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New Zealand 7th highest emissions per person

New Zealand's gross emissions per person were the seventh highest among the 41 industrialised countries which took commitments under the UNFCCC - even though they have fallen 0.1 percent from 2014.

The 1990-2015 inventory is used to track how well the country is doing in reaching its 2020 emissions reduction target - of a 5 percent reduction from 1990 levels - not the Paris Agreement.

The government said the country was on track to meet that target, by using a combination of carbon credits issued in 1990 and additional credits from Russia, Ukraine and elsewhere.

Ecological Footprint

Ecological Footprint is essentially a measure of human consumption.

Ecological footprint analysis compares human demand on nature with the biosphere’s ability to regenerate resources and provide services. Globally the ecological footprint is larger than the earth’s biocapacity (sometimes referred to as ‘carrying capacity’) by about 50% and this margin is growing.

Ecological Footprint measures humanity’s demand on the earth’s ecological capacity. This ecological capacity, known as biocapacity, is the area of biologically productive land and sea required to provide the resources we use and to absorb our waste. It includes all the cropland, grazing land, forest, and fishing grounds required to produce the food, fibre, and timber it consumes. It also includes the land required to absorb emissions from the energy it uses, and to provide space for its infrastructure including roads and built areas.

Put simply: environmental sustainability can only occur when the amount of productive land that people demand (ecological footprint) is equal to, or less than, the supply of productive land available (biocapacity).

According to the National Accounts for the year 2014, the total Earth’s biocapacity is estimated at 1.7 global hectares (gha) per person but humanity’s Ecological Footprint has reached 2.6gha per person. Correspondingly, the number of planets demanded by all humans has increased to 1.53 planets.

People consume resources and ecological services from all over the world, so their footprint is the sum of these areas, wherever they may be on the planet. That is why ecological footprint and biocapacity are both measured in global hectares.

Graph source: Global Footprint Network

Carbon footprint

Probably the best-known component of the Ecological Footprint is the Carbon Footprint. Carbon Footprint is the land required to absorb the CO2that is released from the burning of fossil fuels and other sources.

Separating the Ecological Footprint into its individual components demonstrates how each one contributes to humanity’s overall demand on the planet. Globally, the Carbon Footprint was the fastest growing component, increasing more than ninefold from 1961 to 2003.

Overshoot

Humanity’s footprint first grew larger than global biocapacity in the 1960s; this overshoot has been increasing every year since, with demand exceeding supply by about 50 per cent in 2014. This means that it took approximately a year and six months for the Earth to produce the ecological resources we used in that year.

How is it possible for an economy to continue operating in overshoot? Over time, the Earth builds up ecological assets, like forests and fisheries. These accumulated stocks can, for a limited period, be harvested faster than they regenerate. CO2 can also be emitted into the atmosphere faster than it is removed, accumulating over time.

For more than four decades we have been in overshoot, drawing down these assets and increasing the amount of CO2 in the air. We cannot remain in overshoot much longer without depleting the planet’s biological resources and interfering with its long-term ability to renew them.

New Zealand’s Ecological Footprint

New Zealand’s ecological footprint in 2012 was 4.31gha per capita which ranked us 36th highest in the world.

However because of our sparse population and relative abundance of productive land New Zealand has not overshot it’s national biocapacity.
Our total biocapacity in 2012 was 10.19gha so New Zealand has a biological reserve of 5.88gha.

Source: https://econation.co.nz/ecological-footprint/

Shampoo & Hair-care Routines Carbon Footprint

the carbon footprint and energy costs of shampoo and hair-care routines

http://ecohairandbeauty.com/the-carbon-footprint-and-energy-costs-of-shampoo-and-hair-care-routines/

Shrinking Your Carbon Footprint

More and more people are asking "how can i reduce my carbon footprint?" Though each of us has the power to lessen our environmental impact through changing living habits, adopting a whole food plant based diet decreases our footprint most effectively. Here are some answers to common questions about diet and environment, climate change and addressing how to reduce carbon footprint most effectively, followed by resources for further investigation.

What is carbon footprint and how can we reduce it? 

A carbon footprint is defined as the total amount of greenhouse gases produced through human activity, often expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). Eating more plant food and less meat are the most efficient responses to how to reduce your carbon footprint; more efficient than switching to energy-efficient cars and lightbulbs. Avoiding animal food can be the most effective way to reduce your carbon footprint, particularly products from livestock, (meat from all animals, dairy, and eggs).  Producing meat emits about 250 times more greenhouse gases than growing beans, uses more water, and destroys topsoil. Water use per calorie for beef is 20 times larger than for cereals and starchy roots. Milk, eggs and chicken take 1.5 times more water than growing pulses (beans).1             

What's the best way to reduce my carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions?

Reducing animal foods in the diet will reduce your energy input and pollution output. Animal agriculture is the single most destructive industry on the planet, responsible for the most greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture, as well as deforestation and lack of biodiversity. It demands the most energy input, particularly from fertilizer, water, and the most energy for processing. It takes up more than half of our earth’s land resources, the majority of freshwater and drives more GHG emissions than all transportation combined (13%). The United Nations estimates that the livestock sector accounts for 14% of GHG emissions alone.

How much greenhouse gas emissions are animals responsible for?

Livestock utilizes 70% of agricultural land on earch, which includes growing the crops to feed animals, as well as grazing land. It’s the main driver of deforestation for these activities, which leads to biodiversity loss and land degradation.2,3 According to the EPA, livestock (cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, and camels) produce large amounts of methane as part of their normal digestive process and from producing so much manure. But much more damaging is the amount of energy and thereby fossil fuel it takes to produce animal food compared to crops for human consumption.4

Can I Eat Meat and Lessen My Environmental Impact?

Feeding a meat-eater takes more than two acres of farmland compared to under a half acre needed for a plant-powered person.5 According to studies, transitioning toward plant-based diets that meet the standard USDA dietary guidelines could not only reduce global mortality by 6–10% but also food-related greenhouse gas emissions by 29–70%.6 Any reduction helps lessen your carbon footprint. You may want to start with swapping out meat from your diet one day a week, and continue from there.

How to Reduce a Carbon Footprint

The answer is simply by eating lower on the food chain. Consuming whole plant foods rather than animals, will lessen the amount of global warming gasses, both carbon dioxide and methane, emitted into the atmosphere, as well as lessen the amount of energy it takes to produce our food, in the form of fossil fuels. Further, the more whole food over processed food we choose, the less energy, resources, packaging and water used, along with less waste produced. And the closer we are to the farm, the less transportation fuel and cost utilised. So shopping for your produce at local farmers markets, joining a community sustainable farm and growing your own, allows for the least carbon footprint. 

What is a Sustainable Diet?

A Sustainable diet is one that allows for optimal health and well-being through nutritious foods that can be sustained by individuals and populations long term. It promotes the health and longevity of people as well as the planet, using resources efficiently with the least amount of environmental impact and allowing for renewal of land, sea and ecosystems.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' official stance on vegetarian diets concludes plant-based diets are more environmentally sustainable and less damaging. In 2015 it 

included the concept of sustainability in its recommendations to the USDA, defining a sustainable diets as “a pattern of eating that promotes health and well-being and provides food security for the present population while sustaining human and natural resources for future generations.” It made the case that a diet higher in plant-based foods and lower in animal-based foods both promotes health and protects the environment- resulting in lower greenhouse gas emissions, and less energy, land and water use.7

Delicious and Tasty Ways to Reduce Your Cabon Footprint 

Avoiding animal products goes the farthest to reduce the carbon footprint, as well as eating foods that are as unprocessed and unrefined as possible. Cooking at home is always more sustainable than frozen food, packaged snacks and eating out. Look for main dish recipes that center on whole plant foods delivering essential nutrients sustainably, like Ginger Roasted Tempeh w/ Vegetables and Corn Chili. you may be interested in stick-to-the-ribs comfort food such as Macaroni and "Cheese" Casserole or Portabella Mushroom Steaks.

Does Organic Mean Sustainable?

Raising cattle requires large amounts of land and feed, mostly corn and soy, which is heavily fertilized. Processing and applying fertilizer releases nitrous oxide, a gas with nearly 300 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide.  Meanwhile, methane is emitted from cattle through their digestive systems and from manure disposal and it has at least  25 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide over a 100-year period.-NRDC

3 Easy Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

Reduce meat, cheese, eggs and dairy in your diet, base your diet on whole plant foods, purchase them locally as much as possible and prepare foods at home whenever you can. These habits will reduce your carbon footprint more than most anything else, though changing to efficient lightbulbs and transportation help as well!

Studies on Meat Reduction to Curb Greenhouse Gas Emissions

We now have concrete research documenting that dropping meat lessens greenhouse gas emisisons. Studies show that effective ways to reduce carbon dioxide include embracing a low resources-intensive diet. A couple of 2014 reports indicate that reductions in meat consumption lead to a reduction in greenhouse gas emission. America's decline of beef consumption by 19% between 2004 and 2015 reduced climate change pollution by 185 million tons. "Total emissions cuts from dietary changes were 271 million tons. During that time, overall U.S. greenhouse gas emissions averaged more than 6 billion tons a year," reports the researchers from the National Resources Defense Council.9 Another large study comparing reenhouse gas emissions of meat-eaters, fish-eaters, vegetarians and vegans in the UK demonstrates that reducing the intake of meat and other animal based products can make a valuable contribution to climate change mitigation.

Relevant Research                       

There is much research implicating agriculture as a significant contributor to greenhouse gass emissions. Here are just a few papers:

Scarborough et al., 2014 considers the different greenhouse gas emissions produced by meat-eaters, fish-eaters, vegetarians and vegans in the UK. "The production of animal-based foods is associated with higher greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than plant-based foods." estimate 

Mekonnen, M. M., & Hoekstra, A. Y. (2012). Is a global assessment of the water footprint of farm animal products concluding that an increase in animal product consumption of is likely to put further pressure on the world’s freshwater resources

Springmann, et al, 2016 models global and regional health effects of future food production under climate change. They find that by reducing red meat consumption and increasing fruits and vegetables we "can reduce the number of climate-related deaths by 29-71%, depending on their stringency."

Stoll-Kleemann, S., O'Riordan, T. The Sustainability

Challenges of Our Meat and Dairy Diets. Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development. 23, April,2015. Volume 57, Issue 3

You May Want to Watch...

While epidemics of chronic disease are currently by far our leading causes of death, global warming is considered a looming public health threat. How can we eat to combat dietary diseases and greenhouse gas emissions at the same time? Listen to Dr. Michael Greger, founder of NutrtitionFacts.org, talk about climate and dietary change.

NutritionFacts.org provides research analysis on nutrtion and health through its nonprophit website.

We Can Save The Planet by eating a Plant-Based Diet: Dr. William Ripple talks about environmental nutrition and the interconnectedness of nature.

You May Want to Explore...

OneGreenPlanet - The largest independent publishing platform focused on sustainable food, animal welfare issues, environmental protection, and cruelty-free/green living. 

Inside Climate News - A non-profit, non-partisan souce of environmental journalism and analysis on climate, energy and the environment for the public and decision makers

Worldwatch Institute -  The Worldwatch Institute works to accelerate the transition to a sustainable world that meets human needs.  Main mission: universal access to renewable energy and nutritious food, expansion of environmentally sound jobs and development, transformation of cultures from consumerism to sustainability, and an early end to population growth through healthy and intentional childbearing

Environmental Working Group - To empower people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. With breakthrough research and education, we drive consumer choice and civic action.

References

1. Mekonnen, M. M., & Hoekstra, A. Y. (2012). A Global Assessment of the Water Footprint of Farm Animal Products. Ecosystems, 15(3), 401-415. doi:10.1007/s10021-011-9517-8
2. Gerber, P.J., Steinfeld, H., Henderson, B., Mottet, A., Opio, C., Dijkman, J., Falcucci, A. & Tempio, G. 2013. Tackling climate change through livestock – A global assessment of emissions and mitigation opportunities. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome.
3. FAO (2006) Livestock’s Long Shadow. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization
4. EPA  Overview of Greenhouse Gases -https://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases/ch4.html
5. Peters, C. J., Wilkins, J. L., & Fick, G. W. (2007). Testing a complete-diet model for estimating the land resource requirements of food consumption and agricultural carrying capacity: The New York State example. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, 22(2), 145-153. doi:10.1017/S1742170507001767
6. Springmann, M., Mason-D'Croz, D., Robinson, S., Garnett, T., Godfray, H. C. J., Gollin, D., . . . Scarborough, P. Global and regional health effects of future food production under climate change: a modelling study. The Lancet, 387(10031), 1937-1946. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(15)01156-3
7. Garnett, T. What is a sustainable healthy diet? A discussion paper. Food Climate Research Network, www.fcrn.org.uk April, 2014. http://www.fcrn.org.uk/sites/default/files/fcrn_what_is_a_sustainable_he...
8. Scarborough, P., Appleby, P. N., Mizdrak, A., Briggs, A. D. M., Travis, R. C., Bradbury, K. E., & Key, T. J. (2014). Dietary greenhouse gas emissions of meat-eaters, fish-eaters, vegetarians and vegans in the UK. Climatic Change, 125(2), 179-192. doi:10.1007/s10584-014-1169-1
9. National Resource Defense Council Issue Paper. Less Beef, Less Carbon: Americans shrink their diet-related carbon footprint by 10 percent between 2005 and 2014. March, 2017. https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/less-beef-less-carbon-ip.pdf

Source: https://sustainablediet.com/shrinking-your-carbon-footprint

The food wastage footprint is big

There is something horrible about putting food in the bin.

Whether it is because you cooked too much for,  let it go out of date or your kid didn’t fancy it, it just doesn’t feel right.  Not only is it an awful waste but it can really add to your carbon footprint.

In this post we are going to tuck in to the numbers of the food we waste, lose and eat.  In doing so we will see just how big food wastage footprint is.

What is the scale of food waste?

How much food a person wastes varies greatly depending on what their income is, how they eat and where they live.

On average each person on the earth wastes around 50 kg of edible food every year.  But as you can imagine, the food wasted by a wealthy suburbanite varies greatly from someone living in poverty.

The following chart is an estimate of per person food waste for seven different regions of the globe, and is based on the 2011 FAO report, Global Food Losses and Food Waste.

image: https://i1.wp.com/shrinkthatfootprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/foodwasteregion.gif?resize=540%2C460

The contrast between the levels of food waste in different regions of the world is stark.

In Sub-Saharan Africa consumer food waste per person is less than 10 kg a year.  This rises to 25 kg per person in Latin America and reaches almost 80 kg in the most industrialized parts of Asia: China, Japan and Korea.  For the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand the average is about 110 kg, more than 10 times that of poor regions.

In a world where 850 million people are undernourished (FAO 2012), more than 350 million tonnes of good food is wasted each year.  That’s about 10% of total food supply.

On top of the food that is wasted at household level, more than double this amount again is lost in different food production phases.

The importance of production losses

In addition to food wasted by consumers an enormous volume of food is lost during production.  These losses occur in different stages of the supply chain including harvest, storage, handling, transportation, processing, distribution and retail.

The volume of edible food lost in all of these production stages is about 940 million tonnes each year.  That equates to around 140 kg per person or 25% of total food supply, and highlights some of the inefficiencies in the global food supply.

Using data from the same report we can see the scale of both consumer waste and production losses as a share of total food supply in different food groups.

image: https://i2.wp.com/shrinkthatfootprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/foodlosstype.gif?resize=540%2C440

Almost half the Roots & Tubers (potato, cassava and sweet potato) and Fruit & Vegetables produced globally are not consumed, while for Fish and Cereals it is roughly a third.

In wealthy regions, like North America and Europe, consumer waste typically accounts for more than 15% of the total supply of Fruit & Vegetables, Cereals, Fish, Dairy and Roots & Tubers.

In developing regions consumer waste tends to be much smaller, so losses are dominated by production phases such as harvesting, storage and handling.  Production losses are particularly large for perishable foods in warm climates and for crops that produce seasonal gluts.

What the world loses, wastes and eats

Global food production can be split into three main categories: production losses, consumer waste and consumption (food that is eaten).

If you split food supply into different food groups and divide by population you can estimate what the average person on earth consumes, loses and wastes.

image: https://i0.wp.com/shrinkthatfootprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/foodconsumption.gif?resize=540%2C440

Global food supply per person is around 580 kg.  Of this roughly 380 kg is consumed, 140 kg is lost in production and 50 kg is wasted by consumers.  Of the 50 kg of food wasted per person, around half comes from cereals and a further quarter from fruit and vegetables.

Using these figures we can understand the climate impact of food waste, losses and consumption at a global level.

The carbon footprint of food waste

To work out the carbon footprint of food waste you need to consider all the emissions within the food system.  These emissions can be broken down into four main areas.

• Agriculture: soil management, enteric fermentation and other sources
• Pre-production: energy use in fertilizer, pesticide and feed production
• Post-production: refrigeration, processing, packaging and distribution
• Deforestation:  indirect emissions from converting forest to farmland

Using estimates from Vermeulen et al (2012) for each of these sectors, and knowing that total food production is around 3.8 billion tonnes each year, we can get a very rough idea of the food waste emissions per person in each region.

image: https://i0.wp.com/shrinkthatfootprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/foodfootprint.gif?resize=540%2C420

In this graph the consumer waste footprint grows from about 25 kg CO2e in Sub-Saharan Africa to more than 350 kg CO2e for the USA group, while the global average is 170 kg CO2e.  But these ‘estimates’ are really just a rough starting point, because they assume we all eat the same type of food, produced in the same way, with equal deforestation impact.  None of which are true.

In real life our food waste footprints are much more complicated.

In wealthy countries like the USA, Canada, Australia and Europe food waste often includes a greater share of carbon intensive foods.  These could be foods with far higher agricultural emissions like red meat and dairy products, or those with high post-production emissions like ready meals and processed foods.  This reality is borne out by national studies for the US (Venkat) and the UK (Chapagain), which estimate food waste emissions to be 300-400 kg CO2e per person not including deforestation emissions.

Attributing deforestation emissions to the food chain, while important, is extremely troublesome.  So much so that they are normally handled separately as part of land use emissions.  The majority of deforestation emissions occur in South America (Brazil) and South East Asia (Indonesia).  These are largely driven by clearing forests for soy, beef and palm oil production.  Because the sale of palm oil, soy (also as feed) and beef is so commoditized it is very difficult to understand the role of your food plays in these emissions.

On top of waste emissions it is worth stressing that for every 100 kilograms of food we waste, a further 50 kg of production losses occur.  In other words for every extra two kilograms of food we waste a further kilogram is lost during production, further adding to climate impact of food waste.

The big footprint of food waste

Food emissions are a big deal.

If you include deforestation emissions, together with agriculture and production emissions, the food chain accounts for roughly 12.5 GtCO2e, or a quarter of total global man made carbon emissions.  Consumer waste is responsible for around 10% of this, and production losses account for a further 25%.

In wealthy countries people waste around 100 kg of edible food a year.  This food waste has a footprint of 300-400 kg CO2e, not including the additional impacts of deforestation and further production losses.

If you want to shrink your food footprint, then reducing your food waste is a great place to start.  This is a topic we will return to.

Source: http://shrinkthatfootprint.com/the-big-footprint-of-food-waste

Carbon Footprint on Getting Dressed

We focus on the three big things that affect climate change – energy, transport and food. But what about the bits people don’t necessarily think about, like the clothes you wear? Here's our look at the impact your everyday threads have on the environment.

What's the lifecycle carbon impact of your wardrobe?

From how they’re made to how they’re disposed of, every item of clothing produced has what’s called a lifecycle carbon impact. A lifecycle carbon impact is the potential amount of greenhouse gases released into the environment, from raw material extraction to the end of a product’s life (the ‘cradle to grave’ impact). This is measured in kilograms of CO2 eq (or carbon dioxide equivalent), a standard unit for measuring carbon footprints.

We looked at a simple get-up that anyone of us might wear to see what impact we’re dressing in:

• Jeans - a pair of Levi 501 jeans will use 33.4kgCO2 eq
• Pair of running trainers-  it’s estimated that the carbon footprint of a typical pair of running shoes made of synthetic materials is 14kgCO2 eq
• Cotton t-shirt (made in China) - the average carbon footprint of a pure cotton shirt produced in China, throughout its lifecycle, is estimated as 8.771 kgCO2 eq
• Polyamide/Polyester jacket - from cradle to grave will use 18kgCO2 eq
• Underwear – even the smallest item has an impact of 1.9kgCO2 eq

To wear this simple combo, you’re looking at a total of 76kgCO2 eq – that’s almost the equivalent of driving from London to Paris!

How to reduce the carbon impact of your clothes

So, what can we do to reduce the carbon footprint of the clothes we wear? Here are a few tips:   

• Buy vintage and second-hand clothing.
• When you’re buying new clothing, choose garments made from eco-friendly, natural fabrics such as bamboo, silk, organic cotton and hemp.
• Invest in your clothes – it’s better in the long run to buy a good quality t-shirt than a cheap one that will rip straight away.
• Instead of buying new clothes, give yours a makeover! Get crafty with some DIY to give them a new lease of life.
• Buy faux – the production of wool, leather and fur harms millions of animals every year, and it's also bad for the environment.

You can find out more about how to make environmental and ethical shopping choices here.

And if you’re looking to cut your carbon footprint and fight climate change in a bigger way – switch to a green energy supplier too!

Source: https://www.ecotricity.co.uk/news/news-archive/2018/the-carbon-footprint-of-getting-dressed

What is a carbon footprint and how can you measure it?

Climate change brings significant risks to businesses and economies, so it’s important to minimise your own impact. The first step is to measure your emissions – read on to find out how.

With the next round of the UN climate talks commencing in Paris at the end of the month, the spotlight is firmly on climate change, with Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England, asking why more isn’t being done to address it.

Measuring your carbon emissions offers a consistent, accurate and transparent look at the amount of carbon your business creates.  You can measure your emissions by calculating your carbon footprint, which is the total output of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organisation, event, product or person.  ‘Carbon’ is used as shorthand for all greenhouse gases as it is the most dominant,  although there may be other gases in addition to carbon dioxide (CO2) that contribute to your organisation’s carbon footprint.

Measuring your carbon footprint enables you to take some initial steps to adapting to a changing world and creating a more resilient business.

How can you measure your footprint?

The Annual Carbon Emission calculator (ACE) was developed by Catalyst Ltd ®  to help measure your carbon emissions. It includes various different measurement options for each activity, to fit in with how you currently collect your data.

It is a simple Excel workbook with:

• Monthly sheets for you to input your usage each month
• Automatically populated graphs of cumulative annual emissions.

Simply input data on waste, energy use, refrigerant loss (if applicable) and travel (including by plane and taxi) into the appropriate month’s sheet to keep track of your carbon emissions.

The provided charts have pre-set destinations for air and road transport that help estimate distance travelled. Standard emissions factors are used to convert energy to emissions, meaning most emissions factors incorporate non-CO2 gases. These units are given in CO2equivalent (CO2e).  For help on using ACE contact the Sustainable Business Network or Catalyst Ltd.

Five steps to calculating your carbon footprint

Step 1: Understanding why you are doing it

Your motivations for calculating your carbon footprint are important as that determines how and what you measure.  For example, if you only want to report internally in your business as a means of engagement this will be very different to reporting to a legislative framework for mandatory carbon accounting.

Step 2: Defining your emissions

There are three agreed ‘scopes’ for considering and measuring carbon emissions:

• Scope 1 measures the direct impact of your organisation, or emissions that are created by assets that your organisation owns. This includes things like company vehicles and fuel use on-site.
• Scope 2 measures carbon you don’t create but consume, which includes electricity usage and natural resources.
• Scope 3 measures the impact of your employees and contractors and the carbon they create. This includes: air travel, waste, contractor-owned vehicles, outsourced activities, or commuting.

Step 3: Reducing your emissions

Having calculated your emissions the next step is a strategy to reduce these emissions.  This brings broad benefits to your company with the most immediate probably being cost, since measurement enables you to identify areas of inefficiencies.  Not many organisations manage to get to zero carbon emissions, but there are many things you can do to reduce emissions.

We suggest you establish where you have the biggest impacts, e.g. transport, and set an annual reduction target: this will give you a goal to work towards and help you stay on track.

Step 4: Verifying your footprint

Because there are so many different things you could measure as part of your carbon footprint, getting your carbon footprint verified will assess whether or not you’re measuring the right things, if the information has been captured accurately, and help to identify how you can reduce emissions.

Some verification processes come with certifications, like CEMARS and carboNZero, ISO14:064-1, international certifications and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol.   Catalyst Ltd ® can advise on who can provide assurance and verification for your carbon footprint.

Step 5: Reporting on your emissions

It is important to let your stakeholders (customers, employees, suppliers, board, etc) know about your targets and how you are tracking.  You might want to do this as part of a more complete sustainability report, internal report, on your website or in annual reports.  The important thing is being transparent and open with stakeholders so they can see the journey you’re on and help you achieve your goals.

How do you get going?

https://sustainable.org.nz/sustainable-business-news/what-is-a-carbon-footprint-and-how-can-you-measure-it/

Week Three

We had a little brainstorming in class today in regards to our topic. We went into groups and discussed our possible pre-conditions and outcomes. I have to dig deeper and back up my area of topic with research and facts so that I can base my pre-conditions on actual data rather than assumptions. I have two ideas at the moment– one is solely focusing on product consumption and how we can lessen plastics containers, the other one is a carbon footprint tracker on products so that consumers can think of how much carbon footprint they contribute.

Week Two

This week we had some very insightful discussions in class. I was quite happy to be able to hear people speak about my own values. I warms my heart to think that other people feel somehow similar to how I feel about the world. However, I realised that as individuals, we don't really get involved or do as much over issues we may be able to have impact on. Some issues raised from last week were issues I was subconsciously aware of, but did not really mind because I wasn't directly affected by these. However, now that I think of it, living in a first world country gives me a lot power to change and help others in need.

Area of Topic

Topic: How do we reduce and eventually get rid of plastic packaging and containers?

Where: New Zealand? Third-world countries?


The table above shows a brief overview of what I hope to achieve with the project.

Here is a brief overview of potential pathways I may take, the interventions and pre-conditions they may have. So far, I have only established two pathways: environment and education. Although, there may be few other potential pathways, I started these two basic ones. I am still debating on whether I should include “consumers” as a pathway or leave it.

Week One

This week we had an introduction to the paper and basically just went through the content of the paper. We did an exercise to determine our principles and where it lies in the table inserted below.

There are ten groups to this, as you can see and underneath those groups are values that we may prioritise. We also had a think about our values in regards to what we want to do for our topic.

As a designer, where do I want to go?

- I want to go somewhere I can contribute to society and how it may be able to affect the future generations to come. As to what in particular, I am no quite sure yet but I was thinking somewhere along the line of sustainability or being eco-friendly for my project.

What do you want to change?

- I want to change people's thoughts on replacing and detaching easily from material possessions. I admit that we as people should be minimalists, and keep as little things as possible sticking with just the essentials, it is hard because of the fast and growing commercial industry.

What kind of change?

- I want people to value what they have more, and value what they are yet to own. I want them to think of the before, during and after life of a product they buy and eventually, as consumers be responsible for their actions and decisions.

Understanding Your Mindset

Eight men own as much wealth as half the world's population, or 3.6 billion people. Those men are overwhelmingly Anglo-Saxon (an Economy for the 99%: It's time to build a human economy that benefits everyone, not just the privileged few, Oxfam, Hardoon, Deborah 2017)

Individually identify the problem from your mindset – identify. Why do you think about this issue, how would you frame it because of your beliefs, values etc. Discuss the difference with each other. Share in class.

I think we do not care as much as we should for these issues because we are not stuck or caught in between. Although, if I was below the poverty line and found out that only a few people had this much money, I would feel violated. There’s really not much to do about it because they are facts. I feel as though there is always this unspoken stereotype that the supreme race will always be the white. That being said, I do believe that it may be possible for eight men to own that much money. The Anglo-Saxons are the pioneers of making use of resources from their land, and later on around the world. Although, I feel like it is not fair for the people who live in poverty to feel burdened by not earning enough despite working hard to be able to provide for their family. I suppose tax plays a big role in this situation. People who earn more need to be taxed more than the bottom feeders. That way, people who earn less are provided with benefits they might not be able to afford (medical support, housing support, food etc.)