Community Household Survey

2007-2008: CO2 Household Emissions Survey

In the fall and winter of 2007-2008, a team of fourth year students from the University of Guelph’s Environmental Science course, worked with us to develop our first household CO2 Footprint Survey. Approximately 50% of Village households participated, measuring home energy use as well as personal, public and air transportation use.

After the analysis of the results, each household received its individual footprint calculation, as well as its comparison to current Village, Canadian and world footprints.

The footprint of the Village was extrapolated and calculated from the individual surveys.

We learned that in 2007-8 Eden Mills produced approximately 4607 tonnes of CO2 annually.

We calculated that the average person in Eden Mills produced 10.4 tonnes of CO2 during 2007-2008.

We took particular note of the fact that our personal and air travel represented two thirds of our emissions. There is no public transportation in or to the Village.

You can read the Carbon Emissions Survey report, the students’ full report explaining in detail the context, objectives and methodology of the survey.

Knowing that Eden Mills produces more CO2 than the Canadian residential average, and that Canada is the 2nd highest producer of CO2 emissions in the world, we set to work and developed a comprehensive plan – a 3-point strategy to reduce our emissions, to replace the fossil-fuels we use, and to absorb more CO2.

Subsequent surveys can be found here.