NAME: _________________________________________________________ DATE: _________ CLASS: ________

© EcoRise Youth Innovations & Representaciones e Inteligencia Sustentable, 2016 1

Personal Transportation Eco-Audit Worksheet

Introduction: Have you ever stopped to wonder how many vehicles there are on our planet? In 2010,

experts estimated that there were 1 billion passenger cars traveling the world’s streets and

highways. In 2011, another 60 million cars were produced, and each year since, a similar

number of shiny new cars have hit the roads. Think about that! Our society has become

increasingly dependent on cars that burn fossil fuels. The extensive drilling and mining for and

burning of fossil fuels has had a very negative impact on our environment, air quality, and

health.

The purpose of the personal transportation eco-audit is to have you take a closer look at

your transportation habits for a week. This worksheet will guide you in determining the distance

you travel during a one-week period and how much carbon dioxide (CO2) those

transportation activities release into the atmosphere. When conducting the eco-audit,

remember that it is important to describe all the ways you move around your community (for

example, by foot, bicycle, car, bus, etc.) and, when in a vehicle, if you travel with others. The

more people you share your ride with, the less CO2 you are personally responsible for emitting

into the air.

Materials:

•! Computer with Internet access

•! Calculator

•! 2–3 copies of the Personal Transportation Calculations Datasheet (to record all of your

transportation activities)

NAME: _________________________________________________________ DATE: _________ CLASS: ________

© EcoRise Youth Innovations & Representaciones e Inteligencia Sustentable, 2016 2

Part 1: Logging Travel Activities

Use the chart on the next page to document all your travel activities during the next week. (Note: You will likely need several copies of the datasheet to record all your data.) The instructions below will guide you in completing the chart. The first row in the chart can also serve as an example for you. 1.! In column A, list the date of each travel activity. 2.! In column B, describe where you went. If you go to and from one location with no other

stops, you could call it a roundtrip. However, if you make other stops along the way, it is better to describe the trips individually because the distance will change.

3.! Columns C–F show different forms of transportation. In the column for the appropriate form

of transportation, record the distance you travel. So if you walk 3 km, record 3.0 in column C. If you ride in a gas-powered car, record 3.0 in column D, etc. You might want to use a travel application or resource like Google Maps to determine the distance of each trip.

4.! Are others riding in a vehicle with you? If so, how many people? Count yourself in the

number you record in column G of the chart. 5.! To get the value for column H, divide the number you recorded in columns C, D, E, or F by

the number of people you recorded in column G. 6.! What is the fuel economy in kilometers per liter (km/L) or miles per gallon (mpg) of the

vehicle you are riding in? The owner’s manual of a car may list estimated fuel economy, or you could look up the year, make, and model of the car on the Internet to determine fuel economy. One resource you could use is www.fueleconomy.gov. Record the km/L or mpg information in column I of the chart.

7.! If you are walking, biking, or riding in an electric car, good for you! Record 0 in column I of

the chart. 8.! To calculate the value for column J, divide the value in column H by the value in column I.

So, in the example, 1.35 km/23 km/L = 0.06. (Round to two decimal points.)

NAME: _______________________________________________________________________________ DATE: _______________ CLASS: _____________

© EcoRise Youth Innovations & Representaciones e Inteligencia Sustentable, 2016 3

Personal Transportation Calculations Datasheet

A B C D E F G H I J

Date Destination

Walk/ Cycle/ Electric (km/mi

traveled)

Gas (km/mi

traveled)

Diesel (km/mi

traveled)

Hybrid (km/mi

traveled)

Number of People in Vehicle

Km (mi) You Are

Personally Responsible

For

Km/L (mpg)

of Vehicle

Liters (Gallons) of Fuel You Are

Personally Responsible For

Sample: Feb. 1

grocery store/home (roundtrip) 2.7 2 1.35 23 0.06

TOTALS:

NAME: _________________________________________________________ DATE: _________ CLASS: _______

© EcoRise Youth Innovations & Representaciones e Inteligencia Sustentable, 2016 4

Part 2: Analyzing Travel Data 1.! On the chart below, record the amount of each type of fuel you used for the week. (On

the Personal Transportation Calculations Datasheet (above), column D indicates the type of fuel used for each trip, and column J indicates how much fuel was used each time. You will need to add the amounts for each type of fuel.)

2.! Use the Fuel-Based Emissions Cheat Sheet on the next page to determine the CO2 emissions

for each type of fuel, and record it in the third column below. Note: You only need to record the number for Liters or Gallons, depending upon whether you are using metric or standard units.

*Data for the third column can be found in the Fuel-Based Emissions Cheat Sheet on the next page.

Personal Transportation Weekly Total CO2 Released

Type of Fuel Used Amount of Fuel Used During the Past Week

CO2 Emissions from Fuel*

(metric tons CO2/liter)

Total Metric Tons of CO2 Released Into the

Atmosphere During the Past Week

Walking/Cycling 0 0 0

Electric 0 0 0

Gasoline

Diesel

Hybrid

TOTAL:

NAME: _________________________________________________________ DATE: _________ CLASS: _______

© EcoRise Youth Innovations & Representaciones e Inteligencia Sustentable, 2016 5

Fuel-Based Emissions Cheat Sheet

Energy Form Metric Tons of CO2/L (gal.)

Walking/Cycling 0 emissions!

Electric Car

Emissions can be created during the production and distribution of the electricity that powers your car; however, this car creates no tailpipe emissions, so you can enter 0 metric tons of CO2 per trip for the purpose of this worksheet.

Gasoline 0.002 metric tons CO2/liter OR 0.009 metric tons CO2/gallon

Diesel 0.003 metric ton CO2/liter OR 0.010 metric tons CO2/gallon

Hybrid

You will need to know the percentage of energy produced by fuel and the percentage produced by electricity that powers your car. Use the numbers above based on the type of fuel your vehicle uses, and then multiply the number by the percentage that is powered by fuel. For example, if 30% of the power comes from gasoline fuel and 70% comes from electricity, multiply 0.002 metric tons CO2/L by .3 to find the CO2 emissions of your hybrid car for the purposes of this worksheet.

Other:

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2014, May). Greenhouse gas emissions from a typical passenger vehicle. Retrieved from http://www3.epa.gov/otaq/climate/documents/420f14040a.pdf Derived: EPA averages: http://www3.epa.gov/otaq/climate/documents/420f14040a.pdf

- CO2 emissions from a gallon of gasoline: 8,887 g CO2/gal. - Therefore: 2,347.7 g/L - 0.008887 metric tons/gal., rounded - 0.0023477 metric tons/L, rounded - CO2 emissions from a gallon of diesel: 10,180 g CO2/gal. - Therefore: 2,689.3 grams/L - 0.010180 metric tons/gal., rounded - 0.0026893 metric tons/L, rounded There are one million grams per metric ton.

NAME: _________________________________________________________ DATE: _________ CLASS: _______

© EcoRise Youth Innovations & Representaciones e Inteligencia Sustentable, 2016 6

Part 3: Getting Perspective on the Data 1.! List the total from your Personal Transportation Weekly

Total CO2 Released chart here: ____________________________ metric tons of CO2

2.! Convert that number to kilograms by dividing it by 0.001. ____________________________ kg of CO2

3.! How many weeks is your school in

session? ______________________________________________ 4.! Multiply your kilograms of CO2 emissions (2) by the number of weeks your school is in session

(4).

_____________________________________________________________

That is an estimate of how much CO2 you will emit during this school year. 5.! Multiply your kilograms of CO2 emissions (2) by 52, which is the number of weeks in the year.

____________________________

That is an estimate of how much carbon dioxide you will emit during the calendar year.

6.! For a visual comparison of your data like those we have shown here, go to http://embed.carbonvisuals.com and enter the numbers you listed in 2 and 5 above.