Welcome to the ecological backpack test! This is your personal test; it doesn't concern the whole household. The reason why the test asks about the number of other people is that the more people using the same car or living in the same house (for example), the lighter the ecological backpack.
Please fill in some basic information about yourself first. One did it researchers might use it to calculate average eco-backpacks for different locations around the world. Remember that you can save and redo your test. For registered One did it members, there are choices to make the test even more accurate. Happy exploring!
Please fill in all general questions to continue.
Housing puts some kilos into your ecological backpack. Even though it is asked how many people occupy your home, this is still exclusively about your personal eco-backpack. Registered One did it members can add secondary residences like holiday homes in this section! Cool, isn't it?
Please fill in all the questions in this section to continue.
Housing type refers to a detached house with its own yard. Usually houses are single family homes. A flat means an apartment in a block of flats. Row houses and town houses present somewhat intermediate forms of housing between detached houses and flats. Types of houses and apartments vary, but choose the type of housing you find closest to your own.
Please indicate the total living space of your home. The calculator will divide the total consumption by number of persons in your household.
Secondary residences refer to second homes for holiday or business purposes you visit on a regular basis. The number of persons using the secondary residences is asked since it might be different from the permanent residence. A holiday home can be shared with several families.
DEFINE SECONDARY RESIDENCE
REMOVE RESIDENCE
Many of us think about how much energy we use because it has a direct line to our wallets. You might then find it easy to insert total values of electricity and heating energy consumption of your household here. If you are not aware of the exact consumption figures, don't worry. You may use estimated EU average figures based on the size of your home. Registered One did it members can add several energy sources here.
Please choose the type of energy you use to continue.
The average option is based on the average ecological backpack of electricity in OECD-countries. If you have made a contract with your electricity supplier on electricity produced with wind power only, choose the corresponding option. Other ecological electricity refers to electricity certified with an eco-label and produced with some source of renewable energy other than wind power.
The annual consumption question asks you to insert the total amount of electrical energy consumed in your household as indicated in the electricity bill in kilowatt-hours. You can also use the average EU figure if the amount of electricity consumption is unknown.
Choose the main heating energy or heating system used in your household. If no heating system exists, choose the corresponding option. If electricity is used for heating, indicate the total electricity consumption for heating and other purposes in the field at the top of the page or use the estimate, which will take into account both heating and the use of appliances in this case.
Consumption of both electricity and heating are defined above.
Insert your energy consumption in detail by energy source. If you have installed solar panels, water heaters, air-source heat pumps, or small wind generation systems, their effect on the ecological backpack of your energy consumption is taken into account, since they decrease the need to use energy from other sources.
Choose the type of electricity used and insert the total amount of electricity consumed in your household as indicated in the electricity bill. The figure should contain the electricity consumption of appliances, space heating, and water heating, if applicable.
You can insert separately the amount of primary and waste wood. Primary wood refers to wood that is cut only for heating purposes. Waste wood and their residues refer to leftover wood from, for example, construction sites or wood processing plants.
Consumption of gas should include gas used for heating space and water, for cooking, and for all other purposes.
Ground source heating systems uses a loop of pipes to collect and transfer heat from the ground and converts it into heating energy. Since installation of horizontal and vertical pipes differs from each other in terms of natural resource use, they are considered here separately.
Hard coal and lignite, oil, and wood pellets can be used for both space and water heating in households. Insert the total amount of consumption of each fuel in the units of measurement indicated.
DEFINE USE OF SEVERAL ENERGY SOURCES
UNDEFINE USE OF SEVERAL ENERGY SOURCES
Waste or residue fuel wood
kg
You have reported a secondary recidence in the Housing-section.
Please define below the use of energy for it. If you choose not to, the average figures are used.
Consumption of both electricity and heating are defined above.
DEFINE USE OF SEVERAL ENERGY SOURCES
UNDEFINE USE OF SEVERAL ENERGY SOURCES
Waste or residue fuel wood
kg
Don't forget everyday routines or longer trips like holidays in this section. Fill in a daily commute, but not any business trips paid by the employer. They belong to the eco-backpack of your workplace. The test takes into account vehicles and fuel consumption, but also infrastructure (such as roads).
This is because an increase in mobility increases the pressure to expand the transportation network. Modern transport systems couldn't exist without a stable infrastructure, you know.
Please fill in all mandatory questions to continue.
Kilometres travelled by personal car includes both kilometres as the driver and as a passenger. If you keep a record of annual kilometres driven, it is good to check your notes. Insert the average number of persons travelling. The calculator divides the total backpack equally among all persons riding in the car.
Specify the properties of the car or cars you regularly use. Fuel consumption refers to the average consumption per 100 km. If you keep a record of the kilometres driven and fuel consumed, it is worthwhile to check them because figures are more accurate than the average figures provided by car manufacturers.
DEFINE VEHICLE
DEFINE ANOTHER VEHICLE
Kilometres travelled by motorcycle includes both kilometres as a driver and as a passenger. Insert also the weight and fuel consumption of your two-wheeler to estimate the ecological backpack of motorcycling.
DEFINE TWO-WHEELER
DEFINE ANOTHER TWO-WHEELER
The ecological backpack of the bicycle itself is very small compared to the backpack of roads used for cycling. Bicycle use, like all other transport modes, requires a static infrastructure. Natural resources are needed to build and maintain roads, highways, railways, ports and stations. When the ecological backpacks of passenger or goods transport are calculated, the resource consumption of the infrastructure is divided equally among users. The infrastructure is included in estimations for all modes of passenger transport.
If you sometimes use a taxi, a car pool, or share a ride with your friends, and you don't know the properties of the car, insert the number of kilometres in this field. The calculator shares the total backpack of driving among the persons sharing the ride.
Bus kilometres include both long and short haul traffic.
Rail transport has been divided into local rail transport, which includes local train, metro, tram, and transport by long distance trains. Local rail transport refers to trips made within a city region and for which a specific regional ticket might be available. Definitions of short and long haul rail transport can vary between countries and regions. Choose the option closest to your transport choice.
Waterborne traffic includes travel by ferries and express boats, for example. Boating with small motor and sailing boats is included in the leisure section.
Air travel is measured by hours of flying. Note that as with in all other transport modes, you can exclude business trips paid by your employer.
Are you a meat eater or a vegetable lover? Yummy, in any case! An omnivorous diet includes meat and other animal-based products. Vegetarian and vegan diets are assumed to exclude meat, fish, and seafood. A vegan diet also excludes the use of other animal-based products such as dairy and eggs. Registered One did it members can define their diet more precisely here. Neat!
Please choose the type of your diet to continue.
Please indicate how often you consume meat, fish, and other animal-based products. Meat products include beef, pork, mutton, poultry, and other meat products. Game meat and fish caught by nearby areas don't need to be taken into account. Fish also includes shrimp and other seafood. The estimated daily consumption of meat is 250 g, and in case of fish and seafood 70 g. Liquid dairy refers to milk, yoghurt and other such products. Average daily consumption of liquid milk products is assumed to be 300 g and cheese consumption 30 g per day. The calculator automatically takes into account the estimated amount of cereals, fruits, vegetables and other foodstuffs excluding animal products. If meat or other animal products are not consumed, this is compensated with vegetable products with high protein content.
DEFINE DIET
UNDEFINE DIET
How many days a weeka month do you use the following products?
Please indicate how often you consume dairy products. Liquid dairy refers to milk, yoghurt and like products. Average daily consumption of liquid milk products is assumed to be 300 g and cheese consumption 30 g per day. The calculator automatically takes into account cereals, fruits, vegetables and other foodstuffs excluding animal products. If meat or other animal products are not consumed, this is compensated with vegetable products with high protein content.
DEFINE DIET
UNDEFINE DIET
How many days a weeka month do you use the following products?
One cup of tea or coffee is 200 ml of ready-made drink. One alcoholic drink is one glass of wine or one bottle of beer.
What stuff do you have at home? In this section, amount of goods and appliances refers to the total number of items in your home. The test then divides the amount among household members. Clothes and jewellery are considered your personal items. If you're a registered One did it member, you can tell even more accurately the types of household goods you have, e.g., books or kitchenware. If not, they are estimated by the size of your home and number of persons living there.
Please fill in all mandatory questions to continue.
Small home appliances refer to appliances such as coffeemakers, shavers, and irons. Electronic devices such as computers and mobile phones are calculated in the next field.
In the list, we have provided some examples of small home appliances. Appliances not mentioned in the list can be inserted in the field for other devices. Note that consumer electronics such as computers and mobile phones are included in the next field.
DEFINE
UNDEFINE
Consumer electronics includes devices such as televisions, computers, routers, mobile phones, and stereo equipment.
More and more home electronics are available for our entertainment. In the list, we have provided only a few examples of devices found in our homes. Home electronics not mentioned in the list can be inserted in the field for other devices.
DEFINE
UNDEFINE
Major home appliances refers to the devices that make our everyday life easier. Appliances like a fridge, washing machine, vacuum cleaner and tumble dryer belong in this category.
In the list, we have provided some examples of major home appliances. Appliances not mentioned in the list can be inserted in the field for other devices.
DEFINE
UNDEFINE
Combined
fridge and freezer
Estimation of the ecological backpack of furniture is based on the size of your home. You can also list the amount of furniture in your home to get more accurate results. Note that you can exclude second-hand furniture since their ecological backpack is allocated to the first user.
Amount of furniture in your household
Estimate the amount of clothing and shoes you buy during one year. You can exclude socks, underwear, and small items like that. Since the ecological backpack of clothing is allocated to the first user, you can indicate the share of second-hand items in your shopping.
Amount of clothing purchased annually,
of which second-hand clothing is:
In this section, you can estimate the ecological backpack of your entire wardrobe in more detail. Note that you can exclude second-hand items since their ecological backpack is allocated to the first user.
DEFINE YOUR WARDROBE
UNDEFINE YOUR WARDROBE
Accessories (inc. underwear)
Calculate only the amount of jewellery that is made of precious metals (gold, silver, and platinum). Since the ecological backpack of jewellery made of non-precious metals (such as steel, wood and plastic), is very light compared to precious metals, they can be excluded here. You can exclude old family jewels since their ecological backpack is allocated to the first user.
Precious metals and jewellery
In this section, you can separately list jewels made of gold, silver and platinum. If you have old family jewels, you can exclude them since their ecological backpack is allocated to the first user.
DEFINE
UNDEFINE
Silver items consume more resources compared to items made of steel, for instance. The share of second-hand items or old family jewels can be indicated since their ecological backpack is allocated to the first user.
and proportion that was bought second-hand or inherited:
Instead of using the provided estimate for paper consumption you can fill in the defined section. Note that you can exclude second-hand books since their ecological backpack is allocated to the first user. Estimate the total amount of paper products possessed and consumed by your household, as indicated in the form. The calculator will divide the total amount among household members.
Please tell the amount of books, magazines, and paper in your household:
Pieces of
junk mail / week
Please tell the share of second-hand items in your household.
Textiles refer to a collection of a great number of small items such as towels and linen, curtains, and carpets you have at home. This is why the backpack is estimated. However, you can indicate the share of second-hand goods since their ecological backpack is allocated to the first user.
Tools includes a wide range of items; this is why the backpack is estimated. You can indicate the share of second-hand items to lighten your ecological backpack since their resource use is allocated to the first user.
Hobby ware and toys is a category that includes a wide range of products. You can indicate the share of second-hand items since their ecological backpack is allocated to the first user.
Since kitchenware is a collection of a huge number of small items and their share of total figure of household goods is usually small, the backpack is estimated. However, you can indicate the share of second-hand goods since their ecological backpack is allocated to the first user.
If you have silver cutlery, insert the number of silver items in the field provided. Silver items are listed separately since their ecological backpack is considerably heavier compared to steel cutlery (for example). You can exclude second-hand items.
There is a wide range of sports and other leisure activities. The test provides you with the most common ones; hopefully you'll find some of them right for you. The same goes with pets. There are so many of those nice fluffy and not-so-fluffy cuties around that the test offers only the most popular pets to choose from. Woof!
Please fill in all mandatory questions to continue.
The world is full of different types of boats; only a few types are presented here. Choose the type of boat closest to the type you use. In addition to the boat and fuel consumption, the harbour infrastructure is also estimated.
Rowboat (4m) without an engine
h
Rowboat (4m) with 2-3,5 h.p. engine
h
Motorboat (5m) with 50 h.p. engine
h
Sailing boat (8,3m) with 2-3,5 h.p. engine
h
Indicate the total number of pets in your household. The total backpack of pets is divided among all persons in the household since we will assume that all family members will equally enjoy the company of pets. The calculation for pets includes feed and litter, when applicable. Aquarium and terrarium are not presented here since the majority of consumption is related to electricity use and is included in the energy section.
Now let's peek into your trash cans to see how much and what type of waste you're disposing of. This section calculates for the whole household, but the result is then divided among all the household members to get your personal result. The bags hold 15 litres of waste, and each waste type has a kilogram value. The test includes waste transportation, and if you're (naughty and) not sorting your waste, waste management.
Please fill in all mandatory questions to continue.
Please fill in the amount of waste disposed in your household.
One 15-litre bag of unsorted waste is estimated to weight approx. 1,3 kg.
Biowaste refers to kitchen waste (such as peelings) and garden waste (such as lawn clippings). The calculation of food and beverages already takes into account the ecological backpack of consumed foodstuffs. This calculation takes into account waste management. One 15-litre bag of biodegradable waste is estimated to weigh approx. 4 kg.
Cardboard refers to boxes and other materials used for packing foodstuffs and other goods we buy. One 15-litre bag of cardboard is estimated to weigh 0,5 kg.
Paper includes all paper products (such as newsprint and printed material). The ecological backpack of paper itself has been taken into account in the household goods section, and only waste management is calculated in this section. One 15-litre bag of paper is estimated to weigh approx. 4 kg.
Glass includes bottles, jars and other types of small containers used for packing. One 15-litre bag of glass waste is estimated to weigh approx. 5 kg.
Plastics refers to all types of plastics, containers and foils used for packing. One 15-litre bag of plastic waste is estimated to weigh approx. 1,3 kg.
Metals include beverage cans, tin cans and all other packing waste made of metal. One 15-litre bag of metal waste is estimated to weigh approx. 1,5 kg.