groceries. In addition to reducing the amount of CO2 produced in the air, you will also be treating yourself to fresh and higher quality ingredients.

SP2 Developing and Using Models

I developed models when I created a map of my charity fair products journey with google maps. My map kept track of all the CO2 released into the air to make my product by showing how each component was shipped from its manufacturer, to retailer, to me. I used this model to see approximately how many total grams of CO2 per kilogram per mile was emitted into the air during the creation of my product. By knowing this information, I was able to see just how much air pollution one jar of milk tea could release. My model explained to and showed me that when creating future products and buying items, I need to keep in mind how much air pollution is being created. 

XCC: Scale Proportion and Quantity

 When calculating the quantity of grams of CO2 per kilogram per mile the total amount of CO2 emitted depends on the amount of miles traveled and the type of vehicle. For airplanes, 1 mile of travel would be equivalent to 0.17 grams of CO2, 2 miles would be 0.34, and 5 miles would be 0.85. The relationship between miles and CO2 is a scale proportion. In order to calculate the quantity of CO2, you have to first determine what kind of vehicle the items was shipped by. If it was in the same country, it was shipped by a truck, if it was in the same continent, train. If it was in a different continent, airplane or boat. After that, multiply the amount of miles traveled by the amount of grams of CO2 produced per mile.