Aliso Viejo Greenhouse Gases: 7 Tons Per Person, Per Year

Aliso Viejo released 320,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases in 2008, according to a new initiative that provides ways the city can reduce its carbon footprint.

That means each Aliso Viejo resident averages about 7 tons of greenhouse gas. The national average is 27 tons and the worldwide average is 5.5 tons, according to The Nature Conservancy.

The Green Cities Initiative will be voted on Wednesday night at the 7 p.m. city council meeting. Read more about the initiative here.

Part of the city's green plan called for an inventory of the greenhouse gases released within Aliso Viejo in 2008. That year is meant to serve as a baseline for future tests.

By far the biggest contributing factor is transportation, which makes up about 60 percent of the greenhouse gas total. You can see other factors in the graph above.

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