...Assignment I Carbon and Water Footprint Report Sustainable Buildings Research Centre at the University of Wollongong Name | UOW ID | Kazi Swad Abdullah | 5220683 | Sherin John | 4806670 | Samir Bastola | 4739218 | Sanju Kunjammattil Babu | 4873622 | table of contents 1. Executive Summary………………………………………………………………….…3 2. Introduction………………………………………………………....................................3 3. Description of Problem…………………………………………………………...……3 4. Method - Carbon Footprint.…………………….…...…............…........…….…………..4 5. Method - Water Footprint………...………………….................….……......…………...4 6. Assumptions…………………..………….............…..........……………………………..5 7. Limits………………………………………………………………………..…………5 8. Results - Carbon Footprint………...………………............………........……………..…6 9. Results - Water Footprint………………………………………………………………6 10. Discussion of Footprint Indicators………………...………...………………………….7 11. Comparison of Footprint Indicators……………………………………………….…...7 12. Conclusion & Recommendations………………………………………………………8 13. References…………………………………………………………....................……….9 14. Appendices.......................................................................................................….........................10 Executive Summary The ecological footprint of the SBRC building at the University of Wollongong was investigated; this includes investigating the water and the carbon footprint of the building...
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...Fiji Water: Green makeover or Greenwashing Fiji Water is one of the famous bottle water in current global market. With its special characters and higher market target, Fiji Water has a good performance in the bottle water market, and has a high market share. Recent years, environmentalists appeal all industries to offset their carbon footprint to reduce the influence of greenhouse effect. Fiji Water also planed some steps to reduce their carbon footprint. The background of the success of FIJI Water In the early nineties, David Gilmour, the Canadian-born owner developed the “Fiji water” concept. The concept was to bottle Fiji natural water and market if all around the world as a unique and exotic product. The most important aspect of this product was that the water will get straight from the source which was old artesian aquifer water. This water was silica-rich and used to anti-aging and immunity-boosting properties. So, it was expected to appeal to health-conscious and image-oriented consumers. In 1996, Natural Waters of Viti Ltd. Built its first bottling plant at the cost of FJ$48 million at Yaqara in Ra, at the place where the source of artesian water had been found. With the underdeveloped rural area of the island, the unpolluted, pristine location of the water source and factory guaranteed the purity of the artesian water (1). In 1997 Fiji Water was first launched in California. In 1998, the company entered New York market. With increase of the demand of the bottle water in America...
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...of human activity. That is why the term of sustainability was emerged. Carbon footprint and water footprint are special tools to measure the effects on the environment. It is better to have a look to definition of sustainability ; sustainability means use natural recourses by considering future generations demand for natural recourse. In this report, water footprint and carbon footprint are calculated for SMART building. Smart building is new building which was constructed for researchers to study in it and have special smart controller to control the consumption resources in order to optimize energy usage. This report is divided in two parts, carbon footprint calculations and water footprint calculation for major materials and recourses. Methodology and assumption This report is included some calculations based on assumption .Also some information about SMART building has been acquired from the builder. Complementary data, namely embodied factors has been obtained from recent reports and government website. The methodology has been applied in this report is based on analysing carbon foot print and water footprint in two main concept. First, embodied energy of materials has been used during the construction and then estimated energy consumption during operational time of SMART building. The building life is assumed to be 50 years. Carbon footprint of the SMART building In this...
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...Nonrenewable energies such as petroleum will eventually run out in the future. This is one of our key energy sources used today. The switch to renewable energy will not have an effect on human beings, and these renewable sources can reduce our carbon footprint. A carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide and other carbon compounds emitted due to the consumption of fossil fuels by a particular person, group, etc. Ones carbon footprint can be calculated by factoring in the amount of people living in a home, the type of home environment, habits done that do not waste energy, and the green technologies already in use in ones home. The energy usage in my home is 36% less than the average 3-person home in the United States. My total usage of energy is about 14,978 kilowatt hours per year. For the carbon emissions of my family’s home, it is, in comparison to the average 3-person home in the United States, 27% less. My total emissions is around 15.92 tons of carbon dioxide per year (BP p.l.c, 2013). Although my energy usage and carbon emissions level are below the average American home, the impact my large carbon footprint has on the environment is still a great amount. A carbon footprint can be reduced through the usage of renewable energy sources, such as the most commonly used “green”...
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...Carbon Footprint versus Ecological Footprint The term carbon footprint refers to the whole set of green house gases or emissions caused by an event, an organization, a person, or even a person. However, this definition requires a vast amount of data which takes forever to collect. As a result, this renders it impracticable, and experts have to look for a definition they can be able to work with. The most accepted definition of the carbon footprint defines the term as the entirety of the amount of methane and carbon dioxide gases produced by a defined population, activity or system, putting into consideration all the sinks, storage and sources within the temporal and spatial boundaries of either the population, activity or system. Greenhouse gases, which are made up of mostly carbon dioxide and methane gas can be emitted during activities such as land clearance, transport using means which use fossil fuels as a source of energy, production and subsequent of fuels, foods, manufactured goods, material, and building roads and buildings. The carbon blue print of a nation, an individual or that of an organization can be determined by undertaking an assessment of greenhouse gas emission. Once the footprint’s size is known, measures can be used to try and reduce it. Some of the measures taken by individuals, nations and organization to reduce their carbon footprint include carbon offsetting, technological improvements, and better product and process management. The ecological footprint...
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...CARBON FOOTPRINT For the past few years, our beloved “earth” is going deeper and deeper into the quagmire of global warming. This is indeed an alarming situation and to get it round each and every individual has to play an effective role. This is possible only if we are cognizant of the factors which are creating this problem of global warming. Many of us would have heard the word “carbon footprint” and this is where the whole problem lies! Carbondioxide (CO2) is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the global warming so if we can reduce CO2 emission, gigantic climate changes ,global warming and their hazardous effects can be reduced. Your “carbon footprint” is the sum of all emissions of CO2, which were induced by your activities in a given time frame. The carbon footprint is a very powerful tool to understand the impact of personal behaviour on global warming. Most people are shocked when they see the amount of CO2 their activities create! If you personally want to contribute to stop global warming, the calculation and constant monitoring of your personal carbon footprint is essential. Here are some of the ways which can help to abate the carbon footprint: • Go native: Use native plant species to landscape around your home or business. The plants will probably grow better in a familiar environment, and the plants may also get shipped a shorter distance to get to...
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...To: FIJI Water From: Alex Nash Date: March 15, 2011 Subject: Carbon footprint analysis and solutions FIJI Water has always been proud of its environmentally friendly image. The company has always honored its corporate social responsibilities by being involved with many environmental groups and is currently partnered with Conservation International, an environmental organization engaged in a large-scale rainforest conservation project in Fiji. During the past couple of years FIJI Water has been under scrutiny over the claim that it removes more carbon from the atmosphere than it puts into it. FIJI Water is accused of greenwashing, claims that its water products are carbon negative. It is also accused of being unethical with its relationship with the FIJI government and FIJI natives over tax increases on exports. This report will contain a brief description of these claims and problems along with proposed solutions and recommendations. Analysis FIJI Water has been under attacks from the environmental Newport Trial Group for claims that it is not leaving a carbon footprint on the environment and the islands of Fiji. The Newport Trial Group argues that FIJI Water is not a carbon negative company and is profiting from this false claim. FIJI Water is also attempting to gain high profits and market share over other bottled water companies because of its claim to be one of the only carbon negative bottled water. FIJI Water is not a carbon negative company. It uses...
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...A carbon footprint is the total set of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by an organization, event, product or person. My carbon footprint is 82% of comparable households. I am the same as an average U.S. household also. It however is 407% of the global average. My footprint is most dependant on shopping. I am higher on average shopping than both the similar the average US household and US household. My transportation brings down the average though because I don’t really fly in a plane. I might fly once every two years so my transportation emissions are down. Two things that I can change to reduce my carbon efficiency are changing my diet and purchase green electricity. Changing my diet would save me tons of money and purchasing green electricity would save about 6.31 tons. Other things that I can do that won’t have as big impact but can still help are carpooling, and adjusting my thermostat in the winter and summer. Something I would change if it were available to me right now is getting an electric car. Electric cars are too much money at this point but if it were available to me for a lower price it would save money on gas and save the environment. Also in the future I will be moving out of my house to a shared apartment and will use less of everything because I will be on more of a budget. Individual Carbon Footprint A carbon footprint is a measure of the total amount of CO2 emitted within a specific area and including greenhouse gases emitted through...
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...Name Tutor Course Date Ecological footprint Introduction The planet Earth is the only planet that supports and sustains human life. The human activities carried out on the planet are gradually making the planet unfavorable to live on (Perman 81). Ecology involves the study of relationships between living organisms and their usual natural environment. This paper will define ecological footprint, present a deep understanding of the ecological footprint and show how it applies in measuring the peoples’ effects to the environment. The paper will also explain how the ecological footprint can be used in making choices that go in line with people’s lifestyles. The principles of ecological footprint date back to literatures related to geography, ecology and economics. However, the idea of the earth’s ecological footprint has been present since early 90’s (Wackernagel 35). William Rees in 1992 produced the first academic publication on ecological footprint. The concept of ecological footprint and calculation criteria was later developed by Mathis Wackernagel as a PhD dissertation under the supervision of Rees at British Columbia University in Vancouver. Originally, the concept was called the appropriated carrying capacity. Rees later came up with the ecological footprint term in order to ensure that the concept is accessible. The ecological footprint in the planet has transpired as the earth’s vital gauge of the individual’s demand on the environment and the...
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...Any class that takes place online as opposed to a class being conducted on campus grounds would introduce less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from lack of transportation due to students not having to make the drive to and from class meetings. The use of facilities such as bathrooms or any energy used such as power for the classroom and air conditioning for the building may also contribute to our carbon footprint and use of water facilities. http://myfootprint.org/en/your_results/?id=2788767 After taking the footprint quiz and reviewing my results it became apparent how every person on the planet could not live the average life style of people in our country. I say this because most of my results are very close to the national average and my score states 6 earths would be required for everyone in the world to live similar life styles. Only one of my footprints is higher than the national average which is the food footprint and my carbon footprint is a close tie with our average. With my high protein Paleolithic diet my food consumption footprint was relatively high. I have many snacks and full sized meals throughout the day as long as there are groceries in the house. This is in order to teach my body not to store fat and is part of my cross fitness nutrition plan that I have worked out with my trainer. The way I understand it, our bodies’ anatomy has only changed a fraction of a percent sense the days of the cavemen when the average man was more athletic than our modern...
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...into our products accounts for around half of our value chain carbon footprint. Over the last five years, we have been using innovative technology to reduce environmental impacts associated with manufacturing active pharmaceutical ingredients – the substances in our drugs that treat or prevent illness. Following trials in Jurong, Singapore, teams at the eight facilities where we produce active ingredients are implementing holistic improvement plans which are bringing significant environmental benefits and cost reductions. Infrastructure investments included installing a biogas plant at Irvine, UK, a combined heat and power facility in Worthing, UK, and a photo oxidation system for waste treatment in Singapore. Our site in Cork, Ireland, where we are now bio-treating waste and recovering the energy produced, achieved zero waste to landfill for the third year running in 2013, and has cut water use by 57% and carbon emissions by 41% since 2008. in the world). This innovative process will significantly cut our carbon emissions by reducing cooling requirements, as well as producing less organic waste. Many of the improvements we are making take time to We are also making changes implement. But across all to the chemical processes eight sites, we have already themselves. For example, we cut energy use by 4%, CO2 are investing in a new process emissions by 12%, water use at our facility in Quality Road, by 10% and waste to landfill ...
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...An introduction to climate change Section 1: What is climate change? Recent climate history and future projections Weather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. What is weather? At every moment at any spot of the world, the troposphere (the inner layer of atmosphere which contains earth’s most of the air) has a particular set of physical properties – i. Temperature, ii. air-pressure, iii. humidity, iv. precipitation, v. sun-shine, vi. wind direction and speed. These short term properties of atmosphere at a particular place and time are weather. What is Climate? Climate is a region’s general pattern of atmospheric or weather conditions over a long period. Average temperature and average precipitation are two main factors determining a region’s climate. What is climate? • The long-term average of a region’s weather: – Average rainfall. – Average hours of sunshine. – Average temperature. • Climate versus weather: – Weather describes whatever is happening outdoors in a given place at a given time. – Climate describes the total of all weather occurring over a period of years in a given place. – Climate tells us what it's usually like in the place where you live at a certain time of year. Climate change • Climate change represents a change in these long-term weather patterns. – Average temperatures can increase or decrease...
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...Carbon footprint. What is your carbon footprint? That’s a question I was not prepared for. I had no clue what a carbon footprint was or how to even answer that question. I was worried I would never understand what was being asked of me. Luckily my sociology teacher provided a website that would give me better understanding of what my carbon footprint was and how to break it down. The Nature Conservancy Carbon Calculator on Nature.org had questions for me to answer that would determine how much carbon I was responsible for. According to the carbon calculator my estimated greenhouse gas emission is 39 tons of carbon dioxide a year whereas the average person releases 27 tons in a year (Nature.org). Out of the estimated tons of carbon I release in a year, 83.3 % has to do with home energy. I have a detached, single family home with 2 bedrooms, and that makes my estimated impact jump to 27 tons of carbon dioxide a year (Nature.org). When I was heating and cooling my home I didn’t think twice when adjusting my thermostat. If I was hot I would turn the air down, when cold the heat went up. By doing that I was causing an estimated impact of 2.5 tons of CO2 per year. (Nature.org). There are other things in which I produce different amounts of CO2, driving my big Ford F150 roughly 30 miles in a week puts out an estimated 1.4 tons of CO2 per year (Nature.org). I eat red meat most days but I don’t eat it with every meal. My red meat consumption has an estimated impact of 4.1 tons of CO2...
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...FIJI Water and Corporate Social Responsibility Prepared by Subject: FIJI Water and Corporate Social Responsibility Table of Contents * Introduction History of FIJI Water * Strengths -FIJI Water as trendy -FIJI Water as untouched * Weaknesses -Environmental issues -Taxation issues and relationship with the Fijian government -Criticism * Conclusion and recommendation -Sustainable development Introduction FIJI Water was originally founded as “Nature’s Best” in 1993 by David Gilmore who’s idea was to provide exotic natural water from an artesian aquifer of Yaqara Valley of Viti Levu, Fiji to local as well as international markets. Bottled water has been growing exponentially as concerns about the quality of tap water and health issues of carbonated drinks have been increasing. The pure artesian water that FIJI Water provides has attracted consumers successfully. Bottled water production and sales to the U.S. began in 1997. FIJI Water has been growing rapidly in the bottled water market as its production went from 10 million in 1998 to 25 million in 2000, and production grew about 60% a year. The company was even awarded the prestigious Secretary of State’s 2004 Award for Corporate Excellence. The company gained competitive advantages over its competitors by successful branding and marketing, as it has created an image of its product as healthy, high-end, and trendy. However, FIJI Water has faced numerous challenges as well as heavy...
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...representing main continents and network links are migration of population as well as diffusion of carbon dioxide among nodes over years by identifying population, carbon dioxide emission, GDP, biodiversity and water resources as nodal factors. In the first part, we explore the relations of these factors within each node from three aspects which could be simplified as ecological footprint, water footprint and living planet index. For ecological footprint, we formulate a differential model to indicate the relations between population, GDP and carbon dioxide emission. With the help of forcal in MATLAB, we perform parameter optimization to elicit the change of each factor over time so that we can make predictions. For water foot print, we establish a model to indicate the amount of accumulated water each year. Water accumulation could be considered as the difference between precipitation and water consumption, by which we predict the accumulated water of Australia. For living planet index, we formulate a logistic model with fishing rate to represent the number of a certain species over years. We use MATLAB to find the solution and plot a figure which could predict future biodiversity. In the second part, we study the relations of the nodes by population migration and carbon dioxide diffusion. We use diffusion model to simulate global carbon dioxide diffusion. The tipping point in terms of carbon dioxide emission is viewed as the longest time when CO2 concentration reaches a limit value...
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