What is my carbon footprint from my journey to school?

Working with your class, see if you can calculate how much CO₂ is emitted from my drive to school. Then double it because my daily drive home in the afternoon is the same distance.

Here’s what you’ll need to know:

I live 2.5km (kilometres) from school
My morning drive to school is 5km (including the car being driven back home)
The emissions from our medium-sized petrol car are estimated at 192g carbon dioxide (CO₂) per km
On average there are 192 school days in a year

A school building with a car in front

A carbon footprint is usually talked about as a yearly or annual amount of CO₂ emissions.

So, can you work out my carbon footprint from my return drive to school for the year? (Hint: It’s a lot!)

A carbon footprint

A carbon footprint

Maia, Pene and Jing standing together.

How do you reckon I could reduce my carbon footprint on my drive to school?

I carpool with two of my friends, Pene and Jing, who live nearby. We’re like carbon-fighting superheroes, reducing our individual footprints.

So now my carbon footprint is two thirds (⅔) less, it’s approximately 123kg CO₂.