My CO₂ diary: the emissions of a dog, a renovation and 3 glasses of wine

Last week I kept my CO₂ diary for you. Let me start by saying that putting the responsibility of CO₂ emissions on individual consumers - in my opinion - is not something we should want. Companies and industries are responsible for the most significant portions of global CO₂ emissions. In the Netherlands, over 22% of CO₂ emissions come from the industrial sector. That doesn't mean it hurts to take a closer look at the impact of your daily life - living, traveling, dieting. Here are the results of a standard working week for me.

Monday: the emission of Gijs

I start the work week from behind my home office. Not before walking my dog Gijs, of course. He, too, emits CO₂. An average dog is responsible for 770 kilograms of CO₂ per year; large breeds, such as St. Bernard or the Bernese Mountain dog, can be as much as 2,500 kilograms. The New Scientist calculated that a labrador or golden retriever per year generates CO₂ emissions comparable to 20,000 kilometers of SUV driving. Now, Gijs is on the small side, so in my calculation, I count the average of 770 kilos per year (= 2.1 kilos of CO₂ per day).

Tuesday: getting out of bed on the wrong foot

6 AM - the alarm clock rings. I get ready and take Gijs for a walk. He got out of bed on the wrong foot, so I drag him behind me half the time. As a result, the round takes longer than usual, so I cycle to Amsterdam Centraal in record time (at least, it feels like it). Just before it closes its doors, I jump on the train at 07.05. On the way, I eat my breakfast and empty my mailbox.

There is no more sustainable way than traveling by train in the Netherlands. Since 2017, all NS trains have run 100% on wind power. A one-way trip from Amsterdam to Eindhoven costs 1.8 kg of CO₂ compared to 19.2 kg of CO₂ with a diesel car.

At 08.24, I arrived at Eindhoven Central Station, where I rent an OV bike and cycle to the office at the High Tech Campus. I write an article, have meetings, and review colleagues' work. We are organizing an event for all startups that raised money in 2024, so around 4 o'clock, I walk to the LUMO Labs office to get everything ready. Around 7 pm, I cycle back to the train station. There, I got a portion of pasta from Julia's.

Wednesday: faster, faster, FASTE!!!

6 AM - the alarm clock rings again. I follow same routine as yesterday, although Gijs is more willing today so no new record in cycling to Amsterdam Centraal today. Getting back home goes less smooth: there has been a collision, so the train ride takes me 2.5 hours. Train travel might be green, but can be very irritating at times too.

In the evening, I cycle to a spinning class in the Pijp (an area in the south of Amsterdam). The music is crushingly loud; the strobe flashes through the room and my instructor's motivational words (faster, faster, FASTER!!!) still echo as I cycle home. There, I watch the latest episode of the Dutch reality show Winter vol Liefde.

Thursday: lazy and green

I work from home. Albert Heijn delivers our weekly groceries. Home delivery costs an average of 100 grams of CO₂ emissions. An average petrol-driven car emits more with 1 km of driving: 204 grams of CO₂. So, having an order delivered to your home is lazy and costs less CO₂ than driving your car. I love it when convenience and sustainability go together.

Friday: Dry January ambitions overboard

I work from a coffee shop because my downstairs neighbors are remodeling. Once home, I clean the house, and my boyfriend, his brother, and I drive 180 kilometers to Groningen in our full-hybrid Toyota.

Our lease car is a full hybrid (or regular hybrid) without a plug. When you brake, the car generates energy that flows to the battery pack. With a 180-kilometer drive, we emit 25 kilograms of CO₂ (8.3 kg of CO₂ per person). With a regular gasoline car, this would be 49 kilograms of CO₂. In February, we will trade our Toyota for a fully electric one: with which a drive from Amsterdam to Groningen will cost only 11 kilograms of CO₂.

We are in Groningen for my father-in-law's 66th birthday. We gift him a super-deluxe pepper mill. Can you think of a better start of a new life year? I had plans for Dry January, but I drink three glasses of wine and threw my ambitions overboard.

Saturday: carnivore diet

From Groningen, we drive home via my sister. On the way, we pass the McDonald's. I order a strawberry milkshake and a hamburger. I go out for dinner with friends at a Thai restaurant in the evening. It is the only day this week when I eat meat. To get an idea: someone on a vegetarian diet emits an average of 6.4 pounds of CO₂ per day versus 8 pounds of CO₂ for an average diet.

It turns out that drinking alcoholic refreshments is not so environmentally friendly. After spirits (2,750 grams of CO2 per 0.75 liters), wine (1,720 grams per liter) causes 4 times more CO2 emissions than beer (420 grams per liter). Of all beverages, a glass of pure tap water is the best choice for the climate, according to Milieu Centraal. I should have stuck to Dry January after all.

Sunday: remodeling

We are planning to buy an apartment that we are going to renovate ourselves. We go to a furniture mall in Zaandam to get some inspiration. Then we drive by our friends house.

If we manage to find a 75m2 apartment, where we place underfloor heating (25 kg CO₂ per group) and a new kitchen (7500 CO₂) - for a new bathroom and toilet, we have to save up first - then that will cost about 8000 kg CO₂ in emissions. Still, it is inevitable; our search on Funda is best described as “old-fashioned social rental."

Another attempt next year

In an average week - because that's what it was - I emit 200.96 kg of CO₂. Elcke wrote in her installment of this series that the average in the Netherlands is 226.92 kg CO₂ per week. So, I was below average last week.

Whereas I curse train travel often enough (crowded trains, delays, track work), the low carbon emissions mitigate the annoyance. It also turns out that dry January hadn't been such a crazy idea, not for my kidneys, but not for Mother Earth, either. Next year, I'll make another attempt!