Sometimes it just seems to be a term people fling across a table at a social gathering, possibly with wine in clinking glasses, but ‘the footprint’ is a real and direct effect of our very existence. However I found myself getting increasingly frustrated when discussions on the environment seemed to veer to the ‘inevitable doom’ and the destruction ‘mankind couldn’t see’. I believe that we need to do something about it.
Global warming and the term climate change are interlinked; global warming is an increase in the temperature of the earth’s surface. A carbon footprint is the total set of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by an organization, event, product or person. It is possible to measure an individual’s carbon footprint by performing a GHG assessment of the total amount of emissions produced (Carbon accounting).
Each person is responsible for their individual carbon footprint. It is imperative for a person to know their impact on the environment in order to minimize the damage caused. We cannot depend on the actions of others to help reduce our own damage; we need to work together. If we don’t implement a strategy, local climate conditions will be modified and cause an increase in the sea level due to increasing global temperatures. This is will affect forests, crop yields as well as water supplies.
The serene environment around us never gives away how fragile it has become. Perhaps it was always fragile to begin with, and we weren’t caring enough.
I want to create a ‘carbon footprint’ shoe and measure a person’s individual carbon footprint using carbon accounting. Carbon accounting relates normally to procedures commenced to “calculate” and compute amounts of carbon dioxide equivalents emitted by an entity. It is used by nation states, corporations and individuals.
A carbon calculator will be inserted inside the base of the shoe, to determine the total amount of CO2 saved by the person walking. Carbon points will be deducted the more a person walks. However when the shoe is stationery, it will also have ‘sensory’ points which will work on a strategy of negative feedback. When the wearer sits inside a car or public transport carbon points will be added automatically to the carbon accounting system.
To determine the amount of CO2 produced by cars/public transportation, the calculator divides the estimated or exact usage by the total number of miles covered. Conversely the carbon points will vary based on the type of transportation selected. Higher points will be added if a person uses the car. The wearer can simultaneously view their carbon points to view their total impact. This shoe will have the appearance of a normal shoe so that it can be worn regularly on a daily basis. ‘A week analyzer’ will culminate all the values and carbon points and produce a carbon emission report that can be viewed by the wearer. This will help the individual to reflect on their lifestyle and carbon emission levels.