That’s a lot of gas
David Carroll, the county’s director of Sustainability announced last month that the county’s goal is to reduce its own greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent. That’s about 142,700 metric tons, or about 314.6 million pounds of carbon dioxide for those of you not using the metric system.
I’ve been trying to come up with a way to make that number relevant to us regular Joes.
Here’s my best attempt:
One gallon of gasoline creates 19 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, according to a Web site operated by federal Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency.
That’s the equivalent of about 16.6 million gallons of gas based on the county’s goal.
Based on a car with a 12 gallon tank, that’s the equivalent of eliminating 1.4 million fill-ups a year in Baltimore County. Just 689,911 SUV fill-ups, assuming they are of the 24-gallon gas tank variety.
What’s your thought about the county’s goal? Have a better real-world way of making the goal relevant to the rest of us? Feel free to leave a comment.