Date: July 30, 2010

COSMOS Students Conduct Carbon Audit at Explorit

By Eric Amemiya, Adil Majid, Alvin Chen, Jenna Schurr

Explorit Science Center just took yet another step forward in educating the Sacramento region. Explorit was one of five companies that agreed to be carbon audited by the local COSMOS summer program at UC Davis. Four COSMOS students and our teacher, Neil Kelley, visited Explorit's Nature Center to conduct the carbon audit and generate a report.

What is COSMOS?

COSMOS is a month-long residential summer program for students with strong backgrounds and interest in science and math. COSMOS is offered at four UC campuses and is composed of nine "clusters," or groups, each based on a unique aspect of science or math. This year, members of Cluster 4: "Anatomy of Global Climate Change" at UC Davis were assigned a final project in which groups of four were given the opportunity to work with a local business in Davis to calculate their carbon footprint. Under the Cool Davis Initiative, we worked with the City of Davis, which aims at being the first carbon-neutral city in America.

COSMOS Cluster 4 students hope to learn about the energy use of small businesses and their impact in the overall global climate. Explorit's adoption of green techniques is important because of its outreach programs to young children who will someday have to find a lasting solution to global climate change. If our generation can understand how small businesses contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, we can take the first small step towards creating greener communities and providing a healthier planet for future generations.

What is a carbon audit?

A carbon audit is a review of a company's energy use and overall environmental impact, measured in tons of CO2 emitted per year. Carbon audits take into account all aspects of potential energy use: utility (electricity, gas, and water) use, trash and recycling habits, company transportation, and employee commuting practices.

What do the results mean?

Partaking in a carbon audit means that we measured Explorit's carbon footprint - in other words, their environmental impact -and recommendations were given to help reduce it. Global climate change is arguably the most important issue facing the next generation, thus making it imperative that influential companies like Explorit adopt green techniques.

What's the process?

Cluster 4 students visited Explorit's Nature Center to examine the facility and figure out what Explorit could do to reduce the building's carbon footprint. Surveys were given out to Explorit employees, which provided necessary details to calculate the business's overall carbon footprint.

The carbon audit revealed a footprint of 40.5085 tons of CO2 per year - half that of the average California household. Explorit is very aware of the global climate change problem and takes many steps to reduce their carbon footprint. Some of the green steps include the Challenge Center, where visitors reuse common household items (collected by Explorit staff and community members) to make fun science crafts. (Materials, such as empty egg cartons, toilet paper tubes, paper towel tubes, old CDs, and empty dental floss containers, coffee cup sleeves, and film canisters can be saved and dropped off at Explorit's 3141 5th Street location Monday-Friday between 9:00am and 4:30pm.) Explorit also has a solar panel, which produces some electricity for Explorit and introduces students to renewable energy via an interactive display panel. Explorit is also very efficient in their use of paper: if a printed paper is not double-sided, it goes in a bin to be reprinted on!

Interested in Calculating Your Footprint?

COSMOS Cluster 4 was given the privilege to meet Chris Jones, creator of the Cool California calculator, and used his online calculator to figure out Explorit's carbon footprint. By visiting http://coolcalifornia.org/ and using the carbon footprint calculator, individuals can calculate their impact on the environment. Cool California's calculator will not only compare your results to those of the average California household, but will also provides tips and hints on how to reduce your carbon footprint.

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Explorit Science Center, at 2801 Second St., has two exhibitions on display: "Move It! Science in Action" and "Take Matter Into Your Own Hands." Admission is $4 general, free for teachers, and ages 3 and under. The museum is open to school groups by reservation and to the general public 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and 11 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information call (530) 756-0191 or visit http://www.explorit.org.