The other day I did the research and the math to determine how many trees it would take to offset projected carbon emissions for an upcoming road trip.Assumptions
- 5.5 lbs of carbon/gallon of gasoline = 2.5 kg of carbon (kgC)/gallon of gasoline
- my car gets approximately 35 miles/gallon
- Round trip to see mewithoutYou, Thrice, and Brand New in Lowell, Mass: 400 miles
- 6kgC/oak tree in first 25 years of growth
Calculation
400mi*(1gal/36mi)*(2.5kgC/1gal)*(1tree/6kgC)=4.6 trees growing for 25 years
So there it is! We'll need to plant 5 trees in a location where they'll be undisturbed for 25 years. (Though at this time of year, that might be tricky. Maybe I'll wait until the spring.)
