GCP 20 Carbon Footprint walkabout by robert lewis

Living on the top floor in summer is unbearable for me

rl3280_1 — 2026-06-05 13:11:45 UTC

Yesterday morning at 2AM was when the summer began for me. I woke up in a sweat, because it was so hot in my room, because the tar roof holds on to all of the sun's heat, 24/7.

2026-06-05 17:33:54 UTC

Composting boxes (smaller one built by me!) installed at Brooklyn College. They use convection to ensure airflow, which makes them easier to use by eliminating the tiring turning process. This encourages people less familiar with composting to start doing it, helping to reduce garbage waste.

Solar Panel Charging Station (Odessa B. Milian)

2026-06-05 18:32:32 UTC

I have started using a solar panel charging station for my phone, iPad, laptop, and headphones.

2026-06-09 22:49:54 UTC

In all of the apartments in my building, they have installed electric stoves. They work by not using gas and instead using electricity, which is much better for the environment and a little safer if you remember it's on.

2026-06-14 13:41:22 UTC

As the Summer rolls in to keep the house cool/cold. My family and I like to keep the air conditioner running all day. This is not great for the environment as it using a lot of electricity. Multiply that across the 5 boroughs & considering how densely populated NYC is. This without a doubt puts a heavy strain on Con Edison's electrical grid. Especially when the sun is at it's highest point between 1pm & 4pm.

Yard Sale - Jaharis Cifuentes

2026-06-15 01:04:11 UTC

I’ve been wanting to add to my closet, but I have a lot of clothes already and I’m cheap. Last week, I went to a yard sale and bought a lot of clothes for a really good price. I got a lot of cute things and helped someone declutter their home.

HVAC!

2026-06-15 12:29:04 UTC

This is the system I would love to transition to. Currently my building runs on a boiler full of oil. Not only is it expensive but it's also a very old, dirty technology. All I need is oodles of money and I can get an HVAC system installed. :)

New Green Highway

2026-06-15 12:54:44 UTC

I live close to a highway. Walking down it was always so hot. Last year the city tore down my closest bus stop ( I was sad for a year) but in its place planted a green space to seperate the flow of traffic. Although I lost a bus stop, the neighborhood benefited from the planted trees, because now there is more green life to absorb the Co2 car emissions, apart from also maintaining spaces for bus stops. I think of it as a carbon capture 3 for 1. Trees absorbing Co2; Bus stop still functioning also decreasing Co2 because of multiple people kept out of driving individual vehicles; and the beautification of the neighborhood that functions as shade hopefully encouraging more people to take the bus!

Electrical Rebate Program

2026-06-15 22:24:17 UTC

I'm participating in the rebate program through Ever Electric (www.everyelectric.com). They partner with ConEd and monitor the grid so that when there is strain on the grid, it will auto switch your AC to use the power bank when the grid is being used over capacity. It also provides assurance that if there is a brown or black out you still have some power. The cost for me was $50 deposit. I do believe you return the power bank when done, but can keep it til you're done with the power bank.

It will auto switch for you. And you may be able to get some kind of rebate at the end of the season.

City Bike Charging Station

2026-06-16 03:44:33 UTC

I haven’t used a city bike in a little while, but I think it’s a great way to reduce carbon emissions. It’s beneficial to both the people and the environment by using solar panels to provide power for some of the docks and systems, as well as transportation without the need of gas or burning fossil fuels.

Solar panels & native plantings

2026-06-16 11:26:37 UTC

Everyday I bike from my home to the Arverne East Nature Preserve where I lock my bike before taking the subway to class. It is a 35 acre nature preserve operated by NYC Parks and contains five examples of coastal maritime ecosystems (grasslands, dunes, forest, shrubland, swale) that would exist along the city’s ocean facing shorelines were it not for urban development. The building in the background with solar panels on the roof is the welcome center.

Green makes me happy.

gunnellad — 2026-06-16 12:28:53 UTC

Public Transportation

2026-06-16 16:27:41 UTC

One way I reduce my carbon footprint is by using public transportation for my commute to school. Instead of driving a car every day, I take the train from Long Island to Queens or Manhattan. Traveling by train helps decrease the number of vehicles on the road, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. By choosing this method of transportation, I am contributing to a more sustainable environment while also making my daily commute more efficient.

Carbon Footprint

2026-06-17 00:13:02 UTC

Seeing solar panels on top of this building feels like a small but meaningful step toward reducing its environmental impact. While the building still has a carbon footprint from construction and daily use, the panels help generate clean energy and lower reliance on fossil fuels. It's not completely carbon-neutral, but it's making a positive contribution by reducing emissions over time.

Recycling plastic & cardboard

2026-06-17 00:19:32 UTC

Separating all my cardboard and bottles from the garbage because recycling is very important. Many of my neighbors do not but I make it a point to.

azana22m — 2026-06-17 00:34:01 UTC

2026-06-17 01:23:24 UTC

I have a natural gas stove , this not good for carbon footprint due to the fact that gas stoves releases carbon dioxide whenever it is lit.

To the benefit of ALL

2026-06-17 02:53:49 UTC

This is my compost pile. Throughout the day I collect various kitchen scraps (coffee grounds, fruit and vegetable skins and seeds, tea bags, paper grocery bags and other decomposing food items) and throw it outside daily (on the right) . On the 3rd day I turn over the larger pile (on the left) and monitor the worm population, heat regulation and soil growth.

Going Green is the way to go

2026-06-17 03:26:24 UTC

My OSHA instructor is going green by not using gas driving and ride his bike 30 miles to work everyday. By riding his bike it’s help reduce the toxins in the air.

Wolff Alport Superfund Site

2026-06-18 03:27:48 UTC

Down two blocks from my apartment is a superfund site that has been erected since 2012/15 I believe. Between the 1920-1950’s, the wolff alport chemical company was transporting monazite sand here which contains 6-8% thorium of which they would dump the waste into the sewers til about 1947 causing extensive contamination. In the late 80’s was when the NYC Department of Energy alerted the NYV Department of health and mental hygiene. There was a radiological assessment taken place in 2007 which then led to the site clean up beginning around 2012. They had determined that the contamination can lead to many cancers within the civilization around them and was indeed within the sewer system, soil, and buildings in the surrounding neighborhood.

Faucet in my Bathtub

2026-06-18 11:48:26 UTC

When going to take a shower, the water runs from both the shower head and the tub faucet at the same time. This is a waste of water as excessive water is running every time the shower is used.