Those of you who know me, know that I like to live as environmentally-friendly as possible. I recycle, use re-usable bags and containers, and try to cook with as much local food as possible. Buying my first home opened up new ways of living more sustainably. In addition to using compact fluorescent light bulbs inside the home, I have been able to install a photocell that harvests solar energy to run my outdoor lights. IPL came out to install low-flow shower and faucet aerators (which they do for free as part of the Energize Indiana Program). I've also been able to purchase 100% of my energy use in the home through locally sourced wind power.To me, it has become a lifestyle and I’m always looking for new ways to use less.
In a few weeks, we will be discussing climate change and its effects on the planet. I know there’s a lot of controversy around the issue, but quite frankly, it's not open to debate. This is one of the biggest issues your generation may have to face. So, this week I would like you to first take this Carbon Footprint Quiz: http://www.footprintnetwork.org/resources/footprint-calculator/ Make sure you take the detailed version. At the end of the quiz, it will tell you how many planets we would need, if everyone lived like you. Disappointingly, it said we would need 3-7 planets if everyone lived like me! I guess I have more work to do than I thought. For your post this week, I would like you to tell everyone your "score" or how many planets we would need if we were all living like you. Then, I would like to know, What would you be willing to do to help lower your effects on the environment?” Answers are due no later than Wednesday, April 26th 2017.
Hi...
ReplyDeleteI got 3-7 planets as well! I try to recycle and reuse as much as possible. I also try and not use a lot of electricity or gas unless I need it. I guess I would say I need to try harder at being more environmentally friendly... maybe drive less and walk more, reuse more and keep up with recycling!
The quiz said that we would need 5 planets if everyone lived like me to provide enough resources. This is sad! I definitely do not live in a good eco friendly place though, because I live in an apartment so I do not really have a choice of what kind of electricity and appliances I use. I'm not sure when I'll be able to move in to an actual house but once I do I definitely want to be more eco-friendly with the way I use electricity. I recycle everything that I can and I try to buy mostly eco friendly and natural products. I also try to buy local foods as much as I can. I am in the process of trying to go vegan. The only things that are hard for me to give up are chicken, cheese, and sour cream. Once I am able to cut animal products out of my life I think I will have less of a ecological footprint. I would also be willing to carpool more or take public transportation. I rely on taking my car everywhere but if it means to help the planet, I am definitely willing to try and do this at least once or twice a week.
ReplyDeleteMy results said that we would need three more planets if everyone lived like me. Last quarter, I took Natural Science and it motivated me to make any changes I could to reduce my carbon footprint. I exclusively use either the bus system, cycling, or walking to travel, and recently I've been trying to cut out more processed food from my diet. Unfortunately, making any drastic changes, like using solar power in my apartment or buying local grown food, is difficult at this point in my life, when I live in student housing and have little money to spend on organic and local produce. However, as my ability to do these things expands, I am willing to take further steps to reduce my carbon footprint.
ReplyDeleteMy result said that we would need 5.1 Planet Earths to provide enough resources. I don't know how I could change that.
ReplyDeleteHello,
DeleteSarah-Lyn, I think just lighting a few candles can help a lot. In some neighborhoods I can smell people burning their own trash too. I guess it reduces trash on the planet but, I do not know about how it effects the ecosystem. I see saving the planet as more like saving yourself. Here's a question for you. If the Earth was no longer capable of energy resources; What would you do?, What will you eat? How will you cook your meat?
My result was that we would neat 5.2 planets to provide enough resources if everyone lived like me. I could convert all of the energy I used to solar or wind energy to conserve more power.
ReplyDeleteThe response I received was 3.4 planets. I recognize that this is a primary issue and if money were a thing of the past, I would do everything in my power to adjust this. If I won the lottery, I assure you, I would live in a solar/wind powered house and eat as locally as possible. As we learned in Food Inc., though, it isn't easy for people of lower income to eat locally and healthily. I also live in student housing, which is an apartment building owned by another company, so they probably wouldn't be too keen on me installing a solar panel. Luckily, I drive considerably less than the average person and have a recent enough car that it gets good mileage. In my current position, I do not know what I could do to fix my footprint. Once I am out of school and have a steady job, I definitely plan to make some adjustments.
ReplyDeleteMy score was 3-7 planets and I would honestly say that I don't really do much when it comes to helping the Earth. Yes I do recycle when I can and I reuse a lot of things but I don't do it a lot as much as I'm supposed to and I don't really think of it as much as well. I don't have a house but I do live with my mother and she just bought a brand new house and living with her, she's that helpful with the Earth as well and we just dont think of that stuff but for us to be better at that, I think I would talk to my mother about it more to change what light bulbs we use and also recycling more and reusing things around the house so that my planets can go down a little more! I will say I do care about Earth and saving it and being more responsible about it, it's just honestly things and life gets in the way of it and sometimes I just forget.
ReplyDeleteMy result was 4.1 planets. I honestly thought it wouldn't be that bad considering we used mostly energy efficient bulbs in our apartment and we only have one car that gets about 400 miles on a full tank of gas. But I think my family should start recycling and that would probably help alot.
ReplyDeleteThe quiz told me that we would need another 4.1 planets on top of our own if we all lived my lifestyle, so I certainly should change a bit of it. Mainly for energy and land, as I tend to consume a lot of cheap meat over any given week. Though in things that I understand, and hope, are positive, I tend to travel mostly by walking or by bus, and when in a car almost always traveling with another. In amounts of trash, I'm not so great either, though not worse than the average american at least. So if I want to help the environment, I will attempt to cut down on how much waste I produce, and attempt to eat less meat as well. Two pretty simple things I should be able to do
ReplyDeleteMy score was 5.8 planets, so that clearly means I need to change something. I honestly did not think it would be that bad, seeing as I dont generate much waste or use much electricity/drive much. To help out the environment more, I definitely need to recycle more and probably use less electricity in my house. Also driving less would help considerably.
ReplyDeletemy score was 4.3 Planet Earths, 19.3 global acres to support my lifestyle, and my Ecological Footprint is 46% Services. To change my lifestyle; I will be willing to let go of my lights, and light a few candles to protect the planet from global warming. I will use the daytime light during the day and turn off all lights. I will grow my own fruits and vegetables, harvest my own chickens; maybe 4-7, and reduce my trash by reusing recyclables. I will ride my bicycle to places within 5 miles and plant trees for cleaner air, and paper. I will also try fishing for my meat and cut back on dairy products.
ReplyDeleteMy score was 4.5 planets, but to be completely honest, I don't think I can put much stock into this quiz. I recycle whatever I can and only throw out half a bag of trash a week. I feel the score was skewed against me because I answered "I don't know" for my electric and gas bills. While I do believe that we all need to do our part to our part to protect and repair the environment, it seems clear to me that this quiz is only designed to scare people into subscribing to a particular world view, rather than paint a truly accurate representation of a persons carbon footprint.
ReplyDeleteThe quiz said my score was 5.2 I put mostly I don't know because some of the things I don't think I can stop doing. I feel like this website is to scare people so they can be more eco friendly to the earth. Which isn't a bad idea if we want the earth to survive longer. I could work on recycling on metals and plastics. Every little help counts.
ReplyDeleteMy score was 3.3 planets most of my footprint was from Food (20%) and services (61%) I took up 14.5 global acres. I have to agree with Samira and Peter this website must be inaccurate and serves the purpose of scaring people into being greener which isn't bad but I think. It would bring more people to our cause if we had simpler and more realistic data.
ReplyDeleteIt would take 6.1 planets to provide enough resources if everyone would live the way I live. Honestly I probably won't change how I live just based of this website. I feel like it not accurate based on the questions they asked.
ReplyDelete