Emission Factors
The TraceSafe Events Carbon Calculator uses emission factors sourced from the most up-to-date Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GhG) sources. Namely, the US EPA GHG Emissions Factors Hub, UK DEFRA, and the Canadian National Inventory Report.
Travel
To calculate emissions derived from travel to/from the event host city, distance is calculated, in the example of Team/Performer/Speaker offset, using map distance. When the origin is unknown, as in Attendee Offset, we use a blend of averages of short haul, medium haul, and long haul flight distances (sourced from the US Bureau of Transportation).
Venue Transportation
To calculate emissions derived from travel within a city, eg. locals and visitors commuting to/from the venue, we use average commuting distances from methods such as personal vehicles, bus, and transit rail.
We use a percentage breakdown of local attendees’ likelihood of each method of transportation, based on their city’s size, population density, and whether or not it possesses a transit rail system. In instances where we do not have data on a city’s transit breakdown, we use regional or national averages where applicable.
Accommodation
The emission impact of a hotel stay is calculated from regional and national averages derived from the Hotel Footprinting Tool, using an assumption of 3-4 star accommodation levels for business or team/performer stays.
Attendees who fly into the host city are assumed to require accommodation for the number of nights equal to the duration of the event.
Results
To calculate the amount of trees required to offset the carbon dioxide emissions, we use the figure that one fully adult tree can absorb approximately 20kg of CO2 per year.
Sources
- US EPA GHG Emissions Factors Hub (April 2022)
- Canada - National Inventory Report (NIR) (2022)
- US Bureau of Transportation - OmniStats Commuting
- Moovit Insights - Global Public Transport Report 2020
- Hotel Footprinting Tool, V3.0. HCMI values obtained using 3 & 4 star accommodation
- Carbon Sequestration of Hardwood Trees
Personal Calculator
Baseline individual carbon footprint is determined by national per-capita averages, based on the user’s selected country. We then apply positive or negative modifiers towards the carbon footprint depending on which lifestyle option is chosen.
Once all carbon footprint-related lifestyle choices have been selected, we take a weighted average of all the modifiers to compare the estimated emissions against the national per-capita average of the selected country.
Diet
Carbon footprint calculated from the user’s diet factors in emissions generated from food supply, using 2600kcal food energy per day as a baseline (an average North American diet). Meat sources are averaged to account for a mix of beef/poultry/pork/lamb.
Home Size
We use the number of rooms as an extrapolated measure of a user’s home size. Emission factor modifiers come from the increased energy consumption required to heat/cool a home, as well as appliance usage. The emission factors used do not take into account the local climate; the figures are regional averages.
Transit Habits
For transit and transportation habits, we assume ‘driving’ to be a gasoline passenger vehicle equivalent, and transit to be bus, light rail, etc. Average travel and commuting distances are used to calculate the emission modifiers.
Flight Habits
Flight carbon footprint calculations use the average of short and long-haul flights.
Sources
- Our World In Data, CO2 and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Country Profiles, 2020
- The Carbon Footprint of 5 Diets
- Large Homes Create Bigger Carbon Footprint
- How our daily travel harms the planet
- Should we give up
