( Some big mistakes in the last email -- corrected here:)
There has been some concern expressed about the carbon footprint of an
autocross event, given that Alameda is actively trying to reduce theirs (as
they should). So here's a rough calculation
(recalculated based on input below):
1. Overall costs to arrive and depart is the same as any event where 150-200
people get together -- say a Farmer's Market. Whatever that is, any event our
size will incur it, it's a wash.
2. Assume:
150 entrants
4 runs
Course length 1/2 mile
average on-course MPG 5
Total gasoline burned: 60 gallons.
The carbon dioxide released by burning that amount of gasoline:
1,200 lb or 0.60 tons of CO2.
If ONE Alameda resident replaces TWO light bulb with a compact fluorescent
light for a year, Alameda will save the carbon footprint of canceling an
autocross and holding a farmer's market instead! If every autocross entrant
replaced one light bulb with a CFL for a year, we'd offset the equivalent of
82 autocrosses every year. I already replaced mine!
http://tinyurl.com/6mvd4o
Trees? About $90 will plant about 900 tropical trees, each of which removes
about 50 lb of CO2 per year. So $90.00 will pull 45,000 lb of CO2 every year
thereafter -- not planting that many every year. So planting 900 trees in the
rainy tropics will offset the effects of 37 autocrosses every year thereafter
(though you could plant a few more each year to compensate for trees dying,
reaching maturity, etc.) Planting trees here would not have nearly the same
benefit due to slower growth.
Values from here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treeplanting
If you read all of it you may think planting trees is the wrong way to go --
and that every other possible way is the wrong way to go because we humans
really don't know very much at all.
If anybody gives you any guff about autocrossing's carbon footprint, let them
know.
We'd probably be smart to plant 1000 tropical trees right now, so if anybody
brings up carbon footprint, we've already offset it all. We can put up an icon
on the website!
Jerry
SUV: 60 gallons is 900 miles on one SUV. Still, I'd rather take 600 autocross
runs than drive an SUV 900 miles!
[Updated on: Thu, 26 March 2009 13:14]
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