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The Carbon Footprint Of San Diego Comic Con 2010

Published Tue, 06 Jul 2010 13:30:24 -0500

Last updated Mon, 12 Jul 2010 03:57:36 -0500

This is a numbercrunching special. San Diego Comic Con 2010 is weeks away. Yet in all the excitement, no one seems to be considering the environmental cost. So let's pull a few figures out of my ass and see where that gets me.

Now the San Diego Convention Center Corporation already tries to make itself as environmentally friendly as possible. It recycles over a third of all waste, cooking oil is reycled into bio diesel fuel, they run energy efficiency drives and are installing solar panels by the end of 2010. Food is composted and recycled materials are purchased. It's a big thing for them.

But, let's face it, whatever they do, it's still a monumental environmental eyesore.

Attendance is around 150,000-200,000.

So hotels alone, say averaging two nights an attendee, 30 pounds of carbon a night, that's 6000 tons (US)

300,000 plastic bags, 1,000,000 meals, energy and water use, banners, booths, comics, waste disposal, insane amount of air conditioning, even with the center's environmental moves, we're talking around 15,000 tons for the week.

And then there's getting to the show.

Cross continental return flights taken: 30,000. 3 tons each, that's 90,000 tons.

Cross country return flights taken: 100,000, 1 ton each, that's 100,000 tons.

Car return trips taken: 50,000, 100 pounds of carbon each, that's 2500 tons

Heavy duty truck trips, 100, 1000 pounds of carbon each, that, 50 tons.

That's about 215,000 tons of carbon dioxide. Powering up all the light sabres might take it to 220,000 tons.

Offsetting that would cost about one and a half million dollars. Or about $10 each. Worth adding to the ticket price?

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