This CO2 calculator has been custom designed to accompany the Low Carb Diet program that is currently being piloted in Portland, OR.

In order to fill it out accurately you will need to have the following information:

  1. Your last few payment statements from your electricity, natural gas and/or heating oil providers.
  2. The average weekly or annual miles driven in each of your household’s cars.
  3. The mpg of all your household’s cars. If you need help calculating this, see page 22 of the Low Carb Diet workbook.

If you are interested in getting a similar program started in your community please contact the program coordinator at llyn@globalactionplan.org.

For a calculator appropriate for communities other than Portland you can use the EPA calculator at www.epa.gov/globalwarming/tools/ghg_calc to determine your CO2 footprint.

Calculate Your Household's Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Emissions

If you are currently on a Cool Portland - Low Carb Diet team, please fill out the Calculator below, print out a copy, and bring it to your Team Building meeting. Note: If you close down your computer before printing your answers, you will lose all your data and have to begin again. It is best to set your printer to print only in black ink (or you may use a lot of colored ink).
       
1. Tell us about your household Enter your data  
How many people live in your home?  
 
2. Please answer the questions below. If any questions do not pertain to your household, simply leave them blank. Enter your data CO2 emissions per year
How many gallons of garbage do you put out each week?
On average, how much do you pay for electricity each month?
On average, how much do you spend on natural gas each month?
On average, how many gallons of fuel oil do you use per year?
On average, how many miles do you put on your primary car?
300 miles/week or 15,000 miles/year is about average in the United States
Per Week Per Year		  
If you have a second car, enter the number of miles you drive
Per Week Per Year		  
If you have a third car, enter the number of miles you drive
Per Week Per Year		  
What is the average gas mileage for your primary car?
If you're unsure, assume your car gets 22 miles per gallon, which is about average.
What is the average gas mileage for your second car?
What is the average gas mileage for your third car?
Estimate the average number of miles that your household travels by air each year
Your Total Emissions
 
Typical CO2 output per household per year United States
Portland, Oregon
Germany
Sweden
Mexico
Kenya
54,600
45,000
27,700
14,600
10,600
400
 
Based on your current lifestyle practices you are at level out of 10 levels (10 is the best).
My goal is to reduce my annual CO2 emissions by pounds.
If I reach my goal, I will be at level .



What You Can Do to Reduce Your Emissions

The estimate of your annual CO2 emissions (above) is based on all of your current habits in the areas of waste, energy and transportation. As you fill in the Action Log below, only choose Actions that you are taking for the first time. In other words, don't include Actions that you are already receiving credit for above. This will give you an accurate result in your adjusted CO2 output at the end of this Calculator.
       
Suggested action:
Reducing Solid Waste		 Pounds of CO2 you could avoid Will you take this action?
Dumping on Garbage
Recycling and Reducing Solid Waste		    
Set up a system to make sure all your recyclables go into the yellow bins
For more information, check out the Metro Recycling Information page.		 pounds/yr % of your total Yes No
If you reduce your garbage can size by more than one level, check all that apply (starting with the level of service you currently receive).  
Switch from weekly 90-gallon service to weekly 60-gallon service pounds/yr % of your total Yes No
Switch from weekly 60-gallon service to weekly 32- or 35-gallon service pounds/yr % of your total Yes No
Switch from weekly 32- or 35-gallon service to weekly 20-gallon service pounds/yr % of your total Yes No
Switch from weekly 20-gallon service to monthly 32-gallon service pounds/yr % of your total Yes No
 
Suggested action:
Home energy		 Pounds of CO2 you could avoid Will you take this action?
Am I Clean Yet?
Reducing Hot Water Used in Showers		    
Install low-flow shower head(s) pounds/yr % of your total Yes No
Reduce shower times to 5 minutes for household member(s) pounds/yr % of your total Yes No
Scrub-a-Dub Tub
Reducing Water Used for Dish Washing		    
Reduce your electric dishwasher use by load(s) per week. pounds/yr % of your total Yes No
Adopt sustainable hand-dishwashing habits pounds/yr % of your total Yes No
Buy an ENERGY STAR® dishwasher pounds/yr % of your total Yes No
Wear it Again, Sam
Washing and Drying Clothes Efficiently		    
Reduce the number of warm or hot-water wash load(s) by load(s) per week pounds/yr % of your total Yes No
Reduce the number of times you run your dryer by load(s) per week. pounds/yr % of your total Yes No
Buy an ENERGY STAR front-loading clothes washer pounds/yr % of your total Yes No
Meet Your Water Heater
Making Your Water Heater Efficient		    
Set your water heater at 120 degrees F (between "low" and "medium") pounds/yr % of your total Yes No
Install an insulating blanket around your heater pounds/yr % of your total Yes No
Install a solar water heater pounds/yr % of your total Yes No
Better A Sweater
Turning Down the Heating Thermostat		    
Set thermostat to 65-68 when people are home and active; set it to 55-58 at night and when no one is home pounds/yr % of your total Yes No
Light of Your Life
Installing Energy-Efficient Lights		    
Replace five regular incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs pounds/yr % of your total Yes No
Replace additional frequently used incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents pounds/yr % of your total Yes No
Chill Out
Sealing Air Leaks		    
Thoroughly seal air leaks in your home pounds/yr % of your total Yes No
Furnace Fling
Tuning Up Your Furnace		    
Tune up your furnace annually pounds/yr % of your total Yes No
Seal and insulate your warm-air heating ducts pounds/yr % of your total Yes No
Replace an old furnace with a new energy-efficient model pounds/yr % of your total Yes No
A Sustainable Energy Household
Achieving Maximum Energy Efficiency		    
Insulate your walls and attic pounds/yr % of your total Yes No
Install storm windows or high-efficiency windows throughout your house pounds/yr % of your total Yes No
Replace old refrigerator with a new ENERGY STAR model pounds/yr % of your total Yes No
Green Power: Switching to Renewable Energy
Purchasing Green Power from Electric Utility		    
Purchase block(s) of green power from your electricity provider pounds/yr % of your total Yes No
 
Suggested action:
Transportation		 Pounds of CO you could avoid Will you take this action?
Think Before You Go
Reducing Vehicle Miles Traveled		    
Avoid driving your primary car miles per week pounds/yr % of your total Yes No
Avoid driving your second car miles per week pounds/yr % of your total Yes No
Avoid driving your third car miles per week pounds/yr % of your total Yes No
Is Your Car Physically Fit?
Maintaining an Efficient Car		    
Tune up your car and maintain tire pressure for household vehicle(s) pounds/yr % of your total Yes No
Drive Earth Smart
Fuel-Efficient Driving		    
Implement fuel-efficient driving practices for household member(s)
(Description of fuel-efficient driving is in your Low Carb Diet workbook)		 pounds/yr % of your total Yes No
Befriend an Earth-Smart Auto
Buy a Fuel-Efficient Car		    
Buy a primary vehicle that gets more miles/gallon than your current one pounds/yr % of your total Yes No
 
Based on the Actions you selected, you will reduce your emissions by pounds/yr % of your total  
Your new total annual CO2 emissions will be pounds/yr    
 
 
Suggested Action:
Carbon Neutral		 Here's how you can neutralize your remaining household CO2 emissions! Will you take this action?
Total amount of CO2 offsets needed to be carbon neutral: pounds/yr  
Number of trees you will plant to offset some or all of your remaining emissions (trees have a CO2 reduction value of 25 pounds per tree).

 check here to see how many trees you'd need to plant to offset all your remaining emissions   trees/yr Yes No
OR    
Dollar amount of CO2 offsets you will purchase from Better World Travel (in Portland) at $11 per 1,700 pounds, to offset some or all of your remaining emissions.(Minimum purchase - $11 - approximately 65 cents per 100 pounds) check here to see how much you'd have to pay to offset all your remaining emissions $ Yes No
Better World Travel is an innovative, full-service travel agency that provides a means for people to voluntarily offset their CO2 emissions by investing in credible carbon offset projects. Their current projects are located in Portland, Oregon.

This contribution is tax deductible and goes toward replacing old, inefficient boilers in Portland Public Schools.		  
OR    
Dollar amount of CO2 offsets you will purchase from The Climate Trust at $10 per 2,000 pounds, to offset some or all of your remaining emissions.(Minimum purchase - $10 - approximately 50 cents per 100 pounds) check here to see how much you'd have to pay to offset all your remaining emissions $ Yes No
The Climate Trust is a non-profit agency that is investing more than $6 million in high-quality offsets on behalf of the State of Oregon, private firms, and other public agencies and utilities.

Your contributions are tax-deductible and will buy offsets from the Trust's portfolio of projects in the renewable energy, energy efficiency, forestry, conservation and reforestation, and transportation sectors. The offsets recorded with your contribution will be permanently retired by the Trust.		  
 
 
Based on the Carbon Neutral Actions you selected above, you will have reduced or neutralized your CO2 emissions by: pounds  
Thank you for going on a
"Low Carb Diet."		  

If you complete the Actions you have committed to doing, and/or made your CO2 offset contribution, you will be at level out of 10 levels (10 is the best).

When you have reviewed the Actions and decided which ones you will implement in your life, please print out the Calculator and Action Log and use it as a tool to guide you as you undertake the Low Carb Diet.

We recommend printing this Calculator in black ink only. Otherwise the colored background of this Calculator may cause your printer to use a lot of colored ink.

At the end of the of the program, fill in the Calculator again with the actual Actions you took. Print it out a second time and bring it to your final meeting so the data can be collected by your Coach.

The Low Carb Diet Calculator is a collaboration between Global Action Plan and the Portland, Oregon Office of Sustainable Development, with financial and technical support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Data for the calculator was provided by the City of Portland and EPA.

www.globalactionplan.org

www.sustainableportland.org

www.epa.gov/globalwarming