Global Footprint

My Ecological Footprint

*Images taken from footprintmetwork.org

Okay, so you’re telling me we’d need 4 earths if everyone lived like me?! I’ll admit, I’m not the most conscious person when it comes to recycling and what not, but man, 4.3 earths! After reading that, I knew that I had to seriously reconsider my everyday lifestyle.

So none of us are perfect, right? Well, at least that’s what I’ve always told myself. Yeah, I’ll “try” to recycle, or I’ll “try” to take the bus once in a while. But after taking this quiz, it made me put in perspective how much each person is affecting the earth. Granted, it would be pretty unrealistic to follow every single rule when it comes to having a perfect footprint, but honestly, it’s the little things that count. For instance, after taking my quiz, I took a look at some of the suggestions that they said for me to lower my footprint. One example was if we pledged to purchase products that used less packaging or were made out of 100% post-consumer recycled content material, then it could lead to using 521 million fewer global acres, an are that could cover 391 million football fields! Isn’t that crazy to think about? To add, I like how they use comparisons that we could relate to because it really puts into perspective how much of a difference we could really make.

I consider myself to be a pretty realistic person. For example, as much as I’d love to work 40 hours a week during school to make a lot of money, I know that in reality I might be able to work 10… max. In the case of your global footprint, I think that’s important that you at least start somewhere, and be realistic about your goals. In my case, it suggested that I eat less meat. Unfortunately, I know that’s probably not gonna happen. BUT it also suggested that I think about what KIND of meat I purchase. Now that I know is realistic, because after taking the test and seeing what kind of impact it could have, I will definitely take that extra step to make sure I am buying the RIGHT products.

Overall, I think it should be mandatory for everyone to take this test. A lot of times I think people really don’t realize the kind of impact their everyday lifestyles have on the earth. Yes, I a lot people might take the test, and still not care, but I honestly think that there would still be a lot of people even like me, who just really were oblivious to the fact that there are better ways to live our lives. Especially after reading some of their solutions, I think that there is at least one suggestion that every person could realistically implement in their life.

Now you might say, “Well, this is all cool, and you sound like you know your stuff, but are you actually going to do anything about your ridiculous 4.3 earths?” Well I’m glad you asked, because my answer is yes, and I will actually be posting weekly updates on my progress. For now, here are 3 quantitative goals that I will be working on:

1. When I do my weekly shopping for meat, I will buy meat that doesn't use a lot of packaging, and is also organic.
2. I will make sure every light is turned off in our apartment (even if its my roommates).
3. I will get a power strip in my room, and make sure to turn it off everyday when I leave to class.

I know that I’m probably not going to change overnight, but I can guarantee you that at the end of this year, I will not be using 4.3 earths to sustain my lifestyle! So if you like what you’ve read, please subscribe, and find out how we can all make this world a better place to live in! Thanks for reading!