Surprise on the baseline emissions! – Bárbara Maurício

What things did you enjoy the most about your experience this week?

I didn’t try anything new this first week.

What were the main challenges you faced during the week?

I didn’t take on any challenges this week. This week I measured my baseline emissions without any effort to reduce them. I wasn’t expecting to surpass the daily budget by a lot since I am working from home, I have a renewable energy provider, and I mainly have a vegetarian diet (fish occasionally).

What were your main lessons learned of the week?

It is amazing how it doesn’t take a lot to surpass our daily budget! I surpassed the daily budget of 6.845gCO2e, my daily average was 8.708gCO2e. And what drove up my emissions was the use of the car. (I am mainly at home all the time since I am still working from home. Usually, I have a public transport pass to go to work, and I go by bus. Anyway, I use the car a lot for other displacements. So my normal day emissions when not working from home would be somewhat similar.)

What would have made it easier for you to achieve or surpass your target this week?

I could have eaten less fish. However, what really drove up my emissions by a lot was the use of the car! I just used it to go to my mother’s house sometimes, which is 15min from where I live, and to go to events three times, not more than 20min away. Although I didn’t use it as much, it was enough to surpass my budget!