Evaluating the Carbon Footprint of Transportation at Washington University
This study aims to enhance the understanding of the carbon footprint associated with transportation at Washington University. It focuses on three key areas: ground transportation, air travel, and parking. Using data from student zip codes, the research estimates total passenger miles flown and the carbon emissions resulting from various commuting methods. The findings reveal annual carbon footprints of approximately 23,000 metric tons from student air travel and 5,500 metric tons from regional ground commutes. Recommendations for reducing emissions are also discussed.
Evaluating the Carbon Footprint of Transportation at Washington University
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Presentation Transcript
Transportation Michal Hyrc, Eric Tidquist, William Koury & Ryan Henderson
Objectives • To better understand the carbon footprint of transportation at Washington University by: • Ground Transportation: Improving Past Estimates • Air Travel: Novel Estimates • Parking: What happens when we go underground?
Approach & Methodology Flying • Extracted student locations and numbers from home zip code data • Found total passenger miles flown by students • Estimated carbon footprint from total number of passenger miles Parking • Adsf • Adsf • Adfs Commuting • Used school zip code data from a similar project conducted in 2009 • Calculated commuting distances by mode of transportation • Walk/Bike • MetroLink • MetroBus • Drive Alone • Carpool • Estimated carbon footprint • Upper bound • Lower bound • Best guess
Modes of Transportation and Total Carbon The two upper charts represent the number of students (left) and faculty (right) that commute to school in each mode of transportation taken into consideration. The chart to the right represents the total carbon emissions from students and faculty.
Results Parking Analysis
Summary & Conclusions • Our best estimates for annual transportation footprints are • ~23,000 metric tons of CO2 from student air commute • ~5,500 metric tons of CO2 from faculty and student regional ground commute • Parking? • This is an underestimation of the actual total footprint • The transportation footprint has been and will continue to increase • To reduce the transportation footprint, we recommend the University • Merge fall and thanksgiving break to reduce flight emissions • Try to reduce the number of people that drive to work by themselves
References • http://hypertextbook.com/facts/1999/KatrinaJones.shtml • http://apps.olin.wustl.edu/mba/casecompetition/PDF/oscc_case2.pdf • http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/garage-ventilation-d_1017.html • http://www.docstoc.com/docs/2392070/Overview-of-Existing-Regulations-for-Ventilation-Requirements-of/ • http://www.epa.gov/ttnchie1/conference/ei13/ghg/hanle.pdf • http://capitawiki.wustl.edu/EECE449/index.php/Commuting • http://capitawiki.wustl.edu/EECE449/index.php/Shuttles • http://capitawiki.wustl.edu/EECE449/index.php/Transportation • http://www.bts.gov/xml/air_traffic/src/index.xml#CustomizeTable • http://www.ghgprotocol.org/ • http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/coefficients.html • http://www.whatsmycarbonfootprint.com/faq.htm • http://www.carbonfund.org/site/pages/carbon_calculators/category/Assumptions • http://www.epa.gov/oms/climate/420f05001.htm • http://capitawiki.wustl.edu/EECE449/index.php/Transportation
