Carbon Calculator

Overview

Programme

Education phase

Key stage 4 Key stage 3 Key stage 5

Category of activity

Supporting

Types of activity

Curriculum

How it helps

A healthier school community and lower car use

About the activity

Suitable for all Secondary School Pupils (KS3-KS5)

The Carbon Calculator Activity Card is an innovative way to calculate the carbon footprint of travelling to school. This can provide a good indication of how your school community’s travel choices impact the environment. Although there will always be limitations to these calculations, this estimate can provide you with a good indication whilst helping you to quantify the impact of your project.

What is Carbon Footprint?

This is a measure of the amount of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere as a result of the activities of a particular individual, organisation, or community.

It’s possible to calculate the carbon footprint of travelling to school. There will always be limitations to these calculations but this estimate can provide you with a good indication of how your school community’s travel choices impact the environment. It can also help you to quantify the impact of your project.

Why not calculate your carbon saving?

Do you think your schools travel carbon footprint has increased or reduced? Repeat the calculations for last year or your baseline survey and compare the results!

Sharing your findings:

Write an article about your finding for your school Newsletter. You could also add a feature to your Podcast about this!

Activity steps

Step 1

Find out the average distance which students travel to your school. You can ask your school office or Borough Officer

Step 2

Log on to TfL Travel for Life, click ‘view my school’ and click ‘surveys’. Open the most recent survey, select ‘pupils’, ‘number’ and view the results by travel mode.

Step 3

Note down the number of students who travelled to school by car. Use the ‘car/motorcycle’ category. The ‘car’ category includes ‘car share’ and ‘Park & Stride’ which we need to consider separately!

Step 4

Also note down the number of students who travelled by Park & stride, Car Share, Public Bus, School bus, Underground / Overground / DLR / Train and Tram.

Step 5

Use the table and formula on the links page to calculate the CO2 emissions of these journeys and calculate the overall total for all modes

Step 6

Discuss with students why carbon footprints can be controversial and what could be the limitations on their calculations?