"Whenever I went camping with my scouting troop, we were always reminded to leave the campsite better than we found it. As I learn more about my impact on the environment, I want to make positive changes to my lifestyle to leave behind a world for future generations to enjoy. My banner reminds me of the good times I've had with my family and I hope that I can help make a difference to leave a better world behind."
POINTS TOTAL
0
TODAY
0
THIS WEEK
46
TOTAL
Andrew's actions
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use
Eat Mindfully
I will eat all of my meals without distractions, e.g., phone, computer, TV, or newspaper.
COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS
Electricity
Calculate the carbon footprint of my household
I will calculate the carbon emissions associated with my household and consider how different lifestyle choices could reduce our carbon footprint and our impact on the environment.
UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Participant Feed
Reflection, encouragement, and relationship building are all important aspects of getting a new habit to stick.
Share thoughts, encourage others, and reinforce positive new habits on the Feed.
To get started, share “your why.” Why did you join the challenge and choose the actions you did?
REFLECTION
QUESTION
ElectricityCalculate the carbon footprint of my household
After you determined your carbon footprint, did you see what different choices you can make in order to reduce it?
I calculated my carbon footprint for my household and found that we produce about 7.08 tons of CO2 every month. It was surprising to find out that this was 3.08 tons of carbon more than the average monthly footprint of a US household. I was also shocked to find the number of smartphones charged and gasoline consumed, as these statistics put the carbon footprint in more concrete terms. As I calculated my footprint, I realized that my mode of transportation is a big part of my footprint. When I'm at home, I primarily drive a car when I need to go somewhere, whether that be the store or a friend's house. One way I can reduce my impact is by going out less and being more conscious of my car use. If I am meeting up with my friends, we can carpool instead of all taking separate cars or if I need to go to the store, I will try to buy enough food so I won't have to drive again for a few weeks. This way, I can reduce the amount of time I drive. Another choice I can make is by eating less meat. Another choice I can make is going out less. There have been times where I drive somewhere because I want to get a nonessential item, so I need to be more mindful of going out. It would save me money and reduce my footprint. This is also something that my siblings do so if I talk to them and we collectively drive less for nonessential things, we can reduce our carbon footprint by about 0.87 tons. My family generally eats a lot of meat, but one way we can reduce this is by having one or two days a week where we don't have any meat in our meals. I think it would be a good way to slowly transition from 7 portions of meat a week to only 5 or 6 portions a week. We also like to eat fish, so we can also substitute days where we would eat meat with fish. Shifting our diet away from meat would reduce our footprint and allow us to explore other foods. I also looked at the difference in carbon emissions after purchasing renewable electricity, and found it resulted in a 1.6 ton of CO2/month difference. This seems like a big change that would reduce our footprint, but I would have to discuss it with my parents to see if they would be willing to make that change.
My why: This class has made me much more aware of the impact all of our actions have on the environment, and I want to do my part to lessen that impact to leave a more sustainable future. When I think of the path we currently are on, I become worried that we will reach a point that is irreversible. I don't want to live in a future when pollution becomes the new normal and the world becomes a worse place to live. I hope that the changes I make to my life can help leave a better world behind for future generations. After our discussions in class, I've realized that zero waste, while unattainable, is something to reach for. By becoming more conscious of my actions and their impact, I hope that I can live a more sustainable life. Below is a picture of me and my family, with my aunt and uncle who recently had a baby. When I think of my younger cousins, I begin to think about the world they will live in, and I want it to be somewhere worth living. Therefore, when completing these challenges, I want to make changes that allow me to live more sustainable, and help leave behind a better world for future generations.
