Carbon Footprint 12/3

https://housebuyers4u.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/co2.jpg

A carbon footprint is historically defined as the total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an individual, event, organisation, or product, expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent. A simplified definition of carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere when certain items are shipped around the world. Shipping these items helps companies gather the materials they need in order to create products that are sold in stores today. It is important for companies to know what their carbon footprint is because depending on how far the items are shipped, it could effect the environment crucially. In addition, the length of how far the items travel can determine how much money it costs to ship the items. To calculate the carbon footprint, you have to find out how far it takes each material to ship from the manufacturer's to the factory where your product is built or sold. First, you have to consider what possible mode of transport should be used to ship each material. If the manufacturer is in the same country then a truck should be used. If the manufacturer is in the same continent then a train should be used. If the manufacturer is in a different continent then an airplane should be used. Then you find out how many miles each item travels and convert those miles to the amount of CO2 that is released depending on the mode of transport.

S&EP - SP2: Developing and using models

I constructed physical, mental or conceptual models to represent and understand phenomena when I created a google map with my group to represent the location of each material needed to create our product for Charity Fair. I used models to explain and predict behaviors of systems, or test a design as I marked the locations of the manufacturers or where each material was made. Then we marked the location of the retailer or where we bought each material. Next, we connected the manufacturers to the retailer with the line tool as we decided the possible mode of transport for each material. Lastly, we found out how many miles the materials traveled and converted the amount of miles to the amount of CO2 that would be released when each material is shipped. I refined/rebuild my model as I learned that each location needed to be marked with their own individual icon.