Go Zero Metrics and Calculations

Your estimated annual carbon dioxide footprint is the sum of the carbon dioxide that is produced by your home energy use, auto transportation and air travel. The total number of lbs is converted to tons. On average, each tree planted as part of the Fund's Go Zero program sequesters approximately 1.33 tons of CO2 equivalent over a 100-year period. Each donation of $5 per ton of CO2 goes to support land acquistion, tree seeding purchase, planting and management of new forestlands.

To ensure accuracy and consistency, The Conservation Fund uses standards set forth by The Greenhouse Gas Protocol Initiative (GHG Protocol), which aims to harmonize GHG accounting and reporting standards internationally to ensure that different trading platforms and other climate related initiatives adopt consistent approaches to GHG accounting. The Conservation Fund also uses averages and information provided by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S Energy Information Administration.

How Your Pollution is Calculated

This calculator requires a minimum of information from you because it relies on state and national averages. Here are the averages and conversion rates used.

Electricity
Carbon Coefficient: 1.37 pounds CO2/kilowatt-hour
Source for average residential consumption of electricity: Energy Information Administration: Residential Energy Consumption Survey 2001 - Household Energy Consumption and Expenditures Tables available at: www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/recs/byfuels/2001/byfuels_2001.html.
Source for national average carbon dioxide emission factor of 1.37 pounds per kWh is calculated from Energy Information Administration/Electric Power Annual 2003, Table ES (December 2004).

Natural Gas
Carbon Coefficient: 11.7 pounds CO2/cf
Source for average residential consumption of natural gas: Energy Information Administration: Residential Energy Consumption Survey 2001 - Household Energy Consumption and Expenditures Tables available at: www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/recs/byfuels/2001/byfuels_2001.html.
Updated source for carbon coefficients U.S. EPA, US Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2003, Annex 2.1, Table 2-17.

Home Heating Oil
Carbon Coefficient: 22.39 pounds CO2/gallon
Source for average residential consumption of no. 2 distillate fuel (home heating oil): Energy Information Administration: Residential Energy Consumption Survey 2001 - Household Energy Consumption and Expenditures Tables available at: www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/recs/byfuels/2001/byfuels_2001.html.
Updated source for carbon coefficients: U.S. EPA, US Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2003, Annex 2.1, Table 2-17.

Propane
Carbon Coefficient: 12.40 lbs CO2 /gallon
The factors in the U.S. GHG Inventory state that liquefied petroleum gases (LPG) have a carbon content of 17.20 Tg Carbon / QBtu – propane makes up the majority proportion of what is considered LPG. With a conversion, propane has a factor of 12.40 lbs CO2/gallon.

Waste
Garbage Carbon Coefficient: 4.4 lbs/day/household
"Typical" annual CO2 emissions of 4,800 lbs were estimated based on a household of two people, per capita waste generation of 4.44 lbs/day, a 25 percent recycling rate, no source reduction, and the national average mix of recyclables.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1998. Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Selected Materials in Municipal Solid Waste (yosemite.epa.gov/OAR/globalwarming.nsf/content/ActionsWasteToolsWARM.html).

Auto Transportation
Carbon Coefficient: 20.00 pounds CO2/gallon
Source for average vehicle mile travel Bureau of Transportation Statistics: Transportation Statistics Annual Report (September 2004)
Source for average 22 mpg per latest stats available from Bureau of Transportation Statistics at: www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/2005/html/table_04_23.html.
Updated source for carbon coefficients: U.S. EPA, US Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2003, Annex 2.1, Table 2-17.

Air Travel
Carbon Coefficient: 0.424 lbs of CO2 per mile flown
Air travel definitions and factors are from the GHG Protocol Mobile Combustion Tool. The emissions factors for short and long haul flights are originally from UK DEFRA. Long and short flights can be estimated using the GHG Protocol Initiative online tools at www.ghgprotocol.org.

The carbon dioxide footprint is the sum of all the above calculations (in lbs), resulting in an estimate of the carbon dioxide that is produced by home energy use, auto transportation, and air travel. The total number of lbs is converted to short tons. On average, a tree planted as part of the Fund's Carbon Zero program sequesters approximately 1.33 tons of CO2 equivalent over a 100-year period. The cost to plant and monitor each tree is approximately $5.00.

For a complete list of formulas, calculations, and sources, download the Go Zero metric sheet.