Environment

Environmental Footprint Final Exam XXXX XXXXXX

ECS 111 - P

Areas of resource use considered in my footprint calculations:

1. Water Consumption

2. Carbon emissions

3. Plastic Use

1. Water Consumption: a) Shower – showerhead uses 2.50 gallons per minute. I use both of the showerheads in my

household regularly. Both have the same rate of water flow.

To determine my weekly water consumption by showering, I timed my showers using a

stopwatch. The results and calculations using liters per minute are documented below.

Showerhead Water Consumption

Day Shower Length (min) Shower Length x LPM rate Liters Used

1 16.21 16.21 x 9.5 L 153.99

2 24.3 24.3 x 9.5 L 230.85

3 29.4 29.4 x 9.5 L 279.3

4 20.18 20.18 x 9.5 L 191.71

2.5 gallons per minute (GPM) = 9.5 L

per minute (LPM)

5 32.56 32.56 x 9.5 L 309.32

6 19.37 19.37 x 9.5 L 184.015

7 26.48 26.48 x 9.5 L 251.56

Avg. 24.07142857 24.07 x 9.5 L 228.665

In order to investigate whether the tub fill had a higher flow rate, and thus, consumed more water,

I recorded the amount of time it took to fill a mop bucket with water. Though I don’t take baths,

these calculations represent the amount of water that is wasted while waiting for the water to heat

up.

Mop bucket has 12 markings on it. To determine

what the equivalent to a gallon was, I filled a

gallon jug with water and poured it into the

bucket; water up to line 4.5 on the mop bucket =

1 gallon of water.

4.5

1 gallon =

12

𝑥 gallons

4.5x = 12  x = 2.67 gallons in 1 full mop

bucket

It took 42.28 seconds of running water to fill up

the mop bucket.

42.28 seconds

2.67 gallons =

60 seconds

x gallons

x = 3.79 gallons per minute from tub fill

Using the stopwatch to record time, it takes about 1.24 minutes for the water to heat up. From the

calculations above, this is the equivalent of 4.70 gallons of water that are wasted before I step

into the shower. Converted to liters, this is 17.8 liters that should be added to each shower’s

water consumption. In doing this, the results are as follows:

Liters Used per

Shower

Total Liters

Consumed

153.99 171.79

230.85 A 248.65

279.3 D 297.1

191.71 D 209.51

309.32 17.8 L 327.12

184.015 201.815

251.56 269.36

Average: 228.665 246.47

The calculations found in the previous pages are a representation of my water use when I shower

at home. Though I go home relatively regularly, I spend the school-week in my residence hall

dorm. Though most of the rates of water consumption are the same at home and on campus (i.e.

toilet and sink water use), the most significant difference is in the rate of water flow in the

showers. The dorm showerheads are low- flow (Wright, 2014), using an approximated 2.25

gallons per minute instead ("Compute your use," 2014) of 2.5. Using the average shower times

recorded at home, which do not change significantly while on campus, my estimated water use

from the dorm shower head is:

2.25 gpm = 8.5 Lpm

24.07 minutes (average shower time) x 8.5 L = 204.6 Liters

b) Toilet Consumption of water

c) Sink

2.2 gallons per minute = 8.33 liters per minute

 Hand washing:

# of Washings in one day Time (seconds) Liters Consumed

1 25.16 8.33 L

60 sec =

x L

25.16 𝑠𝑒𝑐 → 3.49

2 23.4 3.25

Toilet Flushes per day Liters of Water Used

5 30

6 36

5 30

Average: 5.3 32

3 18.21 2.53

4 31.27 4.34

5 19.54 2.71

6 17.33 2.41

7 28.64 3.98

8 24.43 3.39

Total in a day  187.98 26.1

 Brushing Teeth: faucet is shut off while not in use; time reflects the amount of time the water is actually running in the processing of brushing my teeth.

Times a day Time (minutes) Liters consumed

1 1.07 8.91

2 1.32 11.00

Totals of the day 2.39 19.90

 Dishwashing: Living on campus for most of the week, I don’t have the accessibility to cook in a

kitchen. As a result, I don’t produce the same amount of dirty dishes that I would

at home. Nonetheless, I do prepare some food, and heat the food that I bring from

home. Thus, excluding cooking kitchenware such as pots and pans, the amount of

tableware (plates, cups, bowls, and silverware) that I use in my dorm is probably a

close representation of my individual contributions to the dirty dishes at home.

On campus, I clean my dishes in a bucket that I fill twice: once for washing, and

once for rinsing. To determine the amount of water used in doing so, I filled my

dishwashing bucket with water, and then transferred it into the mop bucket where

I could calculate the liters used. The water reached about line 8 in the mop bucket.

From previous measurements, it was determined that line 4.5 = 1 gallon. 4.5 𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒

1 𝑔𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑛 =

8 𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒

𝑥 𝑔𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑠

x = 1.78 gallons = 6.73 Liters

(6.73 liters for washing + 6.73 liters for rinsing) x 4 times per week = 7.69 L/day

7 days per week

 Washing Clothes: I wash approximately 3 large loads of laundry every two weeks. My Kenmore

washer at home uses an average of 52 liters per load, while the commercial

Maytag washers on campus use an average of 47 liters per load (Abt Appliances).

However, I more than likely use more water per load than the average, since I

typically wait to accumulate larger loads to avoid consuming excessive energy.

Thus, my water use is likely closer to the washers’ capacity.

As a benchmark, I’m going to assume that the water consumption required for my loads

is somewhere between the “average load” and the maximum capacity: 91 𝐿+47 𝐿

2 = 69 𝐿

96 𝐿+52 𝐿

2 = 74 𝐿

69 L x 3 = 207 L = 14.8 L / day 74 L x 3 = 222 L = 15.9L/day

14 14

Yearly Water Consumption:

Daily Water Use

Water Use on Campus Water Use at Home

Shower 204.6 L 246.47 L

Toilet 32 L 32 L

Sink 46 L 46 L

Dishwashing 7.69 L 7.69 L

Clothes

Washer

14.8 L 15.9 L

Total 305.09 L 348.06 L

Of the 12 months in a year, about 7 are spent in school, while the other 5 are spent at home.

During the school year, I go home most weekends, so my water use varies during the week as

well.

Home water footprint: 348.06 𝐿

𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑥

7 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠

1 𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑘 𝑥

4.5 𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑘𝑠

1 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ =

10963.89 𝐿

𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ x 5 months = 54819.45 L

Campus water footprint: 305.09 𝐿

𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑥

7 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠

1 𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑘 𝑥

4.5 𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑘𝑠

1 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ =

9610.335 𝐿

𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ x 7 months = 67272.345 L

Yearly Water Use = 122091.795 L

 Maytag

3.2 cu. ft. capacity = 91 L

Kenmore 

3.4 cu. ft. capacity = 96 L

2. Carbon Emissions: a) Car – since I started college, my carbon footprint has likely increased since I travel

home fairly often. I live in Palm Beach, so although it is not too far, constant trips

back and forth significantly increase carbon emissions. However, I do not have my

own car, meaning that my carbon footprint is reduced when I’m not at home.

Our family car is a 2003 Toyota Highlander, which gets 27 miles per gallon on the

highway, and 22 in the city.

 Palm Beach – 121, 572 miles Miami – 121, 659 miles

Back to Palm Beach – 121, 741 miles

Total mileage in a Palm Beach to Miami roundtrip: 169 miles

x 2

338 miles in one weekend trip home

Weekly Car Mileage

Location Roundtrip Miles Average Weekly Frequency Total Weekly Miles

Miami 169 2 338

Publix 2.66 3 7.98

Post Office 5.08 1 5.08

Mall 5.44 1 5.44

Miscellaneous 35.12 1 35.12

391.62

 During the school year (7 months), I go home about once every two weeks: 4.5 𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑘𝑠

1 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ =

𝑥 𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑘𝑠

7 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑠  x = 31.5 weeks, about half of which I go to Palm Beach

391.62 miles/ week for 15.75 weeks = 6168.015 miles

 In the 5 months at home, the trips to and from Miami are excluded from the above calculation, so the weekly mileage is as follows:

4.5 𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑘𝑠

1 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ =

𝑥 𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑘𝑠

5 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑠  x = 22.5 weeks

391.62 - 338 = 53.62 miles/week x 22.5 weeks = 1206.45 miles

Yearly Car Mileage:

6168.015 + 1206.45 = 7374.465 miles/ year, which converts to 11868.05 km

b) Flights – my family and I travel to Puerto Rico at least once per year.

1,040 miles from Ft. Lauderdale to San Juan  2080 miles roundtrip  3347.44 km

c) Home Energy Usage

According to Florida Power and Light, the average daily consumption of energy in my

family’s household is 21 kWh. My family consists of three people, including myself,

so:

21 kWh = 7 kWh per day x 365 = 2555 kWh consumed yearly

3

Using an online carbon emissions (RADsite) calculator, I determined the following:

Category Yearly Energy Consumption Metric Tons of CO2 emissions

Car 11868.05 km 2.27 metric tons

House 2555 kWh 1.37 metric tons

Flights 3347.44 km 0.28 metric tons

Total  3.93 metric tons per year

3. Plastic Use Over the course of two weeks, I photo-documented my plastic consumption:

Week 1: 10.6 ounces

Week 2: 8.27 ounces

10.6 + 8.27 = 9.4 oz./week average x 52 wks/yr = 490.6 ounces of plastic/year

2

490.6 ounces = 13.9 kg  1 kg of plastics = 6 kg of CO2 emission (Time for Change,

2009)

6 𝑘𝑔 𝐶𝑂2

1 𝑘𝑔 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐 =

𝑥 𝑘𝑔 𝐶𝑂2

13.9 𝑘𝑔 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐  83.4 kg CO2 emission

The U.S. national average for water consumption is about 100 gallons (or 378.5 L) per

person per day, adding up to about 138,152.5 liters (EPA, 2014). While my water usage

calculations were 16,060.75 liters below the national average, water consumption is undoubtedly

the area of the analyzed footprint in which I need to cut back. I realize that water is a precious

and globally scarce resource, but I had not previously noticed or thought about the extraordinary

amounts that I consume yearly. Most water in a household is consumed in the bathroom, and my

lengthy showers are evidently a testament to this fact. After monitoring my water use, I realize

that low-flow fixtures, particularly a showerhead in my case, would be a wise investment.

Similarly, purchasing Energy Star appliances would reduce my carbon emissions and fossil fuel

use, though it is already well below the national average.

My carbon footprint is 3.93 metric tons of CO2 per year, while the national average is

20.40 (RADsite). Globally, however, the average footprint is 4 metric tons. If I had my own car,

my footprint might be bigger; nonetheless, the majority of my carbon emissions are from car

trips back and forth to Miami. These could also be scaled back significantly with the use of

public transportation, such as the Tri-Rail, which I currently do not make much use of.

Overall, tracking my actions and their environmental impact has greatly increased my

awareness to the responsibilities I have as a future environmentalist and global citizen. I have

come to appreciate that there is much more I could be doing to reduce my strain on the Earth’s

resources, particularly when faced with the large numbers of the yearly calculations.

Resources

Abt Appliances. (n.d.). Maytag white commercial frontloading washer. Retrieved from

http://www.abt.com/product/53373/Maytag-MHN30PDBWW.html

EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, Water Sense. (2014). Us indoor water use. Retrieved

from website: http://www.epa.gov/WaterSense/pubs/indoor.html

Florida Power and Light. (2014, November). My energy usage.

RADsite. (n.d.). Carbon footprint calculator. Retrieved from

http://calculator.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx

Sears. (n.d.). Kenmore top load washing machine. Retrieved from

http://www.kenmore.com/kenmore-3.4-cu-ft-top-load-washing-machine/p-

02620022000P

South Florida Water Management District, (2014).Compute your use - water conservation

calculator. Retrieved from website: http://www.sfwmd.gov/portal/page/portal/xweb -

release 3 water conservation/computer your use calculator

Time for Change. (2009, April 11). Plastic bags and plastic bottles - CO2 emissions during their

lifetime. Retrieved from http://timeforchange.org/plastic-bags-and-plastic-bottles-CO2-

emissions

Wright, J. (2014, October 05). University of Miami launches conservation program. Retrieved

from http://savethewater.org/umiami-water-conservation/