Your carbon footprint is a representation of the effect you, your family or school, 

have on the climate in terms of the total amount of greenhouse gases you produce 

(measured in units of carbon dioxide). Many of your actions generate carbon 

emissions, which contribute to accelerating global warming and climate change. By 

measuring your carbon footprint through such tools as the The Global Warming 

Wheel Card from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, you can get a better 

sense of what your individual impact is and which parts of your lifestyle deserve 

the greatest attention. Armed with such information you can more readily take 

effective action to shrink your carbon footprint, thereby minimizing your personal 

impact on the climate. 

 

For example, when you drive a car, each gallon of gasoline you burn produces carbon 

in the form of carbon dioxide. Depending on the fuel efficiency of your vehicle and 

the miles traveled, a gasoline-powered car can easily generate its own weight in 

carbon dioxide each year. The average American is responsible for about 20 tons 

of carbon dioxide emissions each year, a far greater per capita number than that 

of any other industrialized country. In fact, the US, with less than 5% of the 

world's population, accounts for more than 20% of the world's total greenhouse 

gas emissions. You can reduce your carbon footprint by driving a more efficient 

car, or driving less. You can also plant trees or help preserve forests to offset 

your emissions, since trees are a sink for carbon. 

The carbon footprint calculator estimates CO2 emissions for energy use and 

transportation, and for organizations paper use, because these types of activities 
are responsible for a significant percentage of U.S. emissions, and are measurable 

based on readily available information. Your total carbon footprint would account 

for the energy used to produce all the products and services you consume, as well 

as all your other activities, and would be substantially larger. Home energy use and 

transportation represent approximately 40% of all U.S. emissions, so for an 

average person the emissions from these two activities would have to be multiplied 

by 2.5 to determine the person's total carbon footprint. 

Ecological Footprint 

There are many other ways to visualize our individual and overall human impact on 

the environment. Some environmental and government groups feature a broader 

concept than the carbon footprint -- the ecological footprint, which is an estimate 

of how much land and water is needed to produce all the resources an individual 

consumes, and dispose of all the waste and pollution he or she generates. Because 

of increasing population and levels of consumption and pollution, human beings are 

leaving bigger and bigger ecological footprints - at a rate that is increasingly 

harmful to the planet. 

For example, Redefining Progress estimates that the typical American uses 25 

acres to support his or her lifestyle, almost five times more than is sustainable. 

This non-profit group provides tools to calculate your own ecological footprint, and 

links to many other such calculators. More information on ecological footprints is 

provided by Sustainable USA and the British group, Best Foot Forward. 

SafeClimate typically quotes greenhouse gas units in terms of carbon dioxide (1lb 

carbon dioxide = 0.2729 lbs of carbon), as well as converting other greenhouse 

gases into units of carbon dioxide based on their relative global warming potentials. 

This standardized approach simplifies things and makes for easier and more 

meaningful comparisons. 
GOAL: Students understand their contributions to 

greenhouse gas emissions by collecting and 

 analyzing their home energy use. 

 

OBJECTIVES: Students will... 

 Build a personal emissions calculator 

 Gather information on their daily habits 

 Evaluate their daily habits 

 Determine their personal contribution to greenhouse gas emissions 

 MATERIALS (Determine by class size): 

Copies of "What Is A Carbon Footprint?" 

Copies of Personal Emissions Calculator – Student Sheet 

Copies of wheel pieces 

Glue sticks 

Scissors 

Brads or paper fasteners 

Optional: Highlighters in a variety of colors 

Optional: Calculators 

Optional: Copies of Ecological Footprints of Nations (1999 Data) 

ALIGNMENT TO NATIONAL SCIENCE STANDARDS: 

9 Unifying Concepts and Processes (K-12) 

 • Consistency, change, and measure 

9 Science as Inquiry, Content Standard A (9-12): 

 • Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry 

 • Understandings about scientific inquiry 

9 Life Science, Content Standard C (9-12): 

 • Interdependence of organisms 

 • Matter, energy, and organization in living systems 

 • Behavior of organisms 

9 Earth and Space Science, Content Standard D (9-12): 

 • Energy in the earth system 

9 Science in Personal and Social Perspective, Content Standard F (9-12): 

 • Personal and community health 
 • Environmental quality 

 • Science and technology in local, national, and global changes 

PROCEDURE:

1. Pass out "What Is A Carbon Footprint" to each student. Allow them time to 

read while you pass out other materials. 

 2. Review the information on "What Is A Carbon Footprint". 

3. Pass out the Personal Emissions Calculator – Student Sheet, wheel pieces, glue

sticks, scissors, and brads to each student. 

 4. Have them follow the directions on the student sheet to create their personal 

emissions calculator. 

 5. Allow students time to build the wheel and calculate their personal emissions. 

6. Ask each student to share their personal emission total and write their totals as a

list on the board. 

7. Pass out calculators or have students do addition manually to determine the class 

average emission total. 

8. Compare this to the national average listed on the wheel they created and to the 

averages of other countries using the "Ecological Footprints of Nations "(1999 

Data) . 

9. Now have students use the “What Can I Do” side of the wheel to determine 

different ways they can help reduce emissions. 

OPTIONAL HOMEWORK: Each student should write a commitment statement outlining 

how he or she will help reduce emissions. 

 EXTENSION: Students can use Monthly Electricity Use - Common Household 

Appliances to identify exactly where they expend the most energy. 

*Adapted from Environmental Protection Agency’s “Climate Change, Wildlife and Wildlands”


PERSONAL EMISSIONS CALCULATOR - STUDENT GRID

SECTION 1: Complete the grid below. You will have to use your family’s electric 

bill, natural gas bill, and an adult’s input on car use. You should be able to 

guesstimate the waste disposal section. Remember that it is important to be 

honest when completing this grid. You will be assessed on the accuracy of your 

information. If you cannot find some of the information, your teacher can help 

you. 

HOME HEATING TRAVEL WASTE 

DISPOSAL 

ELECTRICITY USE 

In the box below, 

write how much 

money your family 

spends on natural 

gas or fuel gas on 

average each 

month. 

In the box 

below, write 

roughly how 

many miles your 

family puts on 

their car(s) on 

average per 

week. 

In the box below, 

write how many 

items your family 

recycles (for 

example, plastics, 

aluminum, etc.). 

In the box below, write 

how much money your 

family spends on 

electricity on average 

each month (check your 

electricity bill). 
SECTION 2: After you make your personal emissions calculator, fill in the pounds of CO2 your

family emits each year (this will be the number in the small box of your personal emissions 

calculator). Add the first four numbers to calculate your total emissions. 

HOME HEATING 

ELECTRICITY USE 

WASTE DISPOSAL 

TRANSPORTATION 

TOTAL EMISSIONS 

*Adapted from Environmental Protection Agency’s “Climate Change, Wildlife and Wildlands”
PERSONAL EMISSIONS CALCULATOR - STUDENT SHEET 

ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS 

1. Cut out the two large circles & two large rectangular pieces. 

2. Cut out the two little rectangular windows on each of the large rectangular pieces. 

3. Put glue on the backs of both circles and put them together to make the “wheel” of the wheel 

card, making sure that you align them so that the four labels that run along the outside of each

circle (Waste Disposal, Home Heating, Electricity Use, and Transportation) line up with the 

corresponding labels on the other side. The Waste Disposal label on one side should line up with

the Waste Disposal label on the other side, and so on. 

4. Lay the rectangular piece entitled “What Can You Do?” upside-down on the table with the larger

of the two cutouts closer to you. If you lift up the edge of the rectangular piece and see the 

words “Global-Warming—What Can You Do?” right side up, you’ve done it correctly. 

5. Put the glued-together wheel on top of the rectangular piece, with the side that has all the 

questions (such as “On average, how much does your household spend on electricity each 

month?”) facing up. 

6. Lay the other rectangular piece entitled “What’s Your Score?” on top of the wheel, with the 

smaller of the two cutouts closer to you. 

7. Find the “belly button” on the pasted-together wheel and the two large rectangular pieces. 

Push a paper fastener (“brad”) through the “belly button” to hold all the pieces together. 

8. Glue the large rectangular pieces in all four corners just enough to hold the rectangles 

together but allowing the wheel to turn freely. 

9. Highlight each line inside the windows in a different color to make it easier to read. 

10. Using the information from your grid, calculate your personal emissions and fill in the last line 

on your grid worksheet. 

11. Work with the class to figure your class emission average. 

12. Use the “What Can You Do” side of the card to determine how you can help reduce emissions.

*Adapted from Environmental Protection Agency’s “Climate Change, Wildlife and Wildlands” 
PERSONAL EMISSIONS 

MONTHLY ELECTRICITY USE COMMON HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES 

(HEATING AND LIGHTING NOT INCLUDED) 

APPLIANCE PEAK POWER 

(W) 

APPROXIMATE 

MONTHLY USE 

KWH 

MY HOME USE

(ESTIMATE) 

Blender 350 1 

Broiler 1450 8 

Coffee maker 900 10 

Clothes dryer 

5 load per week 

5000 83 

Dish Washer 

hot water not incl. 

1200 120 

Electric Blanket 180 12 

Food freezer (15ft)3 340 90 (manual defrost) 

Food freezer (15ft)3 450 150 (auto defrost) 

Electric Food Disposal 

"garbarator" 

450 3 

Electric Frying Pan 1200 15 

Electric Hand Iron 1000 12 

Microwave Oven 1400 16 

Radio/CD/Stereo 110 9 

Electric Range 180 70 

Self-cleaning unit (on range) 4000 4 
Refrigerator with freezer 330 60 (manual defrost) 

Refrigerator with freezer 600 140 (auto defrost) 

Toaster 1200 5 

TV (bw solid state) 55 10 

TV (color solid state) 200 36 

Vacuum Cleaner 630 4 

Washer (hot water not incl.) 500 8 

Water bed (heater) 370 150 

Water heater 4500 400 

TOTAL (kWh) 

Conversion Chart - kWh to CO2 TOTAL (CO2) (kg) 
ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINTS OF NATIONS (1999 DATA) 

(in global acres per capita) 

COUNTRY POPULATION (IN

MILLIONS) 

ECOLOGICAL 

FOOTPRINT 

(PER PERSON) 

CURRENT 

CAPACITY 

(PER 

PERSON) 

ECOLOGICAL 

DEFICIT 

(IF NEGATIVE)

WORLD 6,210.1 6.0 4.7 (-1.3) 

Argentina 37.9 7.5 16.5 9.0 

Australia 19.7 18.7 36.1 17.4 

Austria 8.1 11.7 6.9 (-4.8) 

Bangladesh 134.0 1.3 0.7 (-0.6) 

Brazil 174.5 5.9 14.9 9.0 

Canada 31.2 21.8 35.2 13.3 

Chile 15.6 7.7 10.5 (-2.8) 

China 1,284.2 3.8 2.6 (-1.2) 

Denmark 5.4 16.2 8.0 (-8.2) 

Egypt 66.2 3.7 1.9 (-1.8) 

Finland 5.2 20.8 21.3 0.5 

France 59.3 13.0 7.1 (-5.9) 

Germany 82.2 11.6 4.3 (-7.3) 

India 1,053.4 1.9 1.7 (-0.2) 

Indonesia 217.3 2.8 4.5 1.7 

Italy 57.7 9.5 2.9 (-6.6) 

Japan 127.2 11.8 1.7 (-10.0) 
Korea Republic 48.1 8.2 1.8 (-6.4) 

Malaysia 24.4 7.8 8.4 0.6 

Mexico 100.8 6.2 4.2 (-2.1) 

Netherlands 16.1 11.9 2.0 (-9.9) 

Norway 4.6 19.6 14.7 (-4.9) 

Pakistan 144.8 1.6 1.0 (-0.6) 

Philippines 78.3 2.9 1.4 (-1.5) 

Poland 38.6 9.1 4.0 (-5.1) 

Russia 144.2 11.1 12.0 0.9 

South Africa 44.2 10.7 6.0 (-4.7) 

Spain 39.5 11.5 4.4 (-7.1) 

Sweden 8.9 16.6 18.1 1.5 

Switzerland 7.3 10.2 4.5 (-5.7) 

Thailand 61.7 3.8 3.4 (-0.4) 

Turkey 67.2 4.9 3.0 (-1.8) 

United Kingdom 60.2 13.2 4.1 (-9.1) 

United States 288.3 24.0 13.0 (-10.9)