An ecological footprint is the statistic of what resources an individual or group uses on a daily, weekly, or annual basis. The ecological footprint is what quantifies how many resources someone uses to where the data can be used to represent how much we should use as opposed to how much we do use. My results from the ecological footprint quiz reported that it would take approximately four Earths for everyone to live as I do. I spend the most on services , food, and goods. I spend the least on mobility and shelter. According to the quiz, it would take, “17.5 global acres of the Earth’s productive area,” to also support me. What I found most surprising was the statistic of how many Earths it would take to support ~7 billion of me. The fact that we have no other habitable planets in the near future, and humans’ demand of resources only grows means that we do not have a bright future. If the human population continued to consume resources as it is, it would only be lucky for us to end up as the human race does in the Pixar movie, Wall-E. …show more content…
First, people could take shorter showers and use water less overall whether it is through sprinklers, sinks, and even plumbing. For me, this would be one of the most beneficial things to do since I live in Arizona. California’s drought is a warning to the rest of the southwestern United States. Second, I could make an effort to conserve energy. I could accomplish this by turning off lights when not in use, turning off my computer when not in use, and even conserving my phone’s battery. Lastly, I could also use less gasoline. I can of course do this by using my bike more and my car less. Meanwhile, in the long term, I could also invest in an electric car. By the time I could have money saved for an electric car at today's prices, there would be cars much
The California water drought has been declared a crisis by the governor of California. 2013 was the driest year on record, and California could be running out of water. Californians should be water wise, and their use, or no use, of water will have an enormous impact on this drought. They can use the techniques published in a recent Time article called, 5 Ways to Bust California’s Drought, to reduce their water use. Landscape techniques, alternate water sources, and the personal conservation of water can reduce the use of water, and can have a positive change on this water crisis.
Sustainable living to reduce your personal footprint (n.d.). In WWF Global. Retrieved May 4, 2014, from
Human Footprint was a documentary about how much average Americans will consume throughout their lives. It covered everything from the diapers a child will wear to the amount of houses and cars a person will own in their lifetime. It gave the average amount consumed by each American in their lifetime, meaning some will use more of one thing, while others will use less. Certain items such as the amount of appliances and the types of food we eat were a great example of something that people probably did not realize had a huge effect on the world. While this gave great information about how much Americans really consume, it did little to address these problems. In fact, it seemed at times that they were not problems at all. The documentarian assumed that people watching would think consumption was a problem, but I am not sure that is the case with a majority of people. Another problem was the amount of time they wasted panning over the inflated amount of items consumed. Finally, they failed to challenge the viewer to change their lifestyle in even the most generically simple ways, such as using less when the opportunity comes.
In the end, the greatest way to help is by spreading awareness. Help spread the word by telling everyone you know about the greenhouse effect and global warming. By making them see what is at stake, and ask them to help save our planet. Encourage others to conserve and share information about recycling and energy conservation with your co-workers, friends, neighbors, and family. Recapping what can be done we all should get out there and plant some trees and plants so we can help the greenhouse gasses to decrease. Reduce the emissions from household products by turning them off. Most importantly remember to spread the word and the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle!
Buying a car is usually going to be the first big purchase a person will make in their life. It is actually considered the second biggest purchase, right behind buying a house. Cars now can do things like park themselves and even drive themselves. Electric cars are also a thing that is getting a lot of attention and studies show that they will be what dominate our streets and highways in the near future. Many people turn to electric cars because they are very efficient to our pockets. Not spending money on gas for the rest of your life is a huge selling point for many people. The problem is that recharging your car takes so long that sometimes it is not even worth it. Electric cars are also very good for our environment. Electric
..., we should cut the amount of car usage and instead of using petrol, using electricity. Instead of using nuclear plants for electricity, maybe we should use more wind turbines or find a solution that is more powerful that they are.
The personal ecological footprint calculation quiz results are divided into four consumption categories, carbon, food, housing, and goods and services. The results are also broken down into four ecosystem types, cropland, pastureland, forestland, and marine fisheries. The calculation results take all of these categories into account to come to a final result. The ecological footprint is expressed in global acres. The personal ecological footprint quiz results compared my footprint to the country average.
It may be easier to start out in small steps maybe within the individual household, then work towards others on the outside. Any step or effort made is a positive step in the right direction. Changing the behavior and effects on the environment takes the work of all individuals that share this Earth. One person can only make so much of a difference. Personally, I will put effort into my daily life to try using less water by turning off the faucet while brushing my teeth or in between when I’m washing dishes. I have mentioned to my father how he should call the company that comes to your home and takes your grass out and replaces it with gravel which is small rocks. It is paid by the government because you are helping the environment by using less water and you won’t have to water grass anymore. They put plants of your choice that do not require water. I’m sure if I’m capable of taking public transportation to commute to work and school but maybe I will think about changing my car to a hybrid or an electric in the near future. The government also provides grants to families who are interested in solar panels for their home. That will go a long way to help air pollution and our
With a gasoline-fueled vehicle, buying gas to operate your car is a never-ending process. With the high price change of gasoline and oil, operating a gasoline-fueled vehicle tends to be very costly. While there are some types of small gasoline vehicles that get much better gas mileage than larger vehicles, even the most powerful gasoline cars will normally desire a contribution every month. According to some experts the only way a mainstream market for green vehicles wills materlize is with a pronounced and prolonged rise in fuel prices. (Buss, 4)
... reduce natural gas consumption. Long-term I am committed to installing new energy efficient windows to truly reduce energy consumption. To help reduce the family’s water consumption we recently installed an energy efficient washing machine that uses over 60% less water than the previous model that was installed. As an additional means in which to help conserve water I will be installing a rain barrel in the summer to water our outdoor plants. While these actions might not seem significant, they can make a significant difference. According to Energy Star, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, if every home in America replaced just one incandescent light bulb with an Energy Star qualified CFL, in just one year it would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes. That would prevent the release of greenhouse gas emissions equal to that of about 800,000 cars.
The substantial increase in the demand for EV’s came just in time as we are slowly but surely running out of oil. Some estimate that by the year 2040, 35 percent of all vehicles will be electric (Sullins, 2017). An article from the U.S. Department of Energy stated that “Electric vehicles hold a lot of potential for helping the U.S. create a more sustainable future. If the U.S. transitioned all the light-duty vehicles to hybrids or plug-in electric vehicles, we could reduce our dependence on foreign oil by 30-60 percent, while lowering the carbon pollution from the transportation sector by as much as 20 percent (energy.gov, 2014). It’s obvious that gas-powered vehicles have harmed our planet with their emissions. Although EV’s cannot reverse that damage that has been done, they can eliminate, or at least slow down, the inevitable demise that our planet is headed towards. Along with the beneficial environmental factors that correspond with electric cars, there are also beneficial financial factors. The average American spends about $2,000 on gas annually. In the future, charging stations will charge roughly $12.00 for a full charge, which is about 300 miles. This means that the average American will save about $1,400 per year on these specific car
Today, people use their own personal vehicles to travel more than ever before. Personal transportation is no longer considered a luxury; it is now considered a necessity. The number of cars in the United States has been growing steadily since the 1970s. The number of miles traveled by cars has risen nearly 150 percent, yet the United States population has only grown roughly 40 percent during that time (hybridcars.com, Driving Trends). Although it may seem like we are advancing into the future, in reality, we are moving backwards from the effects these vehicles have on our bodies and the environment. The pollution produced by these vehicles has brought us to the day where we must find other modes of transportation that cause less harm to the world in which we live. Advances in technology have developed hybrid vehicles to try and slow down the amount of pollution. Driving a hybrid vehicle, instead of a conventional gas powered vehicle, can reduce the amount of pollution that affects our lives and the environment around us.
ways. The use of electricity will reduces the usage of the earth’s resources such as gas and oil.
Prevent dangerous climate change by phasing out fossil fuels (oil, coal, gas) and replacing them with clean renewable energy such as solar.
Environmental sustainability is making decisions and taking actions in the interest of protecting the natural world, preserving the capability of the environment to support human life and ensuring that humans use the environment in a way that does not harm the environment. It also questions how economic development affects our environment vice versa.