Like many students at NSCAD and schools across the country, my family lives elsewhere, so far in fact that the quickest way and most economic way of travelling (for that matter) is to fly “home” to visit. For those students who can afford it that can mean upwards of 4 trips a year, which can mean more than 8 plane rides. That, I have come to know, can really turn your baby shoe into a snow shoe.

I have also come to know that the carbon footprint tests are hard in many ways. The information they tell you is hard. The questions are hard to answer. The reasons why the questions are hard to answer is hard. I have never been good at weights and measurements —how much electricity does my house use? How many litres of oil does our oil tank hold? How could the tests that ask you to tell them how much you pay for these services possibly give you accurate results? I finished taking (about four of) these tests with questions.
Coming to the main conclusion that none of these tests are student friendly, and students are not the target audience. Then i wondered how would those living in precarious housing fair? Or those in nursing homes, hospices, and other long term care facilities? I understand how completing (or attempting to complete) one of these tests could be useful in re-examining the ways that we think about our energy consumption, but i question the value of our personal "carbon footprint".

Some of the tests i competed were certainly aware of this, they problem solved by adding spectrum answers, and including the $ equivalency to each oil amount for example. This added real world effect was important and useful. However their end "breakdown" of results was the least helpful- i screenshot my answers and posted them at top right.
I don't know what this means, and it was not easy to figure it out on the website.





-who else is not effected
-who is this for ? 
+ who is doing them ?