Marist Students Grow Their Carbon Footprint

Sasha van der Merwe '24 enjoys shopping for clothing at thrift stores, which is one way she works to reduce her carbon footprint.

Source: Sasha van der Merwe '24

At a time when global warming trends require decisive action within the next decade, Marist College students might need to add less wood to the fire. According to recent summary data, the average carbon footprint of a sample of the Marist student body has risen by almost 50% this year. And that finding can be attributed to an ongoing class project designed by Radka Wildova.

Wildova, a visiting assistant professor of environmental science and policy at Marist, teaches Introduction to Environmental Issues, a course offered for both science and non-science majors. As part of the class, she requires all students to determine their own carbon footprint using the calculator provided by the International Student Carbon Footprint Challenge. "I like the way it's structured, and it's targeted at students, so it doesn't have questions that may be too complex," said Wildova. 

Each person living on our planet has a unique carbon footprint, which is defined as one's total greenhouse gas emissions. Individual emissions can stem from a variety of sources, like food preferences and household living choices. And online carbon footprint calculators exist as a simple tool anyone can use to find out how much they are contributing to global warming in their own life.

For both her spring 2022 and 2023 classes, Wildova had 66 students across three course sections complete the assignment, and the results were telling. Overall, the mean carbon footprint jumped from 8,090 kilograms of carbon dioxide per year in 2022 to 11,947 kilograms in 2023 — that's even higher than the average global carbon footprint of 3,791 kilograms. "I think acknowledging that the baseline American lifestyle and where our power comes from guarantees that you're going to have a carbon footprint above what is sustainable for this world," said Jack Navin '25, a student in Wildova's 2022 course.

The term "carbon footprint" was first made popular by oil and gas giant British Petroleum. The company created its own carbon footprint calculator in 2004 to draw attention away from fossil fuels as a major cause of climate change. And so, in an ironic way, we can thank the company responsible for the largest marine oil spill in history for encouraging us to evaluate our individual carbon emissions.

But still, the carbon footprint calculator is a useful tool. In any case, it brings environmental awareness to the forefront and informs people about how their daily activities affect the environment. "It's kind of thinking about how your actions are impacting the environment, even if in the moment, you're not actually thinking about it," said Sasha van der Merwe '24, a student in Wildova's 2023 class.

The calculator tool used by Wildova's students covers four emission-based categories: home, food, purchases and transportation. To determine their statistics for each of the categories, students answered a variety of questions, from the kinds of lightbulbs they use to how often they buy new clothes to whether they consume organic food. 

Combining the data from both years, average carbon dioxide output increased the most in transportation, with an almost 120% jump — from 2,192 to 4,812 kilograms. This falls in line with homegrown statistics; in the United States, transportation accounts for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions. Navin suspects the transition to a post-COVID-19 world played a role in this significant increase, perhaps in a way reminiscent of the past. "If you look at the 1918 Spanish flu and the roaring '20s that immediately followed, I wonder if we're heading down a path of a similar kind of spurt of new ideas, a lot of travel, a lot of this celebratory lifestyle," he said.

Wildova hypothesizes that a 25% increase observed in the home category also plays a role in the high numbers. For van der Merwe, someone who feels cold more often than warm, this point is something she can relate to when taking hot showers at least once a day. "Sometimes, if I'm not feeling great, I'll just go in and have a little comfort shower. But in terms of the environment, definitely not good," she said. 

On the bright side, purchase emissions went down between 2022 and 2023, from an average of 441 to 396 kilograms. The pandemic’s inflated influence on the supply and demand chain means that students might be less eager to spend as much as they used to. "Prices have gone up with a lot of stuff… people were a little more conservative with what they bought," said Giovanni Altomare '25, a student in Wildova's 2023 class.

With all these factors to account for, reducing one’s carbon footprint might seem like an overwhelming task. For a start, Wildova recommends students make a list of priorities—the things in their life they can and cannot do without. "What are the things that you like to do that you really enjoy? And what are things that you do that might not be that important? And then, think about those things that are not as important, how much resources they take, especially if it includes travel," she said. 

From there, taking baby steps is key. If adopting a plant-based diet sounds too daunting, start by first minimizing your consumption of red meat instead. Or if you still prefer to travel often, try choosing destinations closer to home. As Altomare suggests, you can also reduce your footprint the next time you shop at your local grocery store. "I could stop getting plastic bags at supermarkets when you put produce in. I could just take the produce and leave it in the cart instead of putting it in a holding bag," he said.

No matter what your sustainable action of choice may be, it is important to remember that conserving natural resources is a responsibility shared by us all. "Those things are not for us to use as we wish, but they are here for us to help us to lead a meaningful life," said Wildova, “but we have to be very wise in how we deal with the resources."