Starflock| What Is Our Carbon Footprint?
What Is Our Carbon Footprint?
Your CARbon Footprint
Summary
The project goal is to create an interactive application that estimates your transportation carbon footprint based on the car you drive, the local energy sources, and other lifestyle choices.
How I Addressed This Challenge
This project addresses the challenge by informing one of the impact on their carbon footprint based on their transportation choices.
How I Developed This Project
Electric vehicles are a great option to reduce emissions. However, some argue they are no cleaner than gasoline vehicles because the energy used to generate the electricity required to propel them is as dirty, namely coal and natural gas. Two points to argue this are: (1) depending on which state an electric car charges from the grid, the same car may be more or less efficient but in many states they are still cleaner than an equivalent gasoline car, and (2) as the grids in each state become cleaner from implementing renewable energy generators, the electric vehicles become cleaner, too!
The iOS app estimates your transportation emissions based on what type of car you drive and where you live:
Estimate your carbon footprint based on your gasoline car's MPG (miles per gallon).
Estimate your carbon footprint based on which state your electric car is charging from.
Explore the vast range in emissions released by electric vehicles by state.
How I Used Space Agency Data in This Project
This project heavily relied on the greenhouse gas emissions data that is gathered and analyzed by government organizaitions that collaborate with NASA, such as the EPA, EIA, and others (see references). Greenhouse gas emissions are directly linked to the health of the planet, a focus at NASA ("Off the Earth, for the Earth"). Transportation is a major source of greenhouse gasses. Electric vehicles are changing energy demands as they pull energy off the electrical grid, which was not originally intended to support transportation energy consumption.
Project Demo
Data & Resources
Abdallah, Lamiaa & El-Shennawy, Tarek. (2013). Reducing Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Electricity Sector Using Smart Electric Grid Applications. Journal of Engineering. 2013. 10.1155/2013/845051.
OpenEI. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Harmonization. Data from: Sathaye et al. (2011). “Renewable Energy in the Context of Sustainable Development.” In IPCC Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation, [O. Edenhofer et al. (eds)], Cambridge University Press, 84 pp., http://srren.ipcc-wg3.de/report/IPCC_SRREN_Ch09. pdf/
FuelEconomy.gov
EIA.gov
EPA.gov
https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions#transportation