Carbon Footprinting Stall, Nottingham, Sunday 28th June

 

We ran a busy and successful carbon footprinting stall at Midsummer Energy on Sunday, with a nearly constant steam of people queuing up to calculate their footprints throughout the day. Calculating each footprint takes some time, and many visitors wanted one-to-one support with the process, so the total number of footprints completed at the stall was relatively low. However, every single one of the completed footprints involved in-depth discussions about how to calculate carbon emissions, and how to reduce emissions. Issues raised during the day included how to allocate emissions from work-related activities, especially for self-employed people, the dilemmas resulting from having family living abroad, and how to improve the efficiency of solid-walled houses. All completed footprints were posted up on the display boards, and people were keen to compare themselves to others – even to the extent of a husband and wife competing to get the lowest footprint! Though the audience was a relatively ‘green’ crowd, many people were surprised at the large size of their footprints, or at the emissions from areas of their lives that they had not really considered before. Almost all commented on how useful and interesting they found the process.