# Random idea regarding Carbon-footprint calculation

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-idea-regarding-carbon-footprint-calculation/471753>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [November 8, 2008, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-idea-regarding-carbon-footprint-calculation/471753 "2008-11-08T01:35:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2008, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-idea-regarding-carbon-footprint-calculation/471753/1 "2008-11-08T01:35:26Z")

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Imagine a web-based show with elements of Junk Yard Wars, MythBusters, Dirtiest Jobs, This Old House and National Geographic.

Viewers submit a description of a common activity from their lives. For example, I handle a lot of firewood by harvesting deadfall on my family’s land. I’d like to know what the carbon footprint would be, including my body, the chainsaw, the 4-wheeler, and the ultimate consumption of the wood in a the wood-burning stove.

A team of adequately equipped researchers document measuring the carbon output of a controlled recreation of the submitted activity, with proper scientific equipment and techniques, throw in some level of need for ad-hoc development of equiptment to capture the measurements, etc.

Meanwhile, other researchers, not televised) could be working on similar research. Perhaps things that are not as compelling from a documentary perspective.

All of this data could be used to generate a Carbon-footprint calculator.

With enough common behavior documented, you can start applying maths and making accurate projections and such.

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2008, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-idea-regarding-carbon-footprint-calculation/471753/2 "2008-11-08T03:38:37Z")

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It seems to me that the biggest benefit from your idea wouldn’t be the calculation itself, but simply that, by virtue of having a TV show about it, you’d be raising public awareness of the issue of CO[sub]2[/sub] emissions. Yes, people already know it’s an issue, but might not know how much, or might think that it’s only a matter of cars and/or electricity generation.

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**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2008, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-idea-regarding-carbon-footprint-calculation/471753/3 "2008-11-08T04:18:17Z")

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Yeah it is really an educational gimmick when all is said and done, perhaps providing some QA now and then on existing methods of calculating.

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**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2008, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-idea-regarding-carbon-footprint-calculation/471753/4 "2008-11-08T07:50:59Z")

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Moving to MPSIMS at request of OP.