Längerer Beitrag – schneller Überblick:
There are plenty of them, the Footprint calculators. What exactly is their task? How do they calculate? And above all, what? And the most important thing for us: we wanted to show that we really belong to the good guys and document our oh-so-sustainable life. But:
Conclusion up front:
We, Gerd & Heike, in our van on our trip
And because this could turn into another long article, I'll give you the conclusion in advance: No, we Vanlifers are not the good guys. We may be on the right track, but with our diesel-powered frequent-kilometre journeys, we are tearing down everything we have built up so beautifully with our butts.
But first things first.
What is an Ecological Footprint Calculator?
An Ecological Footprint Calculator is an online tool that calculates the environmental impact of a person or group based on their lifestyle and resource use. It asks for information such as place of residence, diet and energy consumption to estimate how many climate-impacting resources (CO₂) are needed. The aim of the calculator is to raise environmental awareness and encourage people to make greener choices.
So we thought, let's see what it spits out for our minimalist and ecological lifestyle. And we were really in good spirits!
But what is this CO₂?
Climate change, caused by increased greenhouse gas emissions, leads to increased weather extremes such as droughts and heavy rains, which affect harvests and health. In Switzerland, for example, the temperature increase since 1864 has been 2 degrees Celsius, twice as high as worldwide. In Germany it will be similar.
And why is CO₂ so important?
Climate comprises the mean values of weather conditions such as temperature and precipitation over at least 30 years. The atmosphere contains greenhouse gases such as water vapour, CO₂, methane and nitrous oxide, which absorb heat radiation from the sun and radiate it back to earth. The natural greenhouse effect keeps the average global temperature at +15 °C. Human activities increase the concentration of greenhouse gases and amplify the effect.
What CO₂ calculators are available for the personal footprint?
I found a lot of computers in the search and actually went through all the German-language ones. That was quite a lot, and depending on the calculator, you also need quite a lot of time. But just by looking at the questions, you can see for yourself what the problem is, well, you know.
Here are a few calculators we used to work out our lifestyle:
Only for holidays and travel: http://www.fussabdrucksrechner.at/de/calculation/tourism
The environmental calculator from the Federal Environment Agency: https://uba.co2-rechner.de/de_DE
The climate calculator from myclimate: https://co2.myclimate.org/de/footprint_calculators/new
WWF Switzerland: https://www.wwf.ch/de/nachhaltig-leben/footprintrechner
Global Footprint Network: https://www.footprintcalculator.org/home/de
Footprint calculator for Austria: https://www.mein-fussabdruck.at/
Climate hero: https://oekologischer-fussabdruck.climatehero.me/
Bread for the World: https://www.fussabdruck.de/
What do we think of the computers?
All these calculators are well to very well suited for an introduction to the topic. However - vanlife or not - some climate-relevant aspects are not taken into account.
Many calculators do not take pets into account. Even if people like to keep a dog or a cat, they are responsible for a large part of the CO₂ emissions. The same applies, even more tragically in terms of numbers, to children. If I have a large family, yes, then I cause enormous CO₂ emissions with each child.
We are by no means saying that you should give up family or pets from now on. But: If you only calculate everything mathematically, you arrive at much higher figures.
Furthermore, these calculators are often inaccurate and very simplified, i.e. they are based on estimates and highly simplified calculations. We had results of 6.5 to 14.5 tonnes of CO₂ per year in the calculations. And that per person! Bam!
For example, meat consumption is taken into account, but nowhere is the weekly bouquet of flowers asked about (that really takes a lot of CO₂). Sport is calculated as an average. But it makes a difference whether I go to high-class ski resorts in winter, go to air-conditioned gyms in summer or just jog around the church tower. Water consumption is not or rarely taken into account, as the use of water does not cause CO₂ emissions.
In addition, the CO₂ emission Only one factor in the ecological calculations. I can cycle to the shops, but not separate the rubbish. I can live vegan, but fill the toilet in my mobile home with chemicals every two days. I can cause glyphosate-contaminated soil with my shopping, but live in a mini-apartment. So it's all a question of personal judgement. So all calculators are meant for inspiration and for a little status quo analysis. But they are not the Holy Grail.
Let's look at our numbers, because only these can be changed:
The calculators are usually divided into 4 to 6 sections:
Public emissions
2 tonnes for us together.
Not quite a tonne per person per year, there is not much to be done. After all, road construction, hospitals, police, kindergartens, public water supply, etc. have to be maintained, regardless of whether we travel or "just live". These figures can usually not be influenced much. In our case, there are tiny deductions because we bathe in lakes (or not at all) instead of indoor swimming pools and almost never use doctors and hospitals. And - as far as we know - we don't call in the police.
Nutrition
2.5 tonnes together for us.
Because Gerd is an omnivore, he eats more CO₂; as a veggie, I eat a little less. Cheese, curd cheese, feta etc. are still a pain. Vegan would be better, but I gave up my vegan life in favour of social contacts when the journey began. Shredding.
Around one third of all CO₂ emissions are caused by food. So production, feed, storage, transport etc.. And then a lot is also thrown away. Not good at all! Here the WWF calculator gives really good tips on how everyone can change something themselves.
Mobility
12.4 tonnes for us together.
That is our Achilles' heel. In normal life, i.e. not when travelling, a lot is really possible. Walking or cycling to the shops or taking the train to work. Maybe even look for a job close to home or carpool?
With around 30,000 kilometres a year we are not so well off. Tyre wear, microplasticsferry trips, diesel consumption and so on. For us it's about 5 to 6 tonnes per person per year! Clearly too much!
However, something else strikes us about these figures: Before our trip we both commuted about 30,000 to 40,000 kilometres a year to work. Gerd by car, I often by train and occasionally by plane. If we lived somewhere again, it would probably be the same. So somehow it's a zero-sum game. Somehow this mobility thing has to change. Ideas are needed.
Consumption & Income
5.2 tonnes together for us.
This is about further consumption, not about food. Not all calculators take income into account. Statistically, however, the more money available, the more CO₂ is consumed. If I have more money, I buy more, I have more produced, I travel more, I go to restaurants more often.
Even if I donate it to a good cause, the money is charged to the CO₂ balance sheet. If I have less money, I don't have to water golf courses, operate private airports and build new off-road vehicles every few years. Clear, isn't it?
By the way, these are all examples to illustrate the point. We are not saying that everyone with a large income is responsible for golf courses. People with little or a lot of money can order cheap meat in a burger at the "Restaurant zur goldenen Möwe" and screw up their own balance sheet.
Since we live a very minimalist life ourselves, we thought we could score points here with low emissions. We thought wrong: new laptops, two newer-generation smartphones (albeit second-hand), a drone, a new lithium-ion battery in the camper van, a brand-new plastic dry separation toilet. All retrofitted. All this in a new van, well, 2 years old is still pretty new, isn't it?
Visits to museums on the road, the occasional ferry, lots of internet consumption, streaming and video calling and so on and so forth drive our numbers up.
And those who have a lot of money usually also have CO₂-intensive investments. So if you have share packages in Nestlé, Exxon or Amazon, well, that's another thing in the CO₂ account! Investments in hotels and real estate are also very CO₂-heavy. Did you know?
OK: we have our technology, which we need to work. Not good, but we can't do without it in our life model at the moment. We want to use many other things for as long as possible. Our financial investments are exclusively sustainable (Alternative Bank Switzerland). We buy clothes, cleaning materials and commodities only when we need to replace them.
House, flat, heating, electricity, etc.
0.5 tonnes together for us.
This is a very exciting point that we could never leave out of the calculations. Some form of living must always be specified. We had a very friendly contact with myclimate, who really took the trouble to look at this in detail for us. We ended up with about 0.25 per person per year. Because we don't need heated and built-up living space or large residential or hotel complexes. (Of course, this is only a snapshot, because we might want to live in a flat or a house again someday).
Oh, about the house: hotels are not good at all, even full-service campsites are expensive. Natural campsites or self-sufficient camping are much better. You are welcome to take a look at this study, including the conclusion: https://www.civd.de/artikel/caravaning-klimabilanz/
Here you can download the study directly: https://www.civd.de/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/2020_ifeu_Klimabilanz-von-Reisen-mit-Reisemobilen.pdf
Our conclusion: 22.6 tonnes for us together, 11.3 per person
For example, had every Swiss person (on average, of course) in 2015 14 tonnes of in the account, 5 were used in Switzerland, 9 abroad. In other words, what the Swiss produce (or have produced) abroad. Technology and clothes in Asia, animal feed or meat in South America and so on. The situation is similar for Germany, the number is somewhat smaller, but unfortunately only insignificant.
The threshold per capita is 0.6 tonnes. Per year. So we are 18 times higher.
Mobility (31%), general consumption (28%), housing and food (16% each) and public services (9%) contribute significantly to the footprint, as all calculators show. The CO₂ calculator of the Federal Environment Agency concludes with a future scenario that can be run through. For now, for the next 5 to 10 years and for the long future, i.e. 20 to 30 years. Cool idea!
We are quite honest: the result is devastating. Over the next few months, we now intend to work within the framework of the my trainingto come up with a strategy for a better balance. All ideas are welcome!
Do not compare yourself with others, but always with yourself from yesterday!
We hope that all Vanlifers and all other readers will take a test to get an idea of their own emissions. See where you can improve. But don't be discouraged: Every little bit helps. And if we are under 10 tonnes next year, we will have achieved something too.
The best for last: the handprint calculator
Many people already know how to live more sustainably, and the ecological footprint can help them do so. However, frustration arises when sustainable options are complicated, expensive or unavailable and only a part of society makes an effort to do so. This is where the Handprint helps, by changing the framework conditions so that sustainable behaviour becomes easier, cheaper or the standard. Unlike the personal footprint, handprint actions benefit several people.
Here are a few examples, really motivating:
https://www.brot-fuer-die-welt.de/gemeinden/handabdruck/
https://www.waschbaer.de/magazin/oekologischer-handabdruck-infos-und-tipps/
In times of dramatic environmental change, we can often feel fear and helplessness. To help future generations understand the importance positive action to address these challenges, the concept of the ecological handprint was developed. The handprint is a Symbol of hope, courage and commitment to solving environmental and sustainability problems.
- Positive action for a sustainable future
- Commitment to the common good
- Concern for the planet and all life forms
- Working together to implement policies for safer and healthier communities.
The handprint test by e.g. Bread for the World and Germanwatch:
- Promote handprint ideas and engagement
- Supported in the first steps by six questions that lead to a concrete handprint action.
Result of this test for us:
- Inspiring examples
- Strategic approaches for your idea
- First steps towards implementation
From the idea to the action
- Action sheet for planning and implementing handprint actions
- Find comrades-in-arms and become active together
We think this handprint calculator is much more motivating. Let us know what you came up with, whether it's a footprint or a handprint!
Sources (all retrieved 13 April 2023):
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/CO2-Bilanz
https://www.myclimate.org/de/informieren/faq/
https://www.wwf.ch/de/nachhaltig-leben
https://www.wwf.ch/de/stories/klima-und-ernaehrung-6-aufruettelnde-fakten
https://www.myclimate.org/de/informieren/faq/faq-detail/wer-produziert-co2/
https://gemeinwohl-leben.ch/klimafreundlich-leben/
https://www.deutschlandfunknova.de/nachrichten/biodiversitaet-hauskatzen-sind-wahre-killer
https://news.mit.edu/2008/footprint-tt0416
Thank you for reading our sustainability thoughts. Every two to three weeks on Mondays we write something about the possibility of living future-oriented in the van. We try to shed light on different areas and hope to do so without pointing fingers.
Our focus is on the joy of van life and the many possibilities. We want to avoid the usual doomsday and renunciation communication.
You can find all the sustainability posts collected in the Category Future.
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Best regards - Heike & Gerd
