Reducing the Carbon Footprint

When starting this assignment I had no clue exactly what my ecological footprint was, I never really paid attention to what and ecological footprint was until this assignment. In order for me to figure out what my ecological footprint is I chose to take two quizzes in order to see if my answers all matched up. After taking both tests my results were all different but all stated that the way I am going about life in our habit is not so eco-friendly as I thought I was and I definitely need to make some changes.

[1] [source:"What is a carbon footprint?". Archived from the original on 11May 2009. Retrieved 2009-

There are two areas where I could easily reduce my ecological footprint: (1) food and (2) shelter. If I switched my diet to a vegan diet and ate only local food, my food percentage would improve. Regarding shelter, if all of the electricity for my home came from renewable sources (e.g. solar), my shelter percentage would improve.

As college student completing my degree through an online format I am making a considerable smaller carbon footprint when compared to those students pursuing their degree through normal methods. I am considered a non-traditional student and therefore I would be commuting to and from school every day which contributes to the unavoidable pollution from operating a motor vehicle. I also produce less waste then a typical student due to all my assignments, papers and exams are all completed electronically which produces zero trash that either has to be recycled or taken to a dump.

After taking the Ecological Footprint Quiz, it was calculated that we would need 4.9 earths if everyone lived my lifestyle. This is fairly congruent with the American average of 5 earths. While I know that my life style is not sustainable, it is very easy to lose track of just how unsustainable the average American life is. According to the pie chart breakdown, 48% of my ecologic impact is in “services” area. In further researching information about this, I found that these services are not variable in the calculator; everyone taking the quiz has a portion of their nation’s “services” footprint simply due to living in that country. As is described on the website, “service areas include (but are not limited to) health care, entertainment, restaurants, real estate, legal services, government and the military” (Global Footprint Calculator, 2015). It is interesting that the government services that I may or may not take part of are included in my footprint simply because I live in the United States. I suppose that one way I can lower my ecological footprint is simply by moving to a different country.

The concept of footprint analysis is that it can change overtime, depending on the number of individuals living in that particular area and by how much they consume in terms of energy, technology, goods and resources. It gave me an idea of how much land water is needed to support my lifestyle, determine my population, geography, climate, food and needs for energy. Moreover, it gives me a few ideas of what I can do to reduce my ecological footprint in each consumption category such as transportation, housing, food and goods.

The most surprising part of this exercise was by far the amount of planets that would be

According to my Ecological Footprint score, I clearly need to improve the way I live my life. When I first moved into Tucson not much was taken into consideration. Attending the university has given few options in purchasing my meals because I have a limited amount of time to eat and sometimes I just don’t have enough money to buy eco-friendly meals. I end up buying microwavable foods that aren’t really packaged in reusable material. All my wastes end up in the same bin and I rarely recycle any newspapers, water bottles, wasted phones/batteries as well as paper. Also, driving my car seems more efficient. However, the score made me realized that I make a huge impact on the world around me through the services I acquire, mobility and transportation I take, and shelter I use. If everyone did the same activities as me, we would need 4-7 planet earths to provide enough resources.

Within time, we all have essentially used our earth’s resources to initially fulfill our needs. Yet, not taking into consideration within the implications of the abuse we humans have upon planet earth. The Ecological Footprint associates societal and personal impacts we have on this earth ourselves. It influences us to essentially make healthier choices. Thus, influence our governments as well. My survey results disclosed the following: My personal earth overshoot day was April 7th and if everyone lived like me I would essentially need 3.8 earths compared to USA needing 5. The results were kind of shocking to say the least as I never took into consideration of some of the questions asked within the test. We know America is within the highest

Because carbon footprints are such hot topics in the news these days, it's an ideal topic for this particular paper. As concerns about global warming and potential climate change have continued to evolve the term "carbon footprint" has become ingrained in many people's consciousness. Though the large Fortune 500 companies focus on reduction of their own carbon footprints, individuals can help in their own small way as well.

Humans tend effect their world in different ways, but one specific way would be the ecological footprint of a human. What does ecological footprint mean? Ecological footprint is the effect of a person, society or community that effects the environment in certain way it could good or bad. People impact the world in different ways some recycle others tend to cut down more trees and threw away their trash on the grass or on the roads. With the lifestyle in the 20th century a lot has changed quick example would be hybrid cars are being manufactured so their could be less pollution in the air. As a result of the horrific past lifestyle of humans that has caused changes to the world, have forced humans to decrease ones ecological footprint.

Carbon dioxide is the Main greenhouse gas created from human activities, it has huge impact on our planet’s environment. Although Carbon dioxide is present in our atmosphere naturally and its level should be maintain by proper carbon cycle, human activities have altered the carbon cycle by adding more CO2 into the atmosphere. This has resulted an increased global temperature which is responsible for variety of environmental issues. By analyzation human daily carbon footprint, we can better focus on minimize the impact on global warming.

According to timeforchange.org, a carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activities, usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide. Before starting this project I was unaware of what a carbon footprint was but as I learned more about it I was interested to see what mine would be.

This essay reviews my personal carbon footprint and discusses ways to manage it and reduce some of the biggest areas of my resource consumption. The footprint calculator that I used required that I answer a series of questions about my consumption habits, and based on the answers I provided, showed the impact of my lifestyle on the planet. The footprint calculator uses data for selected countries, based on National Footprint Accounts. The online calculator asked questions to determine how to distribute the ecological footprint into different categories based on the country's average consumption profile. In addition to calculating the amount of carbon a person is responsible for through their daily activities, the calculator also estimated a total ecological footprint to represent the amount of land and sea area required to provide the resources a person needs and to absorb their carbon emissions.

According to Cambridge Dictionaries Online, green energy is “energy that can be produced in a way that protects the natural environment, for example by using wind, water, or the sun”. Solar energy is the conversion of the rays from the sun into a useful form of energy, such as heat or electricity. Solar energy when converted to thermal/heat energy can be used to both heat water and heat spaces in buildings and homes. Wind energy is another example of green energy. Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into a form of energy by means of wind turbines and windmills. Hydroelectricity refers to using hydro power, the power that comes from the energy of either falling or running water, to produce electricity. This is the most widely used form of green or renewable energy. Another example, geothermal energy, is a form of thermal energy that is generated in the earth. Hot springs are an example geothermal energy that has been used for bathing, space heating, and the generation of electricity. Ocean thermal energy uses the temperature difference between the warmer surface ocean water and cooler deep water to produce electricity.