I was on my way to the office this morning when I noticed that it was recycling day for my neighboring block. This small trigger brought back memories of a project that I did in college. I was in my biology class and assigned to do a research presentation on 'global footprints.' At this time I had no idea what a global footprint was, so everything I learned about this project from then on was new to me. Today I thought that I would go off the beaten path of discussions and health and wellness and talk a little about our environment and how we affect it every day. The project really opened my eyes to exactly how many resources I use every day.
When I came into the office this morning, I Googled Global Footprint and found this site that allowed you to calculate your footprint by answering a few questions (it takes about 5 minutes to complete the entire thing if you take the longer quiz). Some the questions were about the types of animal products you eat, what your modes of transportation are, and how much energy you use. I thought that I was pretty good about recycling, eating locally and turning off electronics when not in use, but according to the quiz (which I know is an estimate), if everyone in the world ate, lived, and transported themselves as I do, we would need 3.9 'earths' to sustain our way of life. This was around the same estimate that I had while in college. The calculator will increase your footprint by simply living in the US (I noticed this in college when I kept my answers the same and changed the
country).
I encourage everyone I know to be watchful of how they use resources. The human race has only been on earth for a fraction of the time that the earth has existed. Just because the environment isn't changing on an hourly basis, it is changing and many researchers and scientist would say for the worse. I remember hearing somewhere that Native Americans would always make
decisions after they had thought about the consequences that those decisions would have on their relatives 5 generations from now. If we all started to change out mindsets to reflect a similar way of thinking I think that the world would surely become a better sustained and happier place to live (and no I am not a hippie).
Here are some of my hints on how you can help decrease your footprint. Eat local, non-processed foods, not only are they better for the environment (less pesticides and travel time), but they are fresher and healthier for you. Car pool when you can, consider using public modes of transportation, and be aware of your gas mileage. Unplug appliances or turn off power strips when you’re not home, this will save energy and bring down your gas & electric bill. Lastly, if you don't already recycle make sure to start, and if you already do recycle think about starting a compost or buying items that are made with recycled materials. With all this being said, make sure to check out the Global Calculator above and look into more options that can help decrease your global footprint. Taking pride in your environment will rub off in other areas of your life, possibly leading to new fitness and nutritional goals!
When I came into the office this morning, I Googled Global Footprint and found this site that allowed you to calculate your footprint by answering a few questions (it takes about 5 minutes to complete the entire thing if you take the longer quiz). Some the questions were about the types of animal products you eat, what your modes of transportation are, and how much energy you use. I thought that I was pretty good about recycling, eating locally and turning off electronics when not in use, but according to the quiz (which I know is an estimate), if everyone in the world ate, lived, and transported themselves as I do, we would need 3.9 'earths' to sustain our way of life. This was around the same estimate that I had while in college. The calculator will increase your footprint by simply living in the US (I noticed this in college when I kept my answers the same and changed the
country).
I encourage everyone I know to be watchful of how they use resources. The human race has only been on earth for a fraction of the time that the earth has existed. Just because the environment isn't changing on an hourly basis, it is changing and many researchers and scientist would say for the worse. I remember hearing somewhere that Native Americans would always make
decisions after they had thought about the consequences that those decisions would have on their relatives 5 generations from now. If we all started to change out mindsets to reflect a similar way of thinking I think that the world would surely become a better sustained and happier place to live (and no I am not a hippie).
Here are some of my hints on how you can help decrease your footprint. Eat local, non-processed foods, not only are they better for the environment (less pesticides and travel time), but they are fresher and healthier for you. Car pool when you can, consider using public modes of transportation, and be aware of your gas mileage. Unplug appliances or turn off power strips when you’re not home, this will save energy and bring down your gas & electric bill. Lastly, if you don't already recycle make sure to start, and if you already do recycle think about starting a compost or buying items that are made with recycled materials. With all this being said, make sure to check out the Global Calculator above and look into more options that can help decrease your global footprint. Taking pride in your environment will rub off in other areas of your life, possibly leading to new fitness and nutritional goals!
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