Is your footprint above or below average? And do you care?

[Cam77]

Is your carbon footprint above or below the national average - and if it’s above do you feel bad about it? There are some good calculators online which quiz you on every aspect of you lifestyle. For what it’s worth I’m below average on most metrics - food consumption, energy usage (average sized home with good rating), don’t drive (work from home), only one kid, etc. However, I do fly a fair bit including one long haul every couple of years (12 hour return flight to visit family) - and that alone bumps me right back up to around the national average. I feel kind of bad about it, but there you go.

Well below the average, although that's not entirely due to conscious choices (we use hydro energy, as that's what's available where we live).

We recycle, don't eat beef and use public transit (supplemented by a car sharing scheme; something that I dont believe is available in the UK).

Despite being good in most areas, we do fly on average twice a year to visit family.

Mines probably massive. I drive an older, diesel 4x4. I have a child. I fly mid haul (7hrs each way) approx 3 or 4 times a year....

I did the WWF quiz and I'm at 87% of the national target for 2020 which isn't bad considering I've got four DC.

Just did the WWF quiz. 200% 😳

I’m apparently 105%
ie I’m 5% over the national average.

I only eat chicken, (no difference in the quiz between beef and chicken, all marked the same).

only buy clothes in charity shops, (no difference between that and buying new)

haven’t bought a new electrical item in over two years, haven’t flown in a decade, have one cat, can’t get cavity wall insulation as it a wood frame house. Don’t really get how I can still be over the national average!

I did the WWF quiz and I'm at 87% of the national target for 2020 which isn't bad considering I've got four DC.

That's probably because it doesn't ask how many DC you have.

I got absolutely hammered despite having no DC, car sharing, eating local veg in season, not eating out, buying 2nd hand clothes, recycling everything and 100% carbon offsetting my long and mid haul flights.

Well below average. Not on purpose though. I don't give it a second thought. If just happens that my house is a quite energy efficient shoe box, I can't drive so walk everywhere and have only been on a plane once, twenty years ago.

Massive footprint - generally fly twice a week for work. Drive a diesel car for lots of miles a year. Final nail in the coffin is I work in oil and gas.

I feel guilty(ish).

That's probably because it doesn't ask how many DC you have.

I don't fly anywhere, don't use trains, walk for most journeys on most days, use almost all local ingredients (for example all of our fruit and veg is from the local farm shop), recycle everything we can recycle, have solar panels, don't have any pets, house is newly insulated so doesn't need much to heat it, etc.

I’m above average but that’s not taking into account things like a bad circulatory system/immune weakness which means bus/train travel is unsafe for certain members of my family, the heating has to be a certain level to allow them to be in comfort and things such as dietary restrictions.
However we recycle everything we can, have 0 food waste, a tiny house and I only drive about 2 hours max.

191% Not sure how I can reduce it though

However. I thought the clothes and cosmetics spending is strange.
£££ doesn’t necessarily mean quantity.

I would say above. I have to drive a lot. I live in the middle of nowhere with one bus a day so no choice. I average about 9000-8000 miles a year. I would like lower mileage.

However, I haven’t flown in nearly 20 years. Not keen.

Our water bill is high. But I do have two children with additional needs who create a lot of washing

Energy bills are also pretty high. But there’s nearly always someone at home using energy.

191% Not sure how I can reduce it though

I think we have a winner. 🥳 🎈 🎉

I got absolutely hammered despite having no DC, car sharing, eating local veg in season, not eating out, buying 2nd hand clothes, recycling everything and 100% carbon offsetting my long and mid haul flights

Same. Except I don’t drive and have no flights to offset.

Still got 116%. 🙄

That WWF link puts me massively over. It’s my driving and car that are ,in their words, undoing all my good work elsewhere. I have a large car and I drive a lot for work. I can’t change the size- it is the size I need to transport the stuff I need to transport.
We eat veggie/vegan 2 days a week and my mission this year is to eliminate unnecessary and single use plastic as much as possible. We haven’t flown as a family since 2016 and that was short haul.

I think we have a winner. 🥳 🎈 🎉

Mine was 248%

I think being a mad animal person has dragged me down. If I sacrifice the pets my score will be lower! 😂😂

In wwf test a score of a 100% is that you are on target level for Uk for 2020 which is 10.5 tonnes, world average is 5 tonnes
I got 92% it doesn't mean I'm below average it means i'm just under target I don't know how many people are under target how likely we are to reach this target per person; it could be that we are on track and the UK will hit this target for 2020 basically my 92% offsets someone with 108%
obviously someone with 200% means 21 tonnes , 50% would mean 5.25 tonnes ie world average

The WWF one is bizarre and puts me above average.

It advised me to use public transport so I presume something’s gone wrong there.

Mine was 248% confused

🙇 🙇 🙇

@butchyrestingface it means you are using 2.48 times the annual target per person ie about 25 tonnes rather than 10.5

somethings tip the balance enormously my parents consume far less than us but drive a slightly larger car due to dads mobility problems but their mileage is a third of mine it is a blunt tool at best as it didn't ask mileage one of the other tests asked for actual fuel consumption of your car and mpg and your actual household electric gas bills

because I work from home the heating bill is higher as is on most of the time in winter ( north of Scotland) but if I worked elsewhere being warm 9-5 wouldn't be my carbon footprint

Mine is disgusting - 306% mainly I imagine that we have a large house and fly regularly to see family and I fly long haul for work. On the plus side we are good at recycling, have cut down on the meat we eat and as we live in central London, rarely drive.

Below average, I put a reasonable amount of effort into it. Fortunate to live within walking distance of a market town with several shops geared towards eco living and minimising waste, vegetarian household and can buy a lot of local produce in the weekly farmers market or in local shops, never fly and have most of what I need within walking distance so rarely drive. Don’t understand why people don’t care!

I came out as below average on the WWF one, but it didn't ask if I have children?!

I do what I can: don't eat meat or dairy, don't have a car, don't fly, buy a lot of stuff second hand... but I have 3 children