Ecological Footprint Comparison

Ecological Footprint Comparison

Ecological Footprint Comparison

Compared to week one, my ecological, carbon, and water footprint have decreased. The decrease is due to the activities I have performed in the past weeks.

In the past few weeks, I have been successful in reducing my ecological, carbon, and water footprint. Notably, my ecological footprint has been reduced from 7 hectares to 6.6 hectares. Also, my carbon footprint has been reduced from 53,411 pounds to 41,612 pounds. In addition, my water footprint has reduced to 1.072 gallons per day from 1,622 gallons. The activities that made the biggest difference are switching to consuming an organic diet, using public transportation and cycling, and using environment-friendly products. According to Leite et al. (2020), an organic diet reduces the percentage of greenhouse gas emissions. It also reduces the water and ecological footprint of individuals.

Additional actions I would take in the future to reduce my footprint, particularly in terms of reducing the number of products I consume, are continuing with my organic diet and re-using or re-purposing plastic products. Concerning reducing the waste I produce, I plan to buy food in bulk to reduce packaging waste and compost organic waste. I also plan on using renewable energy, recycling, and selling material that I do not need instead of throwing it away.

Moreover, I have learned from this experience that the world is facing an environmental crisis. Excessive consumption and production have led to increased greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, waste, and destruction of natural resources like forests and water bodies. It is now essential for human beings to embrace an environment-friendly lifestyle. Every individual must make an effort to live a sustainable lifestyle. The beauty of this lifestyle is that a few changes make a significant impact

References

Leite, J. C., Caldeira, S., Watzl, B., & Wollgast, J. (2020). Healthy low nitrogen footprint diets. Global Food Security, 24, 100342. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2019.100342

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Prior to beginning work on this discussion, read Chapters 9 and 10 of the course textbook. Also, view these two short videos on reducing waste: Disposability Consciousness (Links to an external site.) and Two Adults, Two Kids, Zero Waste | Bea Johnson | TEDxFoggyBottom (Links to an external site.).

Ecological Footprint Comparison

In this week’s discussion, you will recalculate your ecological footprints from Week 1 and determine whether or not your actions taken over the past five weeks have made a difference in the size of your footprints. You will also have the opportunity to discuss additional actions one might take to live more sustainably. In particular, you are encouraged to focus on techniques for reducing the amount of waste that we generate in our everyday lives.

Complete the following:

First, redo your three footprint calculations from Week 1: your ecological footprint (What Is Your Ecological Footprint? (Links to an external site.)); your household carbon emissions footprint (Carbon Footprint Calculator (Links to an external site.)), and your daily water footprint (Water Footprint Calculator (Links to an external site.)).
Copy and paste the footprint table below into your post and complete the table with your data. You can also access the Footprint Table here. Download Footprint Table here. Calculate the differences between your Week 1 and Week 5 footprint data.
Compare your new answers with the ones you obtained back in Week 1. How did the footprints change, if at all? Do you suspect that any changes are the result of the actions you took? Why or why not?
Footprint Table

Week 1 Week 5 Difference
ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT
Hectares:
# Earths:
Top 3 Consumption Categories:

CARBON FOOTPRINT
Carbon Emissions (lbs):
WATER FOOTPRINT
Gallons per day:
Top 3 Contributors:

In a well-crafted discussion post of at least 200 words, report on the results of all five weeks of the Ecological Footprint Reduction Project. Did you meet with success? If so, what activity or activities do you think made the biggest difference? What additional actions would you consider taking to reduce your footprints in the future, particularly in terms of lessening the amount of materials you consume and wastes you produce? What did you learn from this experience? Do you think that individual efforts to live more sustainably matter? Why or why not?

You will not be able to view others’ posts until you have made your own.

Note: If you encounter any difficulty accessing one or more of the three footprint calculators, you may need to try a different web browser. For instance, if you are using Google Chrome, you may need to use another option (Internet Explorer, Safari, Mozilla, etc.).

Guided Response: Respond to at least two classmates over the course of the week, comparing your successes or challenges to theirs and offering additional suggestions for ways they might lower their footprints (particularly in terms of reducing the amount of waste that they generate) and live more sustainably in the future.
week 1 paper attached