Personal Ecological Footprint - Essay Example

JOURNAL ONE: Calculation and Analysis of Personal Ecological Footprint Quiz results In global hectares (gha) My Carbon Footprint Country Average 15.97 32.42 My Food Footprint Country Average 23.52 23.57 My Housing Footprint Country Average 11.28 11.28 My Goods and Services Footprint Country Average 10.93 21.18 From the calculation, my Ecological Footprint result is at 4.0 Earths. This means that if everybody in the world were to adopt my lifestyle, we would require four earths in order to survive. Lifestyle Changes made in to cut ecological footprints over a period of one week Increasing public transport usage including bike riding to campus to reduce carbon footprint Enhancing water conservation by minimizing on shower time Resorting to the use of energy saving appliances like energy efficient bulbs for reading while refraining from regularly heating showering water. Turning off and / or unplugging electrical equipment not in use switching off appliances not in use while using electrical appliance only when necessary adopting a more vegetarian lifestyle be consuming organic foods as opposed to snacks Proper waste management through the recycling of waste paper in addition to the composting of waste food products in the campus garden The above modifications are tenable and sustainable without the need to make major lifestyle changes. Therefore, I strongly believe that through persistence and commitment, I can effectively incorporate the changes into my lifestyle. Calculation of Ecological Footprint after one week of restraint Quiz results In global hectares (gha) My Carbon Footprint Country Average 10.34 22.91 My Food Footprint Country Average 13.57 12.68 My Housing Footprint Country Average 6.17 6.18 My Goods and Services Footprint Country Average 5.14 12.48 My Ecological Footprint result was 2.50 Earths after a week of lifestyle moderation. From this result, it is evident that I managed to reduce my ecological footprint from a high of four to two and a half. We all need 2½ earths to survive if everyone emulated my lifestyle. Reflection Though the result was still suspicious, I attribute the reduction to reduced housing footprints due to both energy and water conservation. It was however not easy to reduce energy consumption further as I used many appliance as a student in order to carry out my responsibilities effectively. By maintaining my commuter adventures to a minimum by taking public transport only when necessary, my carbon footprint reduced significantly. This implies that if everyone would choose to use environmentally friendly means of transport like use of bicycles and carpooling, the country’s ecological footprint would experience an appreciable drop over a short period. The results obtained from the online exercise make me feel a little bit nervous as they depict an ecological deficiency. This calls for complete overhaul of everyone’s lifestyle if sustainability on earth is to prevail. Actually, the results surprised me the first time I ran my lifestyle through the program but subsequent tests only confirmed my fear. In acknowledging the prowess and detailed calculation by the program, I confidently believe the results are accurate, as it must be using some standard peer reviewed formula to run the online calculation. Besides, the website hosting the program belongs to a renowned environmental body. The footprints of an individual residing in a less developed country will probably project a lower ecological footprint than mine because the person mostly uses natural processes to go about his day for example, consumes more of organic foodstuff and uses motor vehicles less often. They also keep their electricity and water bills to a minimum due to financial constraint. This of course changes my perception of responsible and sustainable living because less developed countries leave behind less ecological footprint, a course worth emulating. JOURNAL TWO: Daily Trash Journal On a daily basis, I had been throwing many items some of which were still valuable or needed only recycling of reusing in order to save the effort and cost of obtaining a new one. Some of the items common items I trashed for a one-week period are as follows in their respective categories. Category Examples Stationery Waste paper Broken staples Printer ink bottle Food items Leftover food Fruit and vegetable peelings Food items that have expired Plastics Plastic water mugs Polythene papers Packaging of snacks others Rags Fallen leaves Reflection From the data I tabled, I have discovered that I play a significant role in harming the environment by disposing of otherwise manageable substances. I was actually amazed to find out that in a span of only one week, I was generating too much garbage for one person due to inadequate exposure on garbage management and wrong assumptions. I actually realized that much of what I was dispensing with on a daily basis were wastes that I could avoid by taking pre-emptive measures. For instance, much of the waste food items like food remains were due to mere oversight by not preparing or consuming the appropriate quantity. As for perishable foods, I ought to have checked the expiry date in order to ensure their consumption earlier enough. I could replace the use of non-biodegradable plastics with use of long-lasting containers to prevent the heap of plastics. When heaped together, I found out that half the total quantity of garbage I amassed over the one-week period could actually be recycled or composted. These were mainly in the domain of plastics, waste paper, and foodstuff. Equally, about 25% of the garbage I threw out was not necessary to me in my daily survival. A case in point is the leftover foodstuff that meant I was preparing too much food or I actually did not have to possess such food items in the first place. Secondly, there is no use of using plastic containers if I was to dispose of them shortly after use as they add to the unnecessary collection in my litterbin. Of course, my garbage generation pattern is similar to that of the average American, as most Americans are fond of extravagant lifestyles that leave behind a huge heap of garbage. While recording the daily litter I collected, I realized that waste paper and food leftovers were the notorious occupants of my litterbin and the pattern was hard to evade due to the nature of my daily lifestyle. I must admit that this exercise changed how I live as it has provoked my environmental conscience even to the petty items found and offices within households and not just the large factories. 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