Carbon Emission Offset Program

The Effects of Climate Change

Research shows that climate change is strongly linked to the phenomenon known as global warming, caused by a build up of gases within the Earth’s atmosphere.  These gases arising from human activity are commonly referred to as greenhouse gases, a majority of which is carbon dioxide (CO2).  Climate change and drastic fluctuations in WX patterns are taking a toll on our Earth, having disastrous effects such as:

  • Melting polar ice caps are raising sea levels around the globe, leaving polar bears without a habitat and submerging small islands in the South Pacific.
  • Extreme WX, including droughts and floods, occurring more frequently and with greater intensity.
  • Increased incidence and intensity of hurricanes, bushfires and other climatic events that threaten our environment, our lifestyles and our future.

Climate change is the major environmental challenge of our lifetime and we all have a responsibility to do something about it.  Human contribution to climate change comes in the form of greenhouse gases and therefore it is up to us to change that.

The Dx Adventure Radio Club (DA-RC) recognises that by modifying our behaviours as radio operators to become more energy efficient and less wasteful, we can make a positive impact on climate change. 

Reducing the DA-RC Footprint

Radio Communications hobbyists typically lead energy-intensive lifestyles.  The Dx Adventure Radio Club is the first DX Group to have an emissions offset program in place, with members also encouraged to both reduce and then neutralise their carbon footprint by offsetting emissions from radio shack technology and so become more environmentally friendly.

Radio shack technology refers to technological items typically found in a radio operator’s room such as a transceiver, power supply, antenna tuner, amplifier, computer, monitor, fan, air conditioner, heater and others.  Together these items produce carbon dioxide which contributes towards harmful greenhouse gases.

First there is the amount of electricity required to run your transceiver; the energy it takes to run the power plant that generates the electricity, and the lines to carry the electricity to your home; the carbon created in the manufacturing and shipping of your transceiver, plus the carbon emissions emitted by the transceiver company itself; and the emissions of course from the radio operators whose stations you work or SWL.  And that’s just with your transceiver!

Making a Difference

Everything we do in our shack, whether it’s DXing, web surfing radio related websites, switching on a soldering iron to repair a broken rig, or heating or cooling our shack, generates greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.  But we can all make a difference.  The first thing we can do is to take steps to reduce our hobby’s greenhouse gas emissions, such as switching off any appliances in the shack that aren’t in use.

DA-RC advocates other ways to offset radio shack technology emissions via changes made in everyday living habits which include:

  1. Replace incandescent light bulbs with energy-efficient compact fluorescent ones. Replace a 70 watt bulb with a 9 watt LED, for instance, and save 5 lbs of CO2 per month.
  2. Maintain your home’s insulation and the seals around windows, doors and rooftops to prevent heating and cooling loss
  3. Turn down your thermostat by 2 degrees in winter and up by 2 degrees in summer to save about 166 lbs of CO2 per month
  4. Run the dishwasher in energy-saver mode only when there is a full load to save 70 lbs of CO2 per month
  5. Turn down your water heater by 10 degrees to save about 61 lbs of CO2 each month
  6. When making home improvements, choose designs and installations that have high efficiency ratings, such as appliances with low power stand-by.
  7. Take a shower instead of a bath
  8. Change leaky sink taps and fit a water-saving showerhead
  9. Maintain the health of your car to ensure fuel efficiency
  10. Dry half of your clothes on a line or rack to save 60 lbs of CO2 per month
  11. Carpool with friends and co-workers, take public transport, walk or ride a bike to work. Skip driving your car one day a week and save anywhere from 13lbs to 32 lbs of CO2 depending on how you get to work.  Walking or biking saves the most, while driving with others or taking the bus saves a bit less.
  12. Eat a diet of low-carbon foods. Locally grown and raised organic foods, for instance, have a far lower carbon footprint than mass-produced items found in the supermarket or fast food. There is a whole range of small daily choices you can make with food that can lower your carbon footprint.

Emission Offset Projects

Offsetting the carbon emissions from your radio shack technology is easy.  First you have to find out how many pounds of CO2 you emit per month while operating your station, as well as your computer (including your monitor), including any other conveniences you might use in the room such as an air conditioner, ceiling fan, light etc.  This can be done by using a simple emissions calculator found on the web.

The average transceiver, for instance, causes about 497 lbs of CO2 each year.  Often however, the transceiver is left on while the radio enthusiast is out of the shack for the simple reason that he forgets to turn it off.

Once you have calculated your total carbon emissions and taken steps to reduce as much as you can, you then sponsor a project that will enable you to erase your remaining carbon dioxide emissions.  This is also called being carbon neutral.

Individuals, companies, or governments can purchase carbon offsets to mitigate their own greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, electricity use, and other sources.  For example, a DA-RC member might purchase carbon offsets to compensate for the greenhouse gas emissions caused by DXpedition air travel which is approximately four tonnes of CO2 per expedition.

Offsets are typically generated from emissions-reducing projects.  The most common project type is renewable energy, such as wind farms, biomass energy, or hydroelectric dams.  Other common project types include energy efficiency projects, the destruction of industrial pollutants or agricultural by-products, destruction of landfill methane, and forestry projects.

DA-RC supports three types of carbon offset projects:

  1. Renewable energy
  2. Energy efficiency
  3. Reforestation (Including tree planting)

Each type plays an important role in the fight against climate change.  While DA-RC members are encouraged to choose an offset project which aligns with their own personal values, DA-RC does have a growing list of preferred carbon offset providers which include at this time:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What does DA-RC Offset?

It is DA-RC policy to offset the greenhouse gas emissions caused by:

  • DXpedition travel (Land, sea, air)
  • HQ Administrative Tasks (eg. Data storage, website maintenance, printing, postage, etc.)
  • The use of paper products (eg. Forms, QSL cards, awards, documents, stationary, etc.)

For DA-RC, reducing our emissions is the first step in reducing our impact upon the Earth’s atmosphere with our hobby.  The best part is, as well as improving the health of our planet, these tips also save us money which is better spent on new radio equipment or putting towards dx adventure!

73 de Jeremy
23DA330
Project Manager