# Carbon Footprint Tracking Understanding environmental impact measurement in LocalGreenChain. ## Why Track Carbon? Food production accounts for 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions. By tracking carbon at every step, LocalGreenChain enables: 1. **Awareness** - Know the impact of your food 2. **Optimization** - Choose lower-carbon options 3. **Reduction** - Make data-driven improvements 4. **Comparison** - See savings vs conventional ## Carbon Sources in Agriculture ### Traditional Supply Chain ``` ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ CONVENTIONAL FOOD CARBON FOOTPRINT │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ Growing Transport Processing Retail Consumer │ │ ████████ ████████████ ████ ████ ████ │ │ 30% 50% 8% 7% 5% │ │ │ │ Total: 2.5 kg CO2 per kg produce (average) │ │ │ │ Key Contributors: │ │ - Fertilizer production and application │ │ - Long-distance trucking (refrigerated) │ │ - International shipping │ │ - Cold storage facilities │ │ - Last-mile delivery │ │ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ``` ### LocalGreenChain Model ``` ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ LOCALGREENCHAIN CARBON FOOTPRINT │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ Growing Transport Processing Direct │ │ ████ ██ █ (Consumer) │ │ 60% 25% 10% 5% │ │ │ │ Total: 0.3 kg CO2 per kg produce (average) │ │ │ │ Savings: 88% reduction vs conventional │ │ │ │ Why Lower: │ │ - Local production (short transport) │ │ - Organic/sustainable methods │ │ - No cold storage needed (fresh delivery) │ │ - Efficient vertical farming │ │ - Direct grower-consumer connection │ │ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ``` ## Transport Carbon Factors ### By Transport Method | Method | kg CO2 / km / kg | Notes | |--------|------------------|-------| | Walking | 0 | Zero emissions | | Bicycle | 0 | Zero emissions | | Electric Vehicle | 0.02 | Grid-dependent | | Hybrid Vehicle | 0.08 | Partial electric | | Gasoline Vehicle | 0.12 | Standard car | | Diesel Truck | 0.15 | Delivery truck | | Electric Truck | 0.03 | Large EV | | Refrigerated Truck | 0.25 | Cooling adds load | | Rail | 0.01 | Very efficient | | Ship | 0.008 | Bulk efficiency | | Air Freight | 0.50 | Highest impact | | Drone | 0.01 | Short distance only | ### Calculation Formula ```typescript function calculateTransportCarbon( method: TransportMethod, distanceKm: number, weightKg: number ): number { const factor = CARBON_FACTORS[method]; return factor * distanceKm * weightKg; } // Example: 20 kg tomatoes, 25 km by electric vehicle const carbon = 0.02 * 25 * 20; // = 10 kg CO2 ``` ## Food Miles ### Definition Food miles = total distance food travels from origin to consumer. ### Why It Matters ``` California Tomato to NYC: ├── Farm to packing: 20 miles ├── Packing to distribution: 50 miles ├── Distribution to cross-country truck: 10 miles ├── California to NYC: 2,800 miles ├── NYC distribution to store: 30 miles ├── Store to consumer: 5 miles └── TOTAL: 2,915 miles Local Brooklyn Tomato: ├── Farm to consumer: 12 miles └── TOTAL: 12 miles Savings: 99.6% reduction in food miles ``` ### Distance Calculation LocalGreenChain uses the Haversine formula: ```typescript function calculateDistance( from: { lat: number; lon: number }, to: { lat: number; lon: number } ): number { const R = 6371; // Earth's radius in km const dLat = toRadians(to.lat - from.lat); const dLon = toRadians(to.lon - from.lon); const a = Math.sin(dLat/2) * Math.sin(dLat/2) + Math.cos(toRadians(from.lat)) * Math.cos(toRadians(to.lat)) * Math.sin(dLon/2) * Math.sin(dLon/2); const c = 2 * Math.atan2(Math.sqrt(a), Math.sqrt(1-a)); return R * c; // Distance in km } ``` ## Cumulative Tracking ### Per-Plant Journey Every transport event adds to the total: ```typescript interface PlantJourney { plantId: string; events: TransportEvent[]; totalFoodMiles: number; // Sum of all distances totalCarbonKg: number; // Sum of all emissions // Breakdown milesPerStage: { seedAcquisition: number; growing: number; harvest: number; distribution: number; }; } ``` ### Per-User Footprint ```typescript interface EnvironmentalImpact { totalCarbonKg: number; totalFoodMiles: number; // Efficiency metrics carbonPerKgProduce: number; milesPerKgProduce: number; // Breakdown by transport method breakdownByMethod: { [method: string]: { distance: number; carbon: number; } }; // Comparison to conventional comparisonToConventional: { carbonSaved: number; milesSaved: number; percentageReduction: number; }; } ``` ## Conventional Comparison ### Baseline Assumptions | Produce | Conventional (kg CO2/kg) | Local (kg CO2/kg) | Savings | |---------|--------------------------|-------------------|---------| | Tomatoes | 2.8 | 0.32 | 89% | | Lettuce | 1.5 | 0.15 | 90% | | Peppers | 2.2 | 0.28 | 87% | | Basil | 1.8 | 0.18 | 90% | | Strawberries | 2.0 | 0.25 | 88% | ### Calculation ```typescript function compareToConventional( totalCarbonKg: number, totalWeightKg: number ): Comparison { // Conventional average: 2.5 kg CO2 per kg produce // Conventional miles: 1,500 average const conventionalCarbon = totalWeightKg * 2.5; const conventionalMiles = totalWeightKg * 1500; return { carbonSaved: Math.max(0, conventionalCarbon - totalCarbonKg), milesSaved: Math.max(0, conventionalMiles - totalFoodMiles), percentageReduction: Math.round( (1 - totalCarbonKg / conventionalCarbon) * 100 ) }; } ``` ## Vertical Farming Impact ### Energy-Based Carbon Vertical farms trade transport carbon for energy carbon: ``` Outdoor Growing: 0.2 kg CO2/kg (minimal energy) + Transport (1,500 mi): 2.3 kg CO2/kg = Total: 2.5 kg CO2/kg Vertical Farm: 0.25 kg CO2/kg (lighting/HVAC) + Transport (10 mi): 0.02 kg CO2/kg = Total: 0.27 kg CO2/kg Net Savings: 89% ``` ### Factors Affecting VF Carbon | Factor | Impact | Optimization | |--------|--------|--------------| | Grid carbon intensity | High | Renewable energy | | LED efficiency | Medium | Latest technology | | HVAC efficiency | Medium | Heat pumps | | Insulation | Low | Building design | ## Reporting ### Environmental Impact Dashboard ``` ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ This Month vs Conventional │ │ ──────────── ───────────────── │ │ Total Produce: 45 kg You Saved: │ │ Carbon: 8.5 kg CO2 □ 104 kg CO2 │ │ Food Miles: 245 km □ 67,255 food miles │ │ □ 93% reduction │ │ │ │ Breakdown by Transport Method │ │ ───────────────────────────── │ │ Electric Vehicle: ████████████████ 180 km (0.8 kg CO2) │ │ Walking: █████ 45 km (0 kg CO2) │ │ Bicycle: ██ 20 km (0 kg CO2) │ │ │ │ Your Ranking: Top 15% of consumers │ │ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ``` ## Best Practices ### For Growers 1. **Local seed sources** - Reduce acquisition miles 2. **Clean transport** - Electric, bicycle, walk 3. **Batch deliveries** - Combine shipments 4. **Direct sales** - Skip distribution chain 5. **Renewable energy** - Solar for operations ### For Consumers 1. **Buy local** - Shorter supply chain 2. **Accept imperfect** - Reduces waste transport 3. **Plan purchases** - Fewer delivery trips 4. **Pick up when possible** - Zero delivery carbon 5. **Choose in-season** - No climate-controlled transport ### For System Operators 1. **Route optimization** - Minimize total distance 2. **Load optimization** - Full trucks, no empty returns 3. **Hub placement** - Strategic distribution points 4. **Electric fleet** - Transition to zero-emission 5. **Carbon tracking** - Continuous monitoring ## Future Improvements - **Scope 3 emissions** - Full lifecycle analysis - **Carbon offsetting** - Tree planting, etc. - **Carbon credits** - Tradeable savings - **Real-time tracking** - GPS + carbon calculation - **AI optimization** - Minimize total footprint