I'm pretty darn proud of my house

whoa how did you get the smiley face?

oh, okay I see

That's a low Kgs!

nice!

Wow, I am very impressed, one of my categories is 6,000 kgs of Co2.

But not the total.

When my professor asked us to calculate our carbon footprint, I was pretty shocked. I could not believe how big my family's carbon footprint is. So, when we were asked to do this assignment the idea of how my family could reduce their carbon footprint really interested me. I found this article that shows a bunch of different cool ways to reduce our footprint. Such as using less paper, growing our own vegetables and even watching what our thermostat is set at!
https://amerisleep.com/blog/reduce-fami … footprint/

That’s very interesting and I agree that it is startling at first seeing the numbers on paper. I think every one in school should have to do a project that includes calculating your carbon footprint it really puts things in perspective and helps you personally relate to the global issue of climate change. For me it really motivated me to find solutions to lower my carbon footprint. There are lots of ways to lower it, some are expensive and some are equally as effective and cost nothing. I would suggest  to start out find what actions in each category (food, transportation, home energy etc, purchases) have the biggest impact and do what you can to change those. This will help you chose your battles and make the biggest dent in your carbon footprint with the least amount of change. For me one was not knowing I could bring reusable containers to get takeout in. Another one was how and how often I wash my clothes. What ever you chose to do even a small change is a step in the right direction for the whole world.

Ocean acidification is no joke. So many different sea animals are going extinct, many of these are keystone species. For example coral reefs are a big concern because they are going through mass extinction, this is because of the carbon getting into the ocean and heating it up. This happens because the carbon is reducing the ph levels and making the ocean more acidic which corals react very poorly to because the water is so warm, the coral will expel the algae that lives in their tissues and the coral will turn white, if the algae doesn’t come back the coral will die. This can happen in 4 weeks if the water goes up by 1 degree celsius, if this keeps happening we will have no coral in the future and coral reefs are a keystone ecosystem for so many species.

I completely agree with this. Ocean acidification needs to be talked about more so that a difference can be made. The longer we wait, the harder it would be to come back from our mistakes. Keystone species are a crucial part to our ecosystems and many more species will die if we keep doing what we are doing. Our planet is warming at such an alarming rate, organisms don't have time to evolve and adapt to these new circumstances. The last time the earth's climate changed this much there was a mass extinction. We need to worry about our carbon emissions now, so that in the future coral still exists.

I agree with what you are saying nora. The oceans have never been this warm and I don’t think they will ever go back down. Even if the feature we reduce the amount of carbon we produce we can’t bring the coral back to life. We have to take action now if we want to save our oceans. I’m fortunate enough to have gone snorkelling before and see how beautiful the coral is. I and assume everyone else wants to be able to go snorkelling with their own kids, and not have to tell them about them like we talk about dinosaurs today.

I agree with everything that u guys are saying. There is absolutely no way we can fight a problem most people don’t even know is happening. Most people hear about oceans being polluted by micro plastics but not how the fundamental chemistry of our oceans are being changed. And un like most climate issues where there are a hole bunch of different causes we know that this is being caused by an increased amounts of carbon in the atmosphere. Which causes the ocean to heat up. People say it’s hard to fight for something you can’t feel or see happening. This is why the worming of the planet is being so strongly fought for but you can see the impacts of worming oceans. When you see the news that says we are in a mass extinction event and you go back to your favourite scuba diving or fishing spot and there are no fish and the coral Reeves are bleached. Or u dip you feet in the ocean and don’t feel that familiar numbing cold. Our every impact is shown all around us and if we are going to solve this problem you can’t look away.

My family produces 116454 kgs of CO2 a year, which is pretty bad. I would like to change that by turning off the lights more often, and to using less lights in our house.

I would like to reduce this number, but I don't know if turning off lights will work. Does anyone have any other ideas?

My biggest thing on my carbon footprint was transportation. You could try biking and/or walking to more places. If this is kind of hard to do, you could try carpooling more or taking more public transportation. Also, I don't know very much about this, but I think turning off the lights when not in use does something. So make sure to still turn off lights and electronics when not in use.

I feel as though we should turn off lights more often in my household. My brother leaves his light on almost all day! I try my best to remember to turn off the lights, but sometimes I don't remember to, so I think I can change that:)

Well, I already bike to school, but yeah, I think I'll start turning off the lights in my house WAAAYY too much. ...

Well how often do you use a heater? If so in the winter you could layer and put on blankets it works has well a heater hope this helps!

Hey! That's a good idea, thanks!

These are all great ways to lower your carbon footprint.I found that food was a big contributor for mine as well as transportation. For food i think it would be great to make sure you use all the food in your home and if some seems to be rotten, there are some great recipes on the internet for food scrap meals and use them as leftovers. Another great way is to buy locally whenever you have the option, although it is hard to find local shops if you live remotely.It is important to conserve water. Reducing shower times and using more cold water will save you money and not effect your carbon footprint as much.

Yeah! I'll try that!

I fly every year or two to see my family in Japan and it adds a lot to my carbon footprint. Even though it might have a big impact, it's extremely hard to skip out on seeing family I rarely ever get to see. My family and I do still try to be green whenever we can for our trip, we choose the eco friendliest routes that have the least stops, and sometimes my mom even brings home some recyclables because there is no recycling system in rural Japan.

Although I do not have a garden or want to own one myself, my grandma does and I spent a lot of time in it when I was little. Some benefits to a garden are for environmental well being, it slows down habitat destruction, but also boosts the harbouring of biodiversity in the area as well. There are also some health benefits, it can relieve stress and lower blood pressure.

I have noticed significantly different trends in global carbon footprint averages. I think that the climate, social norms, economic status, environmental consciousness of the nation in which you live are all important contributing factors. For example, where I live in Vancouver, the average carbon footprint for students at my school is 8,844. This is around average for most of the world, but for some places, for example compared to some schools in California, it is extremely low. I think part of this has do with the fact that are more wealthy than the average person where I live, so they fly much more than average. Also the average purchases are much higher, likely because they have more money to buy things. Also, in much more extreme climates, you use more carbon to heat homes. In dense cities, the carbon footprint for transportation is lower than rural areas, because it less walkable, and longer distances are travelled every day. These are just a few thoughts on why carbon footprints vary so much globally.

Hi tivakc! I agree that your carbon footprint varies for where you live. A big contributor of the difference of our carbon footprints to the places I think is transportation.Where I live transit is a big part of the city and there are so many options to walk ,bus, and sky train.But for example in more rural areas they can only drive to get simple things like groceries or to get school. I think it’s important to factor in what is accessible for others in different cities instead of just judging people for what parts they play in climate change. It would be great if all cities had transit, locally grown food, and a fresh water supply. Does anyone have any ideas of what we can change in our communities to make things more accessible?

Thinking before buying something is really important as, buying things you really don't need just increases your carbon footprint which is unfair for our environment as well. Spending over your budget also can lead yourself into difficult situation. It can also put you in financial issues too so that's why making the decision "is it worth it" or "do I really need it" is a good thing to think about before making a purchase.

I know that everyone likes ice cream, milk, Mac n' Cheese, and just cheese in general--- but have you ever thought about how it affects the climate? Cows--- the source of all our dairy--- release methane, a global-warming inducing chemical, through their digestive system.(As in, when they b*rp or far*...) Personally, I am the only dairy eater in a lactose-intolerant family, but I still feel that we could cut back on the dairy so that farms don't breed cows so much, and so (Hopefully) the amount of methane going into the atmosphere will reduce. (Lactose-free ice cream is good, people!) This is just a thought, but personally, I will try to cut back on the dairy. A pebble in the ocean still creates a ripple! Thanks for hearing me out, and if anyone has any other ideas that don't involve giving up cheese for the sake of the world and reducing methane, I'm all ears!

Yes, I agree with everything you are saying but I also think it is important for people to realize the other impacts of eating dairy or even the animal agriculture busyness in a whole. Yes, cows producing massive amounts of methane is a problem. But we can reduce the amount of methane that cows produce by feeding them what they are originally built to be fed. Grass. The main reason we need to cut back on dairy and meet products is because grazing for animal agriculture is one of the leading causes of deforestation all across the world. Because of the space needed to grow the grain they eat, thousands of acres of forest are being destroyed ever second. And because the amount of water used to water the grain fed too the cows and the amount they drink in a lifetime before they are slaughtered eating one hamburger is equivalent to taking a shower for two months. So yes cutting back on ice cream, cheese, milk and meet can all help there is a bigger problem that not a lot of people have been educated about.

I think that home grown gardens are excellent and have many benefits. When you have your own gardens, it eliminates the need to travel anywhere to get your fruits, herbs and vegetables. and when you grow your own garden, you have control over what you put in your garden. For example, you can avoid fertilizers and pesticides which can increase greenhouse gases. When you have a home-grown garden, it could also reduce the amount of packaging because you don't need to package your garden foods while in supermarkets they are sometimes packaged. Having a home-grown garden also can make the air around you fresher because the plants absorb the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Overall, I think that home grown gardens are a great way to lower your carbon footprint.

I feel like humans want to buy things that are their wants and cause them to impulsively buy an item but that really is just a waste of money and increases your carbon footprint and if you keep impulsively buying things it could lead to overconsumption. Some good ways to be mindful about your purchases are to have a checklist and ask yourself questions to see if you really want it or not.

yes, I think humans are the cause of climate change. Before the industrial revolution, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was low but during the industrial revolution the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere rose up a lot and the climate started to change and get warmer. Humans did actions such as burning fossil fuels, and deforestation which warmed the earth at a higher rate. Agriculture also creates a big impact on climate change. for every second that passes, about 1 football field of forest is cut down for agriculture. most of the crops are grown for animal feed. Animal agriculture is one of the leading causes of climate change. The demand for animal products is high, they have to raise a lot of animals. The animals eat and drink a lot, and they produce a lot of methane which is 80x more harmful than carbon dioxide.

I would make my home energy efficient by using LED lights, using electric internal heating and cooling, and electric appliances. I would get my energy from hydro electric dams because in BC energy is created with water. I would choose to live near public transit so I can commute to places I would need to go to like school or work in the future. I would get my food from grocery stores that have lower carbon footprints like Whole Foods or Costco.

I would be more likely to live in a city with more options of public transportation, like more frequent, trams and more skytrains. Some additional things that could be added are more frequent buses on busy routes, additional skytrain lines that service busier parts of the city, and electric trams that service smaller neighbourhoods. This could give people options to take public transit rather than driving to somewhat farther areas within their city and take another car off the road.

I think that we all know that climate change ties into affecting the severity of weather, and how it has worsened in the past decade. The recent hurricane season has increased my concern for climate change as Hurricane Milton and Helene were within about half a month apart from each other. As well as the above average amount of rainfall during hurricanes. This was caused by the extra CO2 released that is warming the atmosphere indirectly causing excessive rainfall and ultimately devastating flooding.

Its hard to think big and try to help the world with just two hands! That's why taking small steps and making small actions are easier. There are many things you can do on your own too! For example you can, recycle, walk and bike, donate to environmentally friendly organizations, take shorter showers, turn lights off, or go thrifting! When I calculated my carbon footprint i noticed that a big percentage of my purchases number was from buying new most of the time. Buying used items is a great way to reduce our plastic waste and the amount of money we are spending. But it is also a great way to reduce the amount of transportation needed to import items from far away. Most of us don't pay attention to the shipping when buying things online, but some items can come from across the world, needing a boat or airplane to ship. And even fewer people pay attention to shipping when inside a physical store. For some items, like clothing, all it takes is to look at the tag to see where it was made. With larger and more popular stores and brands, most of their items will be shipped from other countries, especially if the store originates somewhere else. So thats why when you shop local, you have a higher chance of finding items that have not been shipped or at least not from far away. So why pay for carbon to be released atmosphere when you can spend your money on an item with better quality that is made either locally, or has already been used!

Renewable energy sources are cleaner ways of getting energy, basically anything but burning fossil fuels. There are many renewable energy sources that we can use to reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. For example, here in British Columbia, we use hydro power, which means we get our energy from water. There are many forms of renewable energy such as wind energy, geothermal energy, solar energy, and bio energy. Some well know ways of using these sources of energy are wind turbines, or solar panels. Which turn wind and sun into energy. But what if you don't have control over what energy you use? Write to government officials! Donate to organisations who work to have clean energy! If we can get the majority of the planet using renewable energy, this will lower our greenhouse gas emissions by a lot!!

Fast Fashion. This has become a term everyone has become familiar with. Over the last couple of years, fast fashion has made its presence known. The fashion industry itself is known to be responsible for almost 10% of our global emissions. Fast fashion produces massive amounts of clothing that are more affordable and more efficient to produce. These industries jump on latest trends to draw in large crowds. However, even though this sounds extremely convenient, fast fashion has made numerous detrimental effects on the environment. Clothing requires unimaginable amounts of oil, space, chemicals and water to produce. According to BBC, it is estimated that it takes 2,700 litres of water to produce ONE t-shirt! Unbelievable right?! Over the years, globally, clothing has made a huge impact on our own personal carbon footprints. To combat this issue, we have to make the choice of supporting more sustainable brands. We should also be willing to reuse and repurpose our materials.  Every single action of ours, impacts someone or something else in one way or another. It’s important that we are aware of the results of our actions. By dressing green, we can save green!

I agree. Fast fashion has been a problem. One thing you can do is to stop going to fast fashion places and start thrifting. thrifting is a good way to stop buying fast fashion. When you thrift the clothes are generally cheaper and could be better quality and also decreases your carbon footprint. It's also a good way to reuse and repurpose clothing that were once used.

There are a lot of sad things happening around the world, and unfortunately, they are usually what make the news and get lots of publicity as opposed to the good changes and actions happening. This can lead to hopeless or anxious feelings about climate change that cause some people to stop trying to fight climate change. It is important to be aware of the good and innovative things happening in the world as well as the bad.

I agree! I think that if people were more informed about the good changes that others are making to help fight climate change, then they would be more motivated to help make changes to improve as well! I think that instead of promoting the tragic news to make people feel hopeless and doomed (although it's still good for awareness), we should promote more news about positivity to motivate others into willingly helping improve the state of the world. Positive news could be more inspiring and help lead someone into wanting to do what others are doing to make the world a better place for everyone to live in and to inform them of the small changes they can do to make a big difference. Sad/tragic news on the other hand could make someone feel like it's too late to make a change or the problems are too big to be able to do something about it (which is completely untrue)

I agree with this, I think it is very important to focus on what we can do and change instead of what we are doing wrong all the time. Though it is important for people to know the severity of whats happening right now I think we could educate people on whats happening in a less scary way. Educating people and especially kids in a way that makes them feel like they can do their part is vital so people actually start making change instead of being scared of how much they need to change their lives in order to save the whole world. I think a great way to educate everyone is start with small things like how to recycle properly and to advertise clean ups that you could sign up with your friends or family.

Did you know only 25% of 5-17 year olds in Canada use active modes of transportation. This is why it is really important to use transportation as much as you possibly can because only 1/4 kids do. Just think of how much gas gets put in the air in one day and how much you and the people around you can prevent that. You can't change everyones carbon footprint but you can change yours so use that opportunity and use it to your advantage to try and save our earth!

I agree with this as ,riding a bike or even walking to school your helping out the ecosystem by not using as much gas as you would be if you were driving. Even taking the bus is good and that's a good way for transportation as well. But imagine how much you can help out just by doing the smallest things can help make a good impact on our environment.

Did you know that 19 precent of Canadian households drink primarily bottled water. This just shows that there are still so many people that don't use a water bottle. It us very important to use a water bottle because it prevents us from using so much unnecessary plastic. it is also way cheeper to use a water bottle instead of buying bottles water because if you have a water bottle you can just refill it but if you buy bottled water than you have to buy it every time you need water. You can also just refill the bottle of water you buy and keep refilling it instead of getting a new one every time. This is why you should just buy a reusable water bottle because it will save you money, time and help the environment.

I think is important for everyone to have a garden where ou can gro fruit and vegetables.
To have a lot of good products for the kitchen and because when you eat good food you stay fit and healty, it's a good thing for the environment because you don't buy food from the supermarket whitch has travelled a lot of kilometers producing a lot of pollution.

You make a great point about growing your own food! A lot of people don’t realize how much pollution is tied to the transportation of produce from farms to supermarkets, especially when it comes from faraway regions. By growing fruits and vegetables at home, you're cutting out those emissions and contributing to a healthier environment. Plus, you get the added benefits of fresh, nutritious food and the satisfaction of knowing exactly where your produce comes from. It’s definitely something more people should consider as part of a sustainable lifestyle.

I think it is important for people to grow their own fruits and vegetables because it is healthy products that they are growing in their backyard and it is very convenient for them as well. With people growing fruits and vegetables in their homes, it allows them to save money and enjoy fresh grown food.

I agree because i think it is important to have fruits and vegetables in your life to keep you energized throughout the day. Although there are a lot of people who live in house that do not have backyards or any space in their house to plant any fruits or vegetables. It is a very good idea, but for the people that do not have that space we should find an alternitive solution for them. Like maybe a community held garden where you can bring your own seeds and plant what you want.

Fruits and vegetables are definitely very important to your health. But I don't think everyone needs their own garden to eat healthy. Many people live in small apartments that are not equipped to grow a garden. But growing window-side herbs is a good solution if you want to start gardening but don't have enough space. Many people don't have the time or energy to keep these gardens alive and well even if they do have space and money due to school, work or family. If you live in a big city, often the grocery stores are not that far and you would be going there anyways to get other groceries. Organic fruit and vegetables can be quite expensive and if you are looking to cut costs on these things, growing a garden would be a good thing to look in to.

i think growing a garden is a good way to supplement a lowered carbon footprint and while i don't believe it to be a necessity. I think it is a fairly easy way to lower your carbon footprint and get something back from it but some people do live in apartments with not much space to grow plants. but even if you have little space you can still get a window box, grow some herbs, or even get a plot at a community garden to grow some bonus plants. if you are looking into gardening you should probably be prepared for a fair amount of failure though, gardening is hard sometimes so if you are just getting started i recommend trying to grow something easier like lettuce or potatoes.

Pollution is a major environmental issue affecting air, water, and soil. It is primarily caused by human activities like industrial emissions, vehicle exhaust, and improper waste disposal. Pollution harms ecosystems, endangers wildlife, and poses serious health risks to humans. Reducing pollution requires global cooperation and sustainable practices to protect our planet for future generations.

I agree that reducing pollution requires global cooperation. I think many people have a mentality that since other people wont reduce polution they wont either.

I feel very passionate about the fact that for us to calm down pollution, we all have to come together as a whole and change the things we are doing. We also have to think about other people because, in America, most people care about themselves and don't care about the people around them, which causes people to do reckless behavior.

I feel like this is an "obvious" thing to say, but It's definitely true. I think we should ask the question, "How do we convince many people on an international scale to contribute to stopping pollution?"

I like how you mentioned water and soil pollution because people are not very informed on those topics. The most discussed topic on pollution is air pollution but there's much more to it than just that. There's many more contributions to pollution that not a lot of people talk about like pollution caused by agriculture. I think that humans in general should be more educated on pollution and the way it affects so many aspects of the world from food, the ocean/marine life, air quality, health effects, and so much more. We also need to be more informed on the ways we can reduce our impacts on pollution. There's so much more to what we can do than just driving less with gas-run cars and not littering, and also the small things we can do in our daily lives to make a huge impact our how the environment turns out to be.

Lots of people suffer with hunger, it could be cause by the lack of access like not nearby grocery stores or fast food places. Children suffering with this issue can lead to health issues and impact them in there immune system, and growth as well. This is another reason why we all need to work together encouraging others to not waste food.

I agree because there are so many people that can use our help to just not waste food. Its such a simple thing that everyone can do and it would help our society and ecosystem in so may ways. It also just makes me feel bad when I throw away left over food because I know that it could have gone to someone else in need. I think that everyone should always try their best to not waste food unless they absolutely have to because it will benefit our earth in so many ways.

Reusing things are really important like going to the grocery store and buying new bags for ur grocery's but instead u can use reusable bags and bring them from home. By doing that your saving urself money and being eco friendly. Ur also cutting down the waste of the extra plastic bags your buying that is goanna end up in the landfill or ocean. Also fixing up t-shirts like sewing ones with holes or rips in them and if ur clothes get smaller donate them.

There are many effects like hotter temperatures, higher health risks, global warming, increase of droughts, and more severe storms. Because of higher temperatures some areas have experienced hot days and heat waves as well, which makes it hard to move and work. Another one is higher health risks. Diseases can spread due to the changes of weather, and not only that but because of the extreme weather, it can increase the number of deaths. This makes it hard for health care workers to keep up. Global warming is another effect, because our ocean absorbs heat, which causes sheets of ice to melt and endangers marine life due to the carbon dioxide that the ocean absorbs as well. Fourthly, is the increase in droughts. This can is a big threat to our environment because deserts are expanding, which is taking up the amount of space for growing food and plants. Droughts can also transfer tons of sand and dust across continents due to the sandstorms. Because it's so hot and dry, there isn't much water resource which is a big threat to humans. Lastly, more severe storms. Due to the changes in temperature, this has caused many floods and landslides destroying many homes.

We know that extreme and abnormal weather patterns are a result of climate change. But I think it's important for people to know why and how. When CO2 is released into the air, it warms our atmosphere, therefore warming the planet. When our planet heats up, it makes sense that it would cause more droughts, and dryer climate. While it doesn't seem like it, it also causes more rainfall and changes in wind patterns. When the ocean temperature rises, it makes the water able to evaporate easier. This causes water to go into the atmosphere, and eventually turn into rain.

Hi this can help make a Sustainable

edit sing is single sorry

I agree because single use plastic will just turn into micro-plastic and stay in the air

I agree stop using single use plastic. It very much effects our environment as it is only "single use" using reusable water bottles such as Hydro Flask might cost more but wont cost more then thousands of single use plastic material. Don't use single plastics!

I agree with ethlou, Single use plastics are so bad and dangerous. When we are done with them we just chuck them in the garbage not thinking of the consequences. They can end up in the ocean and hurt our sea life or end up in a landfill and never break down. If Single use plastics end up in the ocean some of them could get caught around animals necks or fins and cause them to suffocate or die. Animals in the ocean could also confuse plastic as food which could make them very sick and/or cause animals to suffocate from the inside. If plastics do break down, they could turn into microplastics which are also very harmful in similar and different ways. Microplastics have been found to cause heart attacks, health affects and even death. Instead of using single use plastics we should use reusable water bottles, wooden cutlery, beeswax wrap instead or Saran Wrap (yes this more expensive, but you can reuse them multiple times so in the end you end up saving money.) And if you do end up using single use plastics try to recycle them properly so the can be reused in a different way.

i think nina is correct single use plastics are very bad for the environment and getting rid of them would genuinely not even be that difficult to do. All you have to do is be careful about what we buy a lot of things have single use plastic containers but as long as you take a moment to look wether or not you can recycle the plastic. This seems like one of the easier things to drop for most people and it is very important too. single use plastic is incredibly bad for the environment because it does not break down really at all and therefore they can kill many, many animals every year especially in the ocean which is already in bad shape because of ocean acidification.

One thing we think would greatly reduce Co2 pollution is to bring back the horse and buggy in replacement of motorized vehicles.  Motorized vehicles cause pollution to the environment.  These pollutants cause harm to our health.  They have greenhouse gasses that can greatly affect climate change.  The burning of gas and other fuels creates very harmful byproducts.  They also create Co2 which is the most common human cause of greenhouse gasses (Department of Ecology State of Washington).  Horses are selective grazers which causes them to not eat tougher grasses.  This is because they can not digest them (Extension Horse).  Horses are very important to the environment because it increases the plant diversity in an area.  (Lonker, Fenchner, El Wahed).  Horses are one of the biggest contributors to renewable energy and resources.  They produce up to 9.1 tons of manure every year.  This manure can be turned into green energy.  These farms and other energy companies around the farms can use this energy (Middleton Place Equestrian Center).  Lots of horse farmers utilized trough watering for their animals.  This helps the protection of natural water sources.  It also prevents erosion on the edges of the natural water source (Middleton Place Equestrian Center).  Vehicles are America's biggest air pollutant.  They are producing about one - third of all U.S. air pollution (National Geographic).  Highway vehicles release about 1.5 billion tons of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere every year (U.S. Department of Energy).  As you can see the horse creates a smaller Co2 footprint than motorized vehicles (Extension Horse).

I disagree with your statement because horses create solid waste, which will lead to more machines being build to clean and pick up all of the bowel movements from these horses. Driving a car like a Prius, riding a bike or taking the bus to your location will get you to your desired location but also decrease the carbon being released into the atmosphere.
As well as feeding the horses factory made feed will increase the greenhouse gasses. ultimately everyone switching to riding horses is not an ideal choice to make to reduce Co2 pollution.

Bringing Back horses is a very interesting idea. Yes they don't burn gas to move unlike cars, But if we brought horses back there would be so much extra waste and not to mention methane farts and burps. The methane gas would go into the atmosphere and stay there trapping in heat. Only a small part of their waste could actually be used for green energy, and the rest of it would just stay where it was dropped and would release biogas(methane and carbon dioxide). Also as a person it would be nice to not step on horse poop everywhere I go. To use horses as transportation, that would take lots of energy for them to walk around all day, so they'd need more food and water which would produce more carbon to grow more crops, use more water for them to drink and to grow crops and take more land and resources which the world is running out of. One more reason we got rid of horses and buggys is because this way of transportation is also abusing the animal. Horses weren't made to pull around super heavy cars and be whipped if they need to go faster. Horses and buggys are not the solution to gas cars and just isn't sustainable for the world.

We all need to work together to sae our planet and our lives, for example: do separate waste collection, recycle, take public trasport ecc.

I totally agree if we want to save our planet we need to work together and start making some action like for example taking public transportation to school. Although as we all know in order to take public transit to school or work, it take’s more time out of your day. Even though it take's a longer amount of time to get places when taking it, it will help our environment soo much if people started cutting down there driving. Every 10km per person on a skytrain produces 0.37kg of CO2, where driving would produce 2.05kg of CO2.

Through most most people's carbon footprints, you can realize that most familes have their carbon footprint based onto either food or transportation. There many ways you can solve each problem. First, to solve food carbon footprints, I would first suggest going vegetarian because when you eat and buy meat, you can cause a large amount of carbon footprint. Another way to restrict carbon footprint by going fo something local. The first way is to simply go to a local vegtable shop and buying something there. Even if you still want to buy meat, you should still use it through a local source. If you want to use transportation, it should be better if travel and have vacations locally and not go somewhere very far. Even if you do, you should still use public transportation like trains to get somewhere. This will be able to help solve many of the world's problems in our carbon footprint.

Yes I, believe going vegetarian will help, because if we don't eat a lot of meat it won't cause a large amount of carbon footprint. So I totally agree that eating vegetables will help lower the carbon footprint. And I also agree that going for vacation not going to a far place also helps the carbon footprint lessen

Yes, being vegetarian would be better for Earth. Because we wouldn’t pollute the world more.

Vegetarian is better for the Earth but it is also really hard for many families to stop eating meat. It might work to gradually start eating vegetarian meals.

While I agree that eating less or no meat is better for the earth, it isn't always that easy. Eating meat is an important part of many cultures, and it isn't fair to ask those people to stop eating meat. I think we also have to consider that a big part of the carbon coming from meat is from the deforestation and clearing of land for animal agriculture. Because of this, the land that we are already using for animal farming would still be used to grow alternative sources of protein. While it would reduce the amount of methane being released by a lot, I don't think we can "fix" this problem, or erase our food carbon footprint. In addition, other sources of protein such as quinoa or chickpeas are much more expensive than meat, and there are many countries and people who cannot afford the alternate options. Yes, whoever can should consider eating less or no meat, but we can't ask everyone to cut meat out of their diet.

i think you make a valid point but it is also very difficult to do these things for example some people live far away from there schools or stores, I live very far away from my school and therefore have to drive there. in addition to this it can be very difficult to just stop eating meat and to buy local for some people. As an example some people only have enough money to buy food at stores such as costco because they have lots of family or not enough money to afford high quality local vegetables. Also for some people eating meat is culturally important. I think it is important to think about what you are saying before you say it especially on the internet because it is difficult to judge others comfort unless you know them and in this situation not many people can follow through on this advice.

By far the largest impact to my carbon footprint was transportation, specifically flying. This is because I have family across the country that I visit twice a year, as well as I travelled to visit extended family across the world for the first time this year. This is a difficult decision for me, because while I care a lot about lowering my carbon footprint, I do not know if it is worth it to sacrifice seeing my family. Though my family does purchase carbon offsets to help mitigate the impact, I still feel bad about flying so much when I know it has such a huge negative impact. I think this is a difficult issue for people who live far away from their families, and I'm not sure what is the right thing to do.

Hi tivakc, I think what you are saying makes perfect sense; yes, it uses lots of carbon to fly places but it's also necessary if you want to stay in touch with your family. I also have family out of the country and in different Provences that I would not give up seeing just because of the environmental impact. There are so many other things I (and many others do) to reduce their carbon footprint. I believe it is up to the government and engineers to make flying more sustainable. The plane was a great invention at the time but now as the environment is at risk, it is time for a change, and unfortunately, as individuals, we can not make this change. However, we can write letters and campaign for a change.

you can grow vegetables or fruits in your own balcony or in your garden. it s pretty easy to grow it in your home, you can buy some seeds and plant them, after that, all you have to do is to wait.

Many people do not realize the amount of pollution that is related to the transportation of produce from farms to supermarkets especially when it comes from faraway countries or cities. By growing fruits and vegetables at home you are cutting out many emissions and contributing to a healthier environment. You get the added benefits of fresh, nutritious food and the satisfaction of knowing where your produce comes from. Is is definitely something more people should consider as part of a sustainable lifestyle. which will lead to a cleaner earth and healthier bodies.

For my personal carbon footprint I think it shows that I use a lot of hot water and it made my co2 go up by a lot. firstly I take showers longer than 15 mins and I use hot water when washing laundry in my house. But I'm going to try my hardest to take showers less than 15 mins and suggest to the people and my house to use warm water instead of hot or even cold. Something that made my co2 level go down is that my house hold recycles very well. I really encourage people that don't recycle to at least try doing more fit because its really important to our ecosystem and it doesn't take that long.

Something that I know contributes to my carbon footprint is my consumption of meat. However, I find myself unable to give it up. This is due to the valuable amounts of protein, fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals that the human body acquires when you eat meat. I understand that it's bad for the environment because of the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Another reason that meat consumption is bad for the environment is because land used to raise animals loses water, soil, and trees while untreated waste pollutes streams and rivers. I believe something I could do to still eat meat but reduce my carbon footprint is got only eats meat two days a week at most. I currently eat meat 4-5 days a week and while I can't give it up entirely, I think that trying to reduce the amount of meals I eat with meat in them, by eating vegetarian or plant-based alternatives to meat, could help the environment.

i think what your doing is honestly super good because i know that not every one can completly cut out meat from there diet. if every one ate meat only once or twice a week the green house gases being released would decrease by alot. though i dont completly agree with your first statment because you can acquire proteins and such from many other things that dont put the welfare of an animal down.

I think you cutting out some of the meats is great, but you can find other sources of finding protein for your diet. You wouldn’t have to fully give up meats and just have it a few times a week instead of cutting it off and finding different sources, though keeping the meat intake down keeps the green house gasses down a lot.

I think that it is very good that you are cutting on your meat consumption to help the environment but I suggest instead of just cutting out all meat and animal products you could instead start trying new forms of protein and other source of nutrients like soy based forms of protein like tofu or eat other alternative meats like beyond beef that is made of plant based ingredients so you get the sources from meat but without the methane and co2 emissions so I think its a very good ting you should try it

I can totally relate to you Louisa! I'm in the exact same position where I fully understand the impacts that eating meat has on the environment and my carbon footprint but I also am not able to fully get rid of it. This is because of my culture and my family for we eat meat for at least 3 meals a day, and because I have eaten meat my whole life, abruptly getting rid of it can have many different negative effects on my body. Even though it is difficult for me to completely give up eating meat, I still try my best to reduce my meat consumption by eating more vegetarian meals and reducing my meat consumption to 1-2 meals a day or every other day and even less in the near future (like how you eat meat 4-5 days a week and are trying to reduce it to 2 days a week). I'm taking it slowly because there's times like dinner where I don't really get to choose what to eat as I eat dinner with my family, but I'm slowly convincing them to eat more vegetarian/vegan meals. Other ways that I try to reduce my meat consumption is alternatives like tofu. You can find many delicious no-meat recipes to make in replacement of your usual meat meals.

Many people go hungry everyday across the globe, often because of wars, poverty and climate change. Children especially suffer the most, as lack of food effects their growth and well being. But at the same time countries waste a big sum of their food, showing how unfair the problem is. I think we need to work together as a community, share resources better and make the world a better place.

I agree with Kaydancolt! I think that we should think of others when we buy or eat more food than we need we should do everything we can to support starving children in war torn and impoverished countries rather than ourselves because they need it way more than us.

Yes Kayden you bring up a great point people are very focused on other things when there are homeless starving children out there. I think one way us as a community can help is by sending donations or emailing our government officials about this so the topic gets more known. This topic definitely deserves more attention because this is our youth the ones that can  make the change.

Yes I agree with Kaydancolt!, KPR#31 and, Hugo_2010 because I think it is a very pressing and urgent issue and I think I have come up with a way to solve it.  The idea I had stemmed from a documentary I saw cowspiracy it basically said that instead of feeding people in need meat we could instead redirect all the food that cows are getting like corn and other grains and help donate them to people in need because it is 10% more of an efficient food source than beef so that's why I think we should redirect a lot of the resources being used up on meat and give it to those who. need it.

Kaydancolt!, KPR#31, Hugo_2010 and santbuzz are all correct! Food security is a very pressing issue all over the world. Meat farming is very bad for the environment and definitely makes food security trickier for many people over the world as more food goes to animals than people who need it. many biodiversity hotspots are also being threatened by the ranching industry, such as the Amazon (the rainforest, not the company). in the amazon, one acre (about one football field) is destroyed every second. and hundreds of species go extinct per day. this means in a few decades, this carbon sink will be replaced by massively carbon emitting cows. This means more land needs to be turned into farms that only feed the ranch animals further depleting the finite area we have to make food for ourselves. This means a higher overall price of food and more starving individuals.

Doing things as simple as composting, turning off lights when you're not home, recycling, taking quicker showers, and carpooling or riding a bike or walking can help the environment. these are all easy and not very time-consuming lifestyle choices that you can make that can help save our earth. Obviously, there are larger problems than plastic straws in the world but every little thing can help.

Dear BigCmanCrago, i agree that we must make these small changes in our own lifestyles, and even though it may not seem like it's making a big deference, if everyone does it, it will.  I know this to be true because I used to use the opposite argument, that if i buy and throw away just one or two recyclable bottles, its not that big a deal. If I take 30 minute showers just this week, it wont really matter. Yet its when everyone in the world thinks like this that we have a problem. We must shift our our mindsets together to start thinking about the little things, and thinking about our future.

I think osker makes a very good point. It can be easy to forget about the other eight billion people we share a planet with, often using the excuse “what difference can one person make?”. And sure, one person who chooses not to recycle couldn’t have less of an impact, but when hundreds, thousands, millions of people decide that its no longer their responsibility, well you can imagine the problems that would come with that. It is imperative that we do not keep a solitary mindset, as climate change is not a battle we are fighting alone.

I agree that these small actions make the environment around us a better place, but what will these actions do for our planet in the long run if not promoted? What is the point of putting ourselves through more work to act sustainably if it only benefits our egos? I understand that taking actions like carpooling and taking short showers takes away from our carbon emission, but these actions will not have a large impact on our planet if there are very few making an effort. This is why I believe that we, as students, must find ways to promote our healthy lifestyles as much as possible. Although much debated, one citizen acting sustainably and keeping it to themselves will not have an impact on climate change or global warming. If change is desired, we should be actively looking for ways to promote our healthy and sustainable ideas to many others.

I agree that every little think thing helps and just by taking a 10 min shower instead of 20 can be helpful, but also just by decreasing your meat eating by one meal can help so much more than you think. For example a McDonalds Big Mac cause around 2.35kg of CO2 where an impossible burger (which is a type of veggie burger) produces 0.75kg of CO2. So yes every little thing helps, but it’s is also good to think about the bigger things like becoming vegan and things like that.

something that everyone can do to reduce there carbon footprint is eating less meat. Even though i do realize meat is a crucial part of a lot of people’s diets and not an easy thing to give up, i still think a lot of people aren’t aware of the serious affects meat has on our environment. The 1st thing i have to say about meat is how much land it takes to raise meat that is fully grown, one thing i’m not sure most of you know is that feeding someone who is vegan for a year takes only 1/6th of an acre of land while someone on a meat and dairy diet for a year uses 18 times that amount of land. i think this is a very scary statistic but also a very real one, raising meat does use a lot of land and meat eaters have to realize that. the 2nd thing i have to say about meat is how much methane cows produce. cows produce this methane through there farts, burps or poop, we contribute to this by eating cows. considering how many cows are bred because of the demand we put on them meaning more of the methane that cows produce is going up into the atmosphere. i think it is a really good idea for people to consider eating less meat and dairy meals each week as it is a great way to help save our planet and reduce your carbon footprint.

world hunger at face value seems like an unsolvable problem but I believe I have an idea to help make it a smaller issue compared to what it is right now.  My idea for helping with the ginormous problem that world hunger is stems from the fact that in the energy pyramid only 10 percent of the energy consumed by one of the organisms can travel up 1 level up the pyramid so I think to help with world hunger we could stop feeding the amount of grain and other foods that are at the base of the food pyramid and give it to people in need instead of using it to feed cows or chickens because only 10% of the energy in the grain goes up to the cow unlike eating the grain/corn and not eating the cows I believe that this can help a lot of the issues ninth world today because people would have much easier access to food a neccesary resource for living

I agree with this idea. Because meat is so grain and water intensive, it would make more sense to feed lower down the food chain. For example, to produce 1kg of beef, you need on average 25kgs of grain. This is not economical when world hunger is so prevalent. If we switched to more plant-based diets, we would require less land to grow food, while feeding more people, and we could help prevent deforestation and habitat clearing. I do recognize that there are constraints to being vegan/vegetarian, so instead of fully cutting out all meat, we could at least strongly reduce meat consumption.

I agree with santbuzz I feel like there are too many animals used for agriculture and that there are too many starving people in the world to just give all of our grains and other plant food to animals just so that the more well off people can survive and eat well. Plus animal agriculture is one of the #1 contributors to carbon emissions which causes global warming. So I think we should cut down on those emissions and help out the less fortunate by feeding less cattle and chickens and feeding more people.

The balance between the human race and the well-being of our planet is quite difficult to balance. People need more and more things that are not exactly friendly to the environment and the planet. what can we do to balance the balance? I think we should reduce as much as possible the objects that we don't really need or replace them with others that are better for the environment. I admit that I also buy some things (clothes for example) that are not really useful to me, taking into account that I have so many good things that I could continue to wear. therefore, I will try as much as possible not to spend so much money on things I don't need, but to invest them in things that will also help the planet.

To add on to you’re point I think people should use more recyclable materials that are biodegradable, as well as organize more events for recycling, cleaning and informational ones too because it is very important to learn about how much one piece of plastic can damage the environment, and the ways that our pollution can affect animals and plants. We need to be aware that we are the cause of pollution and that only we can fix pollution and save our planet.

I completely agree! I often buy new items without considering what I already have and how my purchases will affect the planet. I feel it is important to pay attention to the packaging of items and minimize our purchases of plastic or other packaging materials that are harmful to our planet. It would also be great for communities to continue to transition from plastic products to more paper products. In addition, it is essential to enforce recycling and composting policies to limit the amount of waste dumped on land, making its way to our ocean, polluting the water, and hurting marine animals. We definitely need to be more conscious of our daily actions and their effects. Has your community taken any effective steps to further protect and heal our planet? Do you have any other ideas on how to do so?

I also agree very strongly marlow. It is important to recycle as much as possible.My community hasn't done this but i have researched a lot on cleaning plastics.One project I found interesting was an organization called The Ocean cleanup, It took a net attached to two tug boats that collect plastics in ocean hotspots . Although this form of cleaning is effective i feel it is not as sustainable as other projects due to a boat being driven around the ocean a lot which could effect the marine ecosystems as well as effect the carbon footprint.A great way to clean up in your community without needing many tools is to organize ocean and river clean ups, river clean ups are very important because our world only uses 1% of the 71% of water on earth and it is getting limited everyday due to waste in our fresh water.

use more public transport  and increase car sharing.

I agree, but I suggest walking or biking instead of driving because burning fossil fuels release a large amount of carbon dioxide (CO2). If you're going somewhere far, then that's when it is suggested taking public transportation and carpooling. If you're planning on buying a car, then consider buying an electric one with cheaper models. Even though electric cars run on electricity produced from fossil fuels, they reduce the amount of air pollution as well as causing fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

When I submitted my carbon footprint I noticed that the "home" category was the highest. I think it's because I live in two homes - one with my mom and sister and then one with my dad and sister (same sister). There for, there are less people in my household for the same use of electricity and gas. Some things I could do to make my carbon footprint go down in the "home" category would be to turn off the heat at night, only use heat when it's really cold and a sweater won't fix it, turn off lights when I leave the room, take shorter showers, buy LED lights instead of incandecent light bulbs, and only run the dishwasher when it's full. I'm sure there are more, if anyone has suggestions please let me know!

one thing that is off the table for me is eating meat. Even though i do realize meat is a crucial part of a lot of people’s diets and not an easy thing to give up, and i still think a lot of people aren’t aware of the serious affects meat has on our environment. The 1st thing i have to say about meat is how much land it takes to raise meat that is fully grown, one thing i’m not sure most of you know is that feeding someone who is vegan for a year takes only 1/6th of an acre of land while someone on a meat and dairy diet for a year uses 18 times that amount of land. i think this is a very scary statistic but also a very real one, raising meat does use a lot of land and meat eaters have to realize that. the 2nd thing i have to say about meat is how much methane cows produce, cows produce this methane through there farts, burps or poop, we contribute to this by eating cows considering how many are bred because of the demand we put on them meaning more of the methane they produce is going up into the atmosphere. i think it is a really good idea for people to consider eating less meat and dairy meals each week as it is a great way to help save our planet.

Hi i think this is a great point and is honestly very informative, i did notice you put this under the “Off the Table” category and off the table means something you wouldn’t do. I agree completely and this reality is horrifying. I’m really considering cutting off on as much meat and dairy as possible for me.

hi, thank you so much i just noticed this, please disregard this message as i am going to put it in the right category soon.

i’ve noticed recently that the weather where i live is changing at a rapid rate due to climate change. i think this is really noticeable because it has been flooding when it rains and the summers have been longer with more frequent heat waves and hotter weather. vancouver’s changing climate has also meant that it’s been snowing later and later every year as global warming has gotten worse. these weather effects have really put in perspective how serious climate change is and how badly it can affect the earths environment.

As teenagers we must reflect about our wants and needs, because unnecessary things will increase our carbon footprint to unhealthy levels which will lead to destruction of our earth and all living organisms. Overspending on only wants can lead to financial troubles, so spending wisely will benefit you and your bank account. Indulging in your wants can provide a sense of satisfaction and joy. however it is crucial that you find a balance between both a want and a need. Brands like amazon, nike, apple, are constantly developing new ways to hook in new shoppers and ways to get you to buy with tricks and tactics that influence your behavior is ways that you do not realize. Life on earth is not just about buying and spending but to live the life you are given to its fullest. Because in the end whoever dies with the most money and the most items do not win.

I feel like I have a lot of everyday purchases especially food so if we all cut down on our everyday purchases like food or stuff that we don't need but want like toys or video games (physical copies) then our carbon emissions would go way down as well we would have more food to help out other countries that may be struggling with hunger and we would also have more toys to donate to struggling families.

One thing that Is "off the table" for me Is my phone I always listen to music when I'm doing my work like I am right now and I need It to find out If I am getting picked up after school or walking. I also to let my parents know where I'm at when I go hang with friends. And sometimes when I don't have my laptop for school I use my phone to turn In assignments that are due or to look something up. But I have to have to charge It a lot I also have a portable charger i keep with me because my phone die's fast but It also charges fast and It take my whole lunch brake for It to get to 40% witch is pretty good.

I agree with you as I also am not willing to let go of electronics. They help me with many in my daily life in so many ways like communication with friends and family, listening to music, learning new topics, and more.

I also agree! Using electronics can be really helpful as learning and communication tools, but I, and a lot of other people, are also very guilty of having them as our main source of entertainment.As I'm getting into sustainability and the effects of our carbon footprints, I believe this is something I need to change. So while cutting electronics out entirely is off the table, I think I should at least limit how much I use them.

I for one agree that us as a population should limit our screen times so we can lower the power that goes to not life dependent appliances like showering and cooking but I also understand that using your phone can have heaps of great benefits for you like learning new things about how to be as eco-friendly as possible so there's pros and cons but I think its a good idea to be more mindful about how our screen time can affect the environment that is around us

I mostly agree with you because i need my phone for school and communication with parents or friends. However, i think i could be on my phone less. There are times when i loose track of time watching mindless videos on TikTok or other time wasting apps. I’m not saying to never go on your phone or not go on those apps at all, i don’t think they are bad i just think as a society we don’t need to be spending as much time on them. Treat those apps as down time not an all the time thing.

I agree that phone use is mostly off the table for example i need my phone to contact my parents sometimes and i think that phones are off the table for safety issues. But at the same time i think we can minimize our screen time and thus properly balance our own safety and minimizing carbon emissions. something personally off the table for me is driving, i wish i could change my driving significantly as it is a my main carbon emission source. But since my dad lives far away from my school it is necessary for me to drive a long way to get to school and other places too.

In my research, I have found that adopting a vegan diet is one way to save on the environmental impact caused by raising farm animals. Now more than ever there is a lot of healthy, balanced ways to consume a plant-based diet. One of these ways I have found was through the recipes Baking Hermann has showed me. Baking Herman is a website founded on principles of sustainability. Baking Hermann spotlights plant-based meals from around the world to show the diverse foods and meals that can be made.

Here is the website

I agree with what you are saying. I think a plant based diet helps reduce your carbon footprint a lot. Since the demand for meat has gotten much higher, farmers have been clearing way more land for there farm animals to live on as well as land to grow food for the animals. Valuable land too, a football field sized chunk of land is cleared every second for agriculture from rain forests. So eating less meat also saves our forests.

I think adopting a vegan diet is a great idea but for some people it is very hard to give up meat. Maybe if regular meat eaters only have meat 4 out of 6 day of the week it would make a big change. This would be way easier than a full vegan or Vega diet but will still have impacts. Another way could be to eat fast food burgers less because 1 burger is equivalent to 3000 gallons of water or 2 mouths showers so this would have a huge impact on water levels as well.

I 100% agree with your statements. I think that creating a plant based diet is healthy, and also it reduces your carbon footprint significantly. Although for meat eaters switching to a all plant based diet will be tough. I think that for meat eaters instead of eating meat all the time they should try and stick with a plant based diet for at least 4 times a week. Also switching to a plant based diet helps with the farmers so much, because raising these animals give a big chunk of their land so it will help them out a lot.

I agree with the idea of adopting a vegan diet will help with the environmental impact of animal agriculture, although I don’t think everyone should just stop eating meat and dairy. I think that people should cut down on their meat eating per week because some people have been eating meat their whole life’s and we can’t just tell them they’re not allowed any more. Although we can teach people more about where it comes from and let them decide whether they want to become vegan.

I noticed that climate change is becoming a big problem, because of increasing temperatures. last  summer it was hot with very high temperatures in my hometown. some  days  there were strong floods, creating landslides not far from where i live because of the very high temperatures and some plants in my garden dried up.

I have also noticed increased temperatures throughout more of the year in my hometown, as well as worsening disasters that cause more and more damage every year.

I think this is visible where I live as well. I feel like being able to really see the effects of climate change where you live can be really impactful, and hopefully will drive people to taking stronger action against the climate crisis. Increasing average summer temperatures, more severe and frequent wildfires, and more atmospheric rivers are all effects we are experiencing in Vancouver. It can be concerning, but I hope it will help people to see how urgent this crisis really is.

I have also noticed these extreme temperatures where I live as well. I think that being able to realize the actions climate change as done to your city or town is really impactful. And as a community I hope for people to take more impactful actions against this climate disaster. And in my city Vancouver there has been increasing temperature in winter and summer and more occurring forest fires. Lastly I pray that people are gonna take action from these climate crisis.

I play a high level of hockey which requires me to drive to training 4 times a week as well I have games during the weekends, and sometimes I have to travel to rinks that are very far away and I have to go there on a team bus, for example a few weeks ago I had to play a team that is a 13 hour drive away from me not to mention tournaments as well. Basically hockey is such an important part of my life so for me driving is off the table.

I agree with KPR#31. I also have to drive a ton for my activities. I live really far from my school and have to drive about 80km for sports per week. It isn't great and I wish I could make some changes, but don't really think many other options are feasible. I've considered using public transit, but it would add an extra hour to hour and a half to my commute time, which isn't really an option when I only have about an hour and a half between school and sports. In short, I wish I could do something, but driving is really the only option

People never seem to think about what their purchases could do to the environment or will they even use them at all. People should actually think if they need something when at the check out line. All people should get to get items that they enjoy but that should not come at the cost of Earth.

I agree, people do not think about the consequences to their actions.

I agree with this, people are not thinking about what they're buying and how that will impact other people and organisms. I think treating yourself to something unnecessary once in a while is a good thing, like a treat if you pass a test or a reward for doing something difficult. As a society, we can struggle to think about how our actions that we are taking now are going to affect others in future generations. If you want to buy something just because it's cheap, think about if you are actually going to use for a long time. Otherwise it would end up adding to our landfills.

Did you know eating 1 burger takes 3000 Litres of water which is equivalent to 2 mouths shower. Also every second 1 football fields with of land is farmed for animal agriculture.
51% of all co2 emissions are clouded by animal agriculture, do you think people need to talk more about this subject since its a big matter?

I agree with the Canadian man called Hugo_2010 because I for one think this is not talked enough about and there is definitely some evidence on why in the hit movie/documentary called cowspiracy and it shows very well the theme of your post and I think it should definitely have more attention drawn to it because it is one of the if not the biggest leading cause for climate change

I also agree with your statements Hugo_2010 and santbuzz but especially with santbuzz. I think that this subject is not discussed more frequently, and also I have watched that amazing documentary Cowspiracy it details and shows about the importance about our trees and animals. Lastly when your eating a burger I hope that u realize that the patty had a face and takes 3000 litres of water.

Humans have negatively affected the climate for years, these actions inclue burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and over use of our resources, as the earth warms more and more each year our ice caps will melt even faster.
https://climate.ec.europa.eu/climate-ch … %20warming

I completely agree with you. However, I'd like to add that agriculture also plays a big impact on the environment. For example, if you feel bad when you take a long shower or leave the tap running then consider the animal products you eat - eating one hamburger is equivalent to two months of however much the average person showers. That's a lot of water, think about it. Of course, burning fossil fuels, deforestation and the over use of resources are huge problems. In fact, these practices are all used for the making of meat/dairy products - we cut down forests so that we have more farmland, we burn fossil fuels to transport the goods, and of course we use tons and tons of feed (that could go to humans) and water to sustain farm animals.

Yes. I fully believe that humans are the main cause of climate change. The reason for this is because most of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is caused by humans. Humans cause CO2 to be released by cutting down trees for various reasons (ex. clearing land for agriculture, paper production), breeding animals for meat consumption, burning fossil fuels (ex. transportation, heating), electricity use, and so much more. I feel that if we were to reduce some of the things we do to contribute to the CO2 in the environment, then the world would head towards a cleaner and safer future.

If you are a student, you may not think that you can do much to help out, but there are many things you can do including eat less meat, take shorter showers, turn off any electrical device when it is not being currently used, take public transportation, walk, or bike whenever possible, and throw your waste in the right bins. I'm not telling you to change your whole lifestyle, but if we all try to reduce even a little bit of the things we do to contribute to climate change, then we can make a huge impact to change the outcome of the future. Try to do whatever is possible for you.

My carbon footprint is significantly lower than the average one in my state but a little higher than the world's average. I want to lower it because I want to lead a more sustainable lifestyle. My highest category of carbon emissions(?) is food, which is probably because I eat meat very often. I have no problem cutting down on that, so maybe that could be how I make a change.

Me too, I eat meat pretty often within a week for more protein. Although there are many alternitives we can switch to to still get the same amount of protein. Like Quinoa, peas and lentils all are very high in protein and are vegetarian. Food isnt the only thing keeping my carbon footprint high but also how often i leave my lights on. There are many times where i will turn my lights on in my room and walk away but forget to turn them off. So it does waste a lot of energy and increase my carbon footprint as well.

Shopping can be fun, but it can also be very harmful to the earth. Not to be offensive, but parents who spoil their children just buy whatever their children want, not thinking about the consequences. They buy them toys that they barely play with, clothes they never wear, throwing it all away in the trash. They don't think about where those things are going, possibly dumped out into the ocean, or strewn on the ground in a desolate place. But what about animals who live there? We need to think about what are actions cause us, even if they're not immediate.

Yes I agree that so many people just buy whatever they want but in the end they just end up throwing it away or never using it. To stop this I think that people could be more mindful about what they buy or maybe if they have clothes that they never use they could donate it to a charity or to goodwill.

I've actually never thought about it that way and I have to say I agree with you. We really need to put thoughts into what we buy if we also think about shoes that we buy that we sometimes don't wear can be wasted. I'm sure there are many more I will now be thinking more about what I buy  when I shop.

I agree with you because I think some animal may eat and get stuck in it .That is not good for the environment , our sea is gonna yo be with trash.

For me, I think I'll try to only go shopping for unnecessary things once every 1-3 months. (Is that still a lot?)

I agree and we have to think before we buy

People never seem to think about what their purchases could do to the environment or will they even use them at all. People should actually think if they need something when at the check out line. All people should get to get items that they enjoy but that should not come at the cost of Earth.

Also, I will try not to eat too much processed foods, and more organic, fresh foods.

I agree it has been a problem on youtube videos I see with YouTubers where the buy random stuff to look cool  and do nothing with it but some give it away like useful things !!

That's pretty cool!

Yes i agree, we should only be buying things that are needed. Especially with our clothes we should just be getting the necessary clothes for a week and buy new items when needed. Or even hand me downs are also good to get from relatives or even friends. I believe whenever you buy something i think everyone should just think about it first like how often are you going to use this item? Or is this something i actually need or could i save this money for other things like food.

Yes I agree buying new stuff lots has a huge impact on our earth. Maybe as a population when we are wanting a new clothing item we can look is thrift stores and buy second hand. This will help us reuse thing instead of getting thrown out.

i completely agree with this, buying new clothes or toys we don’t really need is really wasteful and not a good idea for our environment. especially if it is something you know you don’t need and will rarely use but are just but buying it for the sake of buying something. a great way to stop doing this is going to yard sales or getting hand me downs or even going to thrift stores, this can help our environment because less waste will be getting thrown into land fill and more things getting reused. another great thing to do is sewing your own clothes, even though the idea might seem daunting at first it really isn’t too difficult once you learn how. trucking clothes or making your own is also a great idea for saving your money to be able to buy things you really need later.

Yes. I fully believe that humans are the main cause of climate change. The reason for this is because most of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is caused by humans. Humans cause CO2 to be released by cutting down trees for various reasons (ex. clearing land for agriculture, paper production), breeding animals for meat consumption, burning fossil fuels (ex. transportation, heating), electricity use, and so much more. I feel that if we were to reduce some of the things we do to contribute to the CO2 in the environment, then the world would head towards a cleaner and safer future.

If you are a student, you may not think that you can do much to help out, but there are many things you can do including eat less meat, take shorter showers, turn off any electrical device when it is not being currently used, take public transportation, walk, or bike whenever possible, and throw your waste in the right bins. I'm not telling you to change your whole lifestyle, but if we all try to reduce even a little bit of the things we do to contribute to climate change, then we can make a huge impact to change the outcome of the future. Try to do whatever is possible for you.

I know eating meat and animal products are horrible for the environment, but it isn't really something I think I could give up. As an athlete, I think animal products are one of the best protein wise and for building muscle, but for example: it takes 3,000 litres of water to make a single burger. This is really bad for the environment and is definitely not sustainable, but personally think plant alternatives and beyond meat just cant really replace it.

I know eating meat and animal products are horrible for the environment, but it isn't really something I think I could give up. As an athlete, I think animal products are one of the best protein wise and for building muscle, but for example: it takes 3,000 litres of water to make a single burger. This is really bad for the environment and is definitely not sustainable, but personally think plant alternatives and beyond meat just cant really replace it.

After doing my calculations, the CO2 released from just driving came to 2271kg, only coming second to my meat-eating. I would like to bring that number down, but that wouldn't be feasible for me. I play hockey, so I have to drive around a lot, even going to rinks up to 3 hours away 2-3 times a week. Any other form of transportation wouldn't work for me, to take my bag on the bus or train would take up too much space and I would be afraid with the price of my gear to lose anything. Hockey is such a big part of my life and I'm not willing to give it up to bring down my transportation carbon footprint.

After going through the carbon footprint survey I have realized that my carbon footprint just from travel is insane. I can't control this as much since it is driving to baseball which is around 2 hours a day 4 times a week. Also, driving to games all the way across the country. There could be some ways to minimize this though like if we had an electric car we could save less on the C02 emissions from gas. The Department of Ecology says "Driving faster burns more fuel and emits more air pollutants. Accelerating gradually also burns less fuel. Getting a vehicle moving from a complete stop uses the most energy, so go easy on the accelerator. Try to anticipate the road ahead and avoid racing from red light to red light."(Melanie Foster). Doing this well taking long trips would be a very good start to making my travel safer for the environment. Another big issue that my family has is since we are always on the road we tend to have to waste lots of food because we are going out to eat all the time. Our always buying out. I also struggle with off the table with my consumption of meat since it is the main source of every meal I eat because I just enjoy the flavor so much and be I need the protein to be able to be able to perform my athletics at a high level. Some ways I could take this down by eating out less. Making meals that we can make in a hotel that is healthier to the economy like plant based foods. The United Nations says "Plant-based foods – such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, peas, nuts, and lentils – generally use less energy, land, and water, and have lower greenhouse gas intensities than animal-based foods."(United Nations) Doing some of these steps could make a massive change in my carbon emission.

I agree with this because my transportation carbon footprint number is also the biggest contributor since I do activities four times a week that I drive to  and from which are really important to me. Although it is possible to take public transportation to and from my activity. So I will sometimes but it is just annoying after a long tiring day to have to walk to the bus then bus home so I usually drive the twenty minutes. So to bring my number down I’d want to do other things like bus to school in the mornings instead of taking my ride to my activities away.

I think that people should start thinking about how much clothing they are buying and if it's really worth the money and  environmental impact.

There are a number of things people can do to help reduce overconsumption - 1) start thrifting!! - it has like no environmental impact, there are some great finds, and is way cheaper! Why not switch to thrifting now?? 2) buy from environmentally friendly companies! - if you have some issues with buying second hand consider buying from companies that source their products in a way that helps, or has doesn't have much of an environmental impact. 3) don't buy so much!!! - consider if you really need to buy that pair of 12th pair of jeans. It helps the planet and is kind to your closet!

These are a few things you can do to help with the overconsumption epidemic.

I completely agree. I think thrifting is a great way to produce less waste and to stop fast fashion. Buying from thrift stores is also a good way to save money because it tends to be cheaper as well. You can also donate all of your old clothes to thrifts instead of just throwing them away. Especially items that you only wore once to an event or just ended up not liking. I also completely agree with your third point. I find it so stupid when people spend money on items they already have. Especially if there was nothing wrong with the first few items.

So I have a large(r) family, there are 6 of us. We try to grow most of our veggies and carpool whenever we can, and I try to walk whenever I can, but I was wondering if there's anything else we can do to try to lower our carbon footprint?

I suggest saving energy at home because most of our electricity and heat is powered by coal, gas, and oil which uses a lot of energy. To reduce your carbon footprint, you should consider lowering your heating and cooling, switching to LED light bulbs, and washing your clothes with cold water instead of hot. Another suggestion is to hang your clothes to dry them instead of the dryer. Food wise, eating less meat and dairy can lower your carbon footprint. It's good that you're growing most of your veggies because producing/growing plant-based foods can result in fewer greenhouse gas emissions and uses less energy. I also highly suggest you throw less food away because it wastes all the energy and resources that was used to grow, package, and transport it. Foods in landfills also produce methane, so consider composting leftover food and using everything you buy.

is it a want or a need bruh.

A want or a need and deciding between both can be a struggle for many people. A want is something that will enhance our quality of life and is not required to live. Food, Water, Space, shelter, these are needs that are requirements for survival and our own well-being. A want may improve your life and make you feel good or better once you have it but it will not stop you from starving or give you enough shelter or space to live in. Understanding the differences between these two can better deepen our choices that we make. Balancing wants and needs is crucial for overall happiness and decision making

In our society, lots of new things are being made cheap and quickly every second of the day. They are made out of plastic, being imported into wealthier countries, and they don't tend to last. Instead of participating in fast fashion, people should try going to thrift stores and buying used clothes or items. Thrifting is also typically much cheaper than buying brand new items. You may even find products which are made with higher quality fabrics. If you grow out of your clothes you should donate them to thrift stores, reuse the fabric for something else, or try making a Tshirt no sew reusable bag.

Instead of putting out more carbon emissions in the air we could start to bike to destinations rather than driving for a minute and a half to get there.

I think that I should start doing this more I usually take public transportation

I completely agree that that is such an easy and affordable fix. I think a big reason our society doesn’t just all bike is how lazy people are getting. People eat so much fast food and don’t exercise enough to balance. This is a big problem and personally I am trying to walk/ bike more often when possible. Cars that are gas powered produce so much carbon and it’s pretty easy and it saves so much money to not drive often.

I know a lot of people now buy new bags whenever they go grocery shopping and always get new plastic boxes when getting takeout for food. Although what happens to all those bags and boxes once you are finished with them? Most are just throw in the trash and forgotten about which causes more carbon and methane into our atmosphere. So start reusing your bags and boxes instead of getting new ones everytime you go out to eat or go shopping.

Since no one is to do it,we could add a monetary incentive for people to collect garbage and trash off the environment

I like this idea and am very curious how you would implement such an idea. I know it is very expensive to recycle which is counter to how it should be, so giving people an incentive through recycling or collecting trash is a good idea. You could even allow a reward for those that are unhoused to collect trash and bring it to a location so they can recieve some sort of monetary reward.

That inspired me to want to tell my city council about this because not only will this help the cities look great it would get the people going because who doesn't like money, most people do so this is a great idea.

I really like the idea of cleaning up our world. Whenever I see a piece of trash I pick it up and put it away in the trash or wherever it belongs. If we all do this, this will lead to a nicer and just better world.

I think a great way cities can reduce their carbon footprint is installing mandatory solar panels. Solar panels are really easy to install and once done produce very limited amounts of carbon. To start off solar panels could just power lights and small appliances. As the solar panel technology gets more advanced they can start to be the main energy source for heating, cooling and now major appliances as well. Once we get to this energy saving form of electricity, the world will burn way less fossil fuels, reducing the amount of carbon in the atmosphere.

One thing that i struggle to limit myself with is definitely my electricity use. In this society especially, we rely on most of our entertainment, communication, and school and work resources online. Especially with our current world situation, i think i speak for a lot of us when i say i find myself turning to my phone or laptop quite a bit to spend free time or just to occupy myself. Although i do hope we can move more towards using solar energy/more eco friendly energy sources in general, i think its quite hard to cut down on my energy use at the moment.

I agree. Like you mentioned, my electricity usage has also gone up with our current situation. Most of my homework/learning happens online, and I have found myself spending free time on a device instead of spending time outdoors or meeting friends. Although personally limiting the usage of electricity is off the table. I am willing to charge my devices for less time (instead of all night) and completely turn it off when it is not used. I hope to slowly limit my time spent on energy sources and reduce my carbon footprint.

I agree. Before COVID, the majority of my time was spent going out either to go out with friends or to go to sports or any extracurricular activities. Now, we need to be extra careful when doing these activities, so I do spend a lot of time on the computer or my phone; sometimes for school and sometimes to catch up with some friends online. It is hard but I am trying to get better at not being on my phone/technology if I'm not doing homework or something productive.

I agree wholeheartedly. Before the coronavirus my electricity usage was low but now it is increased significantly. Now I need to use it for schoolwork/class and for playing videogames. But I try to reduce my carbon footprint by removing my charger when I am not using it and turning off my lights when I am not in the room.

I agree. Before covid, I was just starting to think about how much electricity I used and now it's even worse. All my work is online and I find myself grabbing my device a lot more. Then whenever I finish doing my homework I usually go straight to another device because I feel like there is nothing else to do (coming from someone with a very short attention span). Obviously there are other things but I still need to find something that interests me.

I also agree. I do not have many hobbies or I struggle to stick to any, so electronics such as my phone and laptop are what I use daily to cure boredom. I also have trouble when it comes to sleeping because I need for a show to be on in order for me to fall asleep, which I use my laptop for. I am trying to find hobbies to stick to but it is so hard, especially when my laptop is something I am already used to.

I agree too. While my parents tell me to put the electronics away, I can't get myself to do it sometimes mainly when there is nothing there is to do.

My electronic use went up 100% because of our current situation. We depend on electronics for a lot of different things and also just use them for fun which I do a lot.

While I agree that sometimes it is quite hard to get away from your phone or computer, I think we should move towards not only using solar panels, or eco friendly sources, but also start to have more social life as there is more and more opportunity now that covid is settling down a bit. Social life and just spending time with other people reflects a LOT on our development as ourselves and I think is is incredibly important that we can have that again.

Personally speaking phone and computer charging is very little of our home energy usage, however it was much larger during distance learning. About 35% of energy usage relating to IT (data centers, communication networks, computer software, etc.) is from computers so this pandemic would have affected this a lot. It will be interesting to see how the rise in electric cars in the coming decades will affect global electricity usage.

I totally relate. I've been trying to regulate myself and my screen time lately, but it's kind of hard to do that when pretty much all my school work is on my laptop/phone.

Using electricity is definitely a major concern because it’s one of the hardest things to cut out. The way our society is wired, especially after the effects of the pandemic, make it impossible to not use electricity. There is of course a simple solution; clean energy sources. Unfortunately not everyone has the money or access to solar panels, a windmill or something similar. It’s incredibly frustrating to know that there is a solution but so many people can’t use it because rich people refuse to let go of the energy sources they have invested in.

I definitely agree with this, energy is difficult to cut out in this society. We live in this world of heating, cooling and lighting, things we couldn't live without. Since we are trying to limit our paper use, we end up spending more time on phones or laptops to do homework, pay bills or check the news. There is no way to cut off our energy use completely, our world is not built for that. I think energy use should be on the table for something we can fix because there are solutions. Like as "folklore" said clean energy is one. But you can also try to limit your energy use now by putting on a sweater instead of turning the heat up and turning off lights when you leave a room.

i thunk that a lot of people buy objects and never use them, this is really a waste, so if you have to buy something make sure it's really useful.

i agree

I agree that if you buy something and don't use it why wast your money.

Yes always think before buying stuff because you might end up not using it, and it becomes a waste.

I agree because most people will see adds and buy it but not use it.

I agree

I agree because some people think it looks cool but they just never use it or they just leave it to get dusty and rusty and that is not good so you just throw it away all the time and your family might just always do this and it is bad for people so I suggest to only buy what you need like food or water and some toys.

I agree, that happens to me a lot. I buy things but I don't really use them. Just think about if you will use it before buying things.

I agree

I definitely agree, I need to work on this myself. When me and my family go shopping, I am always so tempted to just buy the first thing that I like in the store. Most times, the things that I want are snacks in single use packages. I have to remind myself that we have delicious food and snacks at home.

You can always reuse it on other stuff like crafts,costumes,DIY,home stuff,parties,or sell it.

I agree. If I ever don't use something I usually give it to a relative or donate so it  can be used as intended

I also agree because many items we want but not all we need, so we should try to limit ourselves to how much we buy.

I agree, if you accidently buy something and you can't return it, you could give it to a thrift store or sell it.

Huge Problem for me I buy a lot stuff I don't need so I been working on this.

I agree, there is a good amount of people who buy stuff that they just see and WANT instead of getting stuff that you WANT, get stuff that you NEED! There are a lot of people who can't even get stuff that NEED things such as food,clothes,water and other stuff that you NEED to survive in this world. Next time think about this post before you go out getting stuff that you don't necessarily "need" 

I personally agree to this. People might find difficulties to in purchasing things that look "cool" but not actually using them.

I have an idea that could help. Using the "48 hours" rule. After seeing the item you really really WANT to buy, you go home. For two straight days, if you keep thinking about the item nonstop, you must choose if it benefits you or not. If it benefits you and the environment, you may buy it. But if it doesn't benefit you, or you even forgot about the item, you shouldn't buy it.

I personally agree to this. People might find difficulties to in purchasing things that look "cool" but not actually using them.

I have an idea that could help. Using the "48 hours" rule. After seeing the item you really really WANT to buy, you go home. For two straight days, if you keep thinking about the item nonstop, you must choose if it benefits you or not. If it benefits you and the environment, you may buy it. But if it doesn't benefit you, or you even forgot about the item, you shouldn't buy it.

This is so true. We need to normalize not being influenced by the internet to buy things we won't use. We should only buy things that we need and less things that we only want.

I agree. Many people buy things that they dont need just because of trends. Even I buy things that I don't need.

I agree wholeheartedly. It is important in an increasingly consumerist world to learn to know when you need something vs when you want something. Being able to decide what is good and what isn't saves me money in the short-term, and saves the environment in the long term.

Yes, I often find myself getting ready to spend money just because I have it. I was in this situation yesterday, and I had to stop and think, "Am I actually going to use these, or do I just think they look cool?" In the end, I saved my money, and one less useless thing was bought.

I completely agree! I think i’m guilty of getting something unnecessary here and there but this is a big problem. Buying unnecessary things like cheap toys, mass amounts of meat, and clothes you’re never going to wear. Things like cheap toys are fun for a moment but especially as you get older you’re truly not going to use that and it’s gonna go in the garbage and into the ocean. Things like mass amounts of meat from costco can be helpful for some people because it’s cheaper and easier, but if you’re going to let half of that go bad then it’s really a huge waste for how much carbon footprint the process to make that meat just left. And i know many people who buy clothes they don’t wear but if you’re not gonna donate those and just throw them away then it’s such a waste, and what did you get out of it? maybe a tiktok post and a haul for your friends but you won’t even remember it in a year, and the environment will live with that possibly 200+ years.

Thats a really good point. I sometimes buy things I dont need and never use them. I think we all need to think before we buy things and ask ouselves "do I really need this"?.

stop wasting food other people might need it so they don't starve.

Yes i agree, although its not just starving people around the world. Wasting food is also causes more methane in the world. After you throw it away it gets left in the garbage or even gets moved to landfill and can rot. When food rots it produces methane and it stays in our atmosphere. So before wasting food always think about how this can effect our atmosphere but also how other starving people wish they had the food you were throwing away right now.

Many people go hungry everyday across the globe, often because of wars, poverty and climate change. Children especially suffer the most, as lack of food effects their growth and well being. But at the same time countries waste a big sum of their food, showing how unfair the problem is. I think we need to work together as a community, share resources better and make the world a better place.

Food waste is a huge part of the carbon that is emitted into our atmosphere. When food is thrown away and put into land fills, or burned, all the carbon that is stored in it contributes to the greenhouse effect. This is why it is so important to compost. Composting has many benefits: it helps store the carbon from the food that stores lots of carbon in soil and stops it from being emitted into the atmosphere, it provides fresh soil that you can use to plant and grow your own food, it attracts beneficial animals that will help break the food down such as worms, and it stops landfills from being filled with food waste and trash. Composting is something that is so easy to do, and even if you do not have a backyard to do it in, you can have a composting bucket inside. It involves just a few extra steps in your daily routine and it is one of the most powerful actions we as individuals can take to stop climate change from reaching its full potential.

I totally agree, another solution to reduce the waste of food in the restaurant could be the use of "doggy bags", cardboard boxes that allow customers to take home food they have not eaten.

I totaly agree with you, another thing that could be done would be to, at the end of the day, perhaps give away to non-profit organizations or sell at a reduced price everything that you were unable to sell during the day, in this way it would avoid the phenomenon of homeless people rummaging in the trash looking for food or even animals that, attracted by the smell of food, sneak into bins, creating a nuisance. this would also help many people.

I completely agree. Composting is a simple yet powerful way for individuals to make a significant impact in reducing carbon emissions and stopping climate change. By diverting organic waste from landfills and instead allowing it to decompose naturally, we can not only prevent the release of greenhouse gases like methane, but also keep up soil health and promote biodiversity. Also, composting isn't limited to those with outdoor space; indoor composting options like composting buckets or composting using worms let people living in apartments and those without yards to participate the act of composting. It's a win-win situation: reducing waste, enriching soil, and contributing to a healthier planet.

I one hundred percent agree that we waste so much food. One thing that could help is composting I know that many people don't compost so for the people that don't I think it's a good idea to start.

I agree. When you throw away food you are wasting all the resources ad energy that was used to grow, package, and transport it. Not only that but the food that has been dumped in our landfills can produce methane, which is a powerful greenhouse gas. I suggest that people consider composting leftovers and that they always use what they buy.

Eat less

yes , im agree with you ! It necessary eat less meat

yes it's a good idea

Je suis d'accord de faire attention a notre de consommation de viande

the meat is very important for our body we must eat more of it

I agree to pay attention to our meat consumption

eat meat like real men

Yes, we must eat less meat

hello everyone

I think what you’re saying is very vague and not descriptive. It’s important to remember that when we say something like “Eat less meat” it is not always that simple for so many people. It’s hard to make that big of a decision when you can’t see immediate results. Meat is also an easy (and sometimes cheap) option for people and going out of your way to avoid meat is nearly impossible. I understand your point on the fact that meat is adding an insane amount of carbon to our society but just remember that it’s not that easy for people to switch diets, or find new food. Also, don’t give such blunt advice unless you are also willing to take that advice for yourself.

Yes, I agree, we do really need to lower our meet consumption, but we also need to lower our dairy intake. Most of the worlds freshwater goes to meat and dairy farms to raise these animals, which are usually kept in a very small space and are force fed. We are using up our resources which we as humans and animals need to survive on earth. We need to majorly lower our meat and dairy intake and try to eat more vegan and vegetarian meals.

Yes, I agree, we do really need to lower our meet consumption, but we also need to lower our dairy intake. Most of the worlds freshwater goes to meat and dairy farms to raise these animals, which are usually kept in a very small space and are force fed. We are using up our resources which we as humans and animals need to survive on earth. We need to majorly lower our meat and dairy intake and try to eat more vegan and vegetarian meals.

one thing that is off the table for me is eating meat.
personally, i eat meat/eggs quite often, and i am willing to bring that frequency down, but i dont every see myself being vegan or vegetarian. the reason why i couldnt is that 1, i do like the taste of eggs and meat, and enjoy eating it, 2 many meat substitutes like soy are growing on land that was rainforest, and was razed to plant soy,so i feel like its almost as bad? and 3 i am quite active, and i dont know how i could eat enough protein without animal products.
even though my family still eats meat we try not to eat beef that much, and we don't drink milk at all, so i would still say we are doing our part to reduce carbon emissions.

i agree with your first reason and that is completly valid and that's your opinion. your second reason is not quite right because according to a statistic plant based diets use 75% less land then a normal diet so more meat is being grown on that land then soy ect. i am also very active and a really simple sustaitute is iron suplaments you just take a pill every other day and you will not be short on protien in the least. i think its really great that your limiting your meat and dairy though.

i completely agree with frhfbhadksbc, niobe b, your first point was very understandable and makes a lot of sense.
i do think though that your second point is not entirely true because a according to you can grow 37,000 lbs of vegetables in a year on the same amount of land you can grow only 375 lbs of meat. livestock growth is also responsible for 136 million acres of land being used worldwide. i think this really shows that eating dairy and eggs is worse for the environment then the soy substitutes. so please do more research before you say such blunt things. however i am glad you are willing to eat less meat meals and make a sacrifice for our environment.

(this is what i was supposed to say by the way) i completely agree with frhfbhadksbc, niobe b, your first point was very understandable and makes a lot of sense.
i do think though that your second point is not entirely true because a according to the conspiracy documentary you can grow 37,000 lbs of vegetables in a year on the same amount of land you can grow only 375 lbs of meat. livestock growth is also responsible for 136 million acres of land being used worldwide. i think this really shows that eating dairy and eggs is worse for the environment then the soy substitutes. so please do more research before you say such blunt things. however i am glad you are willing to eat less meat meals and make a sacrifice for our environment.

Make sustainable city is easy ? Why it's difficult ?

yes

NERF POCO

yes , poco is very very cheat

Do Lights really need to be on during school hours?

he is not necessary to open the lights during the school day because we will pay a high bill while the day we have the sun for enlighten us

I want to bring up planes. I think planes are very important for life because they allow you to travel all around the world in just a few hours. I think planes are great but I think we should change something about them. We need to change the fact that planes are major polluters. Planes remain among the most polluting means of transport and something needs to be done. I propose electric planes. I have no idea how one would go about doing this, but this is just a suggestion. I want to bring this up because personally I travel and go on airplanes a lot and in return, I pollute a lot. This year, I calculated my carbon footprint and it said that it was 25,784 kgs of CO2 per year, compared to the average in California; 9,727 kgs of CO2 per year. You might be wondering why my carbon footprint is so high. It is because I travel so much. 18,311 of the 25,784 kgs of CO2 was from transportation. So overall, I think something needs to change about airplanes because I want to keep traveling but I dont want to be a major polluter.

I think create electric plane is a good idea but is almost impossible because autonomy of airplane would be greatly reduce and the weight too much .

Recently, we have experienced hurricanes back-to-back that left impactful damages to our homes and cities. While this is an annual event that happens quite often in Florida, it is important to note the changes in the behaviors and effects within these newer hurricanes. The article https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/ … ngNewsSerp, talks about the impacts of Milton on the health of those who were affected by it. Milton was noted to reach record winds that reached up to 180 mph. It is also noted to be the first hurricane to reach up to category 6. My question is, does our changing environment and growing pollution on Earth contribute to these extreme weather cases? If so, what is casuing them and how can we reduce the impact?

I think the human have a very small contribution in the training of hurricane. This meteorological phenomene are very frequent in the mexico gulf . But , our footprint impact on earth have a lot of consequences like the melting of the ice ...

Cold Fusion, or low-energy nuclear reaction (LENR) is basically a hypothesized type of nuclear reaction that should occur at room temperature. There is currently no widely accepted theoretical model that would allow cold fusion to occur.

Theoretically, it should provide virtually LIMITLESS energy and minimal nuclear waste, and pretty much no environmental impact compared to, say, fossil fuels.

See, current nuclear power plants use nuclear fission (not fusion), which, as the name suggests, consists of splitting heavy atoms (such as uranium-235 or plutonium-239) into smaller fragments, which releases a large amount of energy. The problem is, along with energy, fission also produces additional neutrons and radioactive fission products.

These radioactive fission products are typically unstable isotopes of elements such as cesium strontium, iodine, and plutonium. These isotopes decay and emit radiation in the form of alpha, beta, and gamma particles. Some of these isotopes can remain for thousands to millions of years.

Cold fusion, on the other hand, is a nuclear reaction which is quite frankly the opposite of fission. It involves two like atomic nuclei (often involving hydrogen isotopes such as deuterium and tritium) merging together to form a heavier nucleus (helium nuclei), releasing a significant amount of energy in the process. he energy released is due to the conservation of mass into energy, described in Einstein’s famous equation, E=mc^2, because if you look at the mass of the reactants and compare it to the mass of the product, you’ll find that its not equal, which means some of the mass has been transferred into energy.

The reason this occurs is because the speed of light (c) is a very large number, even the smallest of mass could theoretically be converted into a large amount of energy. This process occurs at near room temperature. This low energy requirement reduces harmful nuclear byproducts. Hydrogen isotopes are also relatively lighter than nuclear fission reactants, and therefore should generate more stable elements.

If we can somehow harness this release of energy, it could be a potential source of clean and abundant form of energy, proving to be superior to the fossil fuel and nuclear fission energy we use today…

(if ya read all of that congrats u officially don't have the attention span of a 6 year old yayyy)

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This is true, I agree.

I completely agree because E=MC2 is one of the most famous equations developed by albert einstein and this is completly true. The speed of light squared is actualy about 9 times 10 to the 16 power m per second which just shows how much limitless energy we can get.

Yes, but what is the cost of doing such things, and how would we go about doing this? Would the practice methods be sustainable?

I love this and I completely agree! I am someone who is highly interested in nuclear physics and the use of nuclear power (which is why I have 235 in my username), and it's always great to see others take an interest in it as well. It's disappointing that a lot of people tend to shy away from anything that involves the word nuclear since they immediately equate it to being disastrous. The use of nuclear power, especially cold fusion, is very interesting and I think that if more people took the time to learn about it we would be more open to using it.

lmao i was pleasantly surprised when my post from half a year ago got a reply

Most of us humans are addicted to electronics nowadays because they control our everyday life; but what if we could limit our time on electronics. How can we do that? One way we can break our addiction from electronics is to be more active. For example, taking time out of your day to get some exercise in, whether its working out doing weights by yourself or signing up for gym classes getting daily exercise is very beneficial. Another example could be to go on walks or bike rides. Going on walks or even jogging can help take your time off electronics and can help you appreciate the world more. Ultimately, it's hard to break an addiction, but the more effort you put in to try to break it, the easier it will get over time.

Wow! you hit it right on the nail, I sometimes catch myself just unusually using my telephone even when I know I should be I am learning that its okay to not use it some times and not over use it when I don't need to. Thank you so much I definitely will.

There are several ways you can help reduce pollution:
Reduce plastic consumption
Opt for sustainable transportation
Energy conservation
Recycle and reuse
Small daily actions can make a difference in reducing environmental pollution.

I completely agree with your points! What’s great about reducing pollution is that it doesn’t have to be overwhelming—just starting with small, simple actions can make a big impact. For example, choosing to bring a reusable water bottle or taking public transportation for one day may seem minor, but when you make those choices consistently, they add up. It’s all about finding small, manageable changes in our daily routines and building from there. The great thing is, once you try one thing, it often motivates you to explore other sustainable options. Little by little, these habits can create meaningful change without feeling like a huge burden.

I also agree! It is important for people to realize that by doing small actions like recycling plastics or by using less plastic products, they can help fight pollution. It doesn't have to be a huge burden for everyone, so just by doing these small things more often, we are helping reduce pollution. Plus, it can encourage others to try doing the same!

I agree with your statement, all of those examples are great ways to reduce pollution, a point I would like to add is, if abled, people could try and go out to parks or public spaces and pick up waste around them.

I think it's very important to think about how our individual small acts impact the environment, we should all try as much as we can to minimize the harm we cause in every way we can. Even if the methods feel insignificant, they add up.

I 100% agree with the points you're making. And with what other people are saying; you don't have to go to the extreme such as not using technology at all or walking or biking everywhere, but if everyone would help lower carbon emissions even just by cutting the time on their devices by 10 to 20 minutes and try not to spend hours everyday driving just by running errands.

I totally agree with you because I feel most people furiously use the internet and that's not okay

It has become a shock to me how much the effects of having pesticides used on your lawn care can negatively affect the environment around you. Especially, if your home or business is near a body of water because the pesticides used on your lot will eventually end up in that water which can cause a huge problem like algae or other environmental issues. The website I have provided in this post can give you excellent information of the dangers and pros of pesticides on your lawn care.

https://www.epa.gov/safepestcontrol/law … den#safely

It shocked me as well, we need to find better ways to take care of our lawns that do not affect the environment in such harmful ways. We really need to start being more cautious especially when it comes to our water sources since our Earth is mainly made up of water.

Thanks for this info i never really thought about how lawn care products can affect the local environment I will think about what we use in our yards next time

Combating ocean acidification is crucial for the health of marine ecosystems and the livelihoods that depend on them. As carbon dioxide levels rise, more of this greenhouse gas is absorbed by the oceans, leading to a decrease in pH levels and disrupting the delicate balance of marine life. Coral reefs, shellfish, and various marine organisms struggle to build their calcium carbonate structures in increasingly acidic waters, threatening biodiversity and fisheries. Effective strategies to address ocean acidification include reducing carbon emissions, promoting sustainable practices, and restoring coastal habitats like mangroves and seagrasses, which can help buffer changes in pH. Collaborative global efforts, research, and public awareness are vital to mitigate the impacts of ocean acidification, ensuring the resilience of our oceans for future generations.

Ocean acidification is expected to have negative overall effects on many marine species. This could alter marine food chains and food supply to humans. Ocean acidification occurs when carbon dioxide (CO2) is absorbed rapidly into the ocean. It reacts with water molecules (H2O) to form carbonic acid (H2CO3). This compound then breaks down into a hydrogen ion (H+) and bicarbonate (HCO3-). These hydrogen ions decrease seawater pH.

Ocean acidification is a rising environmental issue that poses a significant threat to marine ecosystems. As carbon dioxide levels rise in the atmosphere,a portion is absorbed by the oceans, leading to a decrease in pH levels. This chemical shift can have devastating effects on marine life, particularly organisms with calcium carbonate shells or skeletons, such as coral reefs and shellfish, which struggle to maintain their structures in more acidic waters. To help this issue, we can take  action by reducing our carbon footprints through lifestyle changes. Such as advocating for renewable energy sources, and supporting policies aimed at decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. Promoting awareness and education about ocean health can help communities to engage in conservation efforts to help our oceans.
I have also found a link about more information in ways we can help our oceans and marine life. https://texanbynature.org/2019/08/5-way … our-ocean/

I had no idea that what we put out goes all the way into the oceans...that is really sad to read about. Putting this post up will definitely help with my drive to cut down on carbon emissions.

Companies have a crucial responsibility in addressing global warming. They must prioritize sustainable practices, reduce emissions, and invest in renewable energy sources.
By taking proactive measures, companies can mitigate their carbon footprint and contribute to a healthier planet for future generations.
However, as long as companies prioritize short-term profit over the well-being of the planet, change remains an illusion. It is essential for companies to realign their financial priorities towards sustainable investments and eco-friendly practices. Only then can we hope to reverse the trend of global warming and protect our environment for future generations

I definitely agree with you, many larger companies are way too obvious to the harm that their non biodegradable waste is for the environment. I feel that the larger food and grocery stores need to start solely only allow biodegradable bags/ packages.

Very true, and the people with all this money tend to say they help the environment or are going to, but don't actually act on what they said.

Very true, and the people with all this money tend to say they help the environment or are going to, but don't actually act on what they said.

I was shocked when I saw my total carbon footprint because I didn't expect that I'm polluting so much. I was also shocked for my score at home becausse I'm trying to waste less. Usually at home I turn off the lights when I leave a room, I recycle and reuse items, I turn on the water only when I need it.

When i see mine i was shocked about it cause i didn't expect i do that much of polluting

Maybe you decompose foods that you don't eat.

I was shocked of how much carbon comes from meals and what you eat. Also when I checked at the end my food had the most carbon out of all of them.

plane flights can be a major role in your carbon footprint

I was very surprised to see my carbon footprint for purchases so low.

for me the only category that was really bad was transportation. but it was just bc I took a 16h flight from Germany to ca

Many flights over 3 hours can be a big reason peoples footprints are very high.

Transportation was the highest for me, mainly because I have to drive to everywhere I need to go.

Industries are among the main sources of environmental pollution, releasing gases and toxic substances into the air, water, and soil. To reduce this impact, companies can adopt clean technologies, such as renewable energies and efficient production processes, to decrease greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, improving waste management through recycling and waste reduction, and promoting a sustainability-oriented corporate culture can help mitigate industrial pollution and protect the environment.

I agree, I know companies have to do what is best for them to keep themselves afloat but they should consider the cleaner and more environmentally sustainable options that we have. It would really help in the long run for the Earth and later generations.

I Agree, but I think the only way that would happen is if better methods were cheap, easy to change to, also reliable, and increased revenue. But would seem impossible so I think the only way that could happen is if government legislation forced them to or funded the change.

From the article “ Introduction: Reuse, Recycle, and Repurpose: The Afterlives of Japanese Material Culture” by Halle O’Neal the action of reuse and repurpose is focused and explained.
As defined within the article, “To reuse, recycle, or repurpose an object often necessitates repairing that object so that its usefulness can continue.” By completing the action of repurposing an object this will help allow in a decrease of trash buildup. Not only does it help with decreasing waste but the reuse aspect allows for that object to continue to be useful in a variety of ways.

https://journals.publishing.umich.edu/a … e/id/3985/

I really like this idea, not only does it cut down on waste but it could potentially give the item a new home and purpose.

The newest technology could be both a want and a need. If you're a "bratty kid" that wants the newest technology to be in trend with the others, it's a need. But if you actually need the newest technology, for example for your job as an adult, it could be an important need.

I strongly think that having the newest technology is a want and not a need. If you already have a device that works perfectly fine you don't need a new one.

Attempting to keep up with the trends on what technology is best as an adolescent is not considered a need, however I agree that updated technology is a necessity if an individual is an adult and needs those upgrades in order to continue their professional work.

I think you meant to say that the "bratty kids" need for the newest technology is a want. I completely agree with the statement that having the newest technology isn't always necessary because at the end of the day, it leads to waste of the "older technology" in order to make room for the newer ones. I think that in areas such as the health field, it is an absolute need for their technology to be consistently up to date and renewed. Areas of expertise such as this one will benefit the entire community if they have access to these technologies.

I agree with your statement because most people this generation just want the newest technology to fit in with the others. With that being said, I think people that deserve the newest technology are people that need it for their jobs. Sometimes old technology can become too slow so that is why people with important jobs need the best technology that they can get.

Hey, I agree with what you're saying. And I'm also curious as to how big is the average carbon footprint in your region?

A lot of people may think that repurposing and recycling is limited to just plastics, however this is not the case. The article https://www.almanac.com/upcycling-ideas … -repurpose gives a variety of ideas in order to repurpose everyday items such as, rubber bands, toilet paper cardboard, and even toothbrushes. I believe that if influencers and people who have a big social media presence advertised this more and made repurposing trendier, then it would lead to an overall positive effect on the environment. Think about thrifting, while it has always been around, apps like TikTok and Instagram made it a trend to buy secondhand clothing. This has led to a positive effect on the amount of clothing that makes it to landfills. If influencers advertised that more over fast fashion, it would create such a huge impact on our waste.

Renewable energies are not just an option, they are our lifeline, they are not just a choice, they are our destiny.
Let us think big, invest wisely, and pioneer the technologies that will power a cleaner, greener future. We must develop new technologies to:
enhance efficiency, address intermittency, Integrate into existing grids and explore emerging Sources.

I wholeheartedly agree. Renewable energies are essential for addressing environmental and energy challenges. Investing wisely in them means not only ensuring a clean and safe source of energy but also fostering innovation and creating job opportunities. It is crucial to develop advanced technologies to improve efficiency, overcome intermittency challenges, and integrate these sources into existing networks. We must be leaders in creating a cleaner and more sustainable future by investing in research, sustainable energy policies, and awareness.

I fully side with this, there are many ways to obtain energy from renewable resources such as light, wind, and heat. These ways are more expensive but retain a balanced outcome for humanity if we switch to it.

I completely agree with this statement. I believe that in order for humans to continue to live on Earth that is able to support us, we will have to come up with ways to make renewable energy as it is evidential that we are slowly losing the resources we have now. I believe that with the innovative minds and the technology we have now, that this is possible. Tesla's are a huge example of making this possible. Huge shifts such as electric cars will help us take one more step forward to a cleaner future.

There are many benefits to growing food at home, such as lower carbon emissions from not needing to drive to get the food, less use of plastic, no harmful chemicals that damage wildlife and surrounding plants, attracting natural wildlife, and if you have a surplus you can donate to those in need. https://gardeningisgreat.com/benefits-o … -own-food/

From the article, “Extreme Weather and Climate Change” the impact that the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has on the weather is brought to light. “Human actions since the Industrial Revolution, primarily the burning of fossil fuels, have caused greenhouse gases to rapidly rise in the atmosphere. As carbon dioxide, methane, and other gases increase, they act as a blanket, trapping heat and warming the planet. In response, Earth’s air and ocean temperatures warm. This warming affects the water cycle, shifts weather patterns, and melts land ice — all impacts that can make extreme weather worse.” As a result of these gases being trapped there has been devastating consequences like severe flooding after hurricanes, droughts, wildfires, and more. Becoming aware of this and changing our actions to not put so much gas into the atmosphere could help with the extreme weather.
https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change … e-weather/

The number of plastic we use is an insane number.In my opinion  we shouldn't throw it away immediately,but use it as much as we can and recycle it.

Thank you so much and I completely agree with everything that you said! There is so much overproduction and overuse of plastic especially with water bottles and then they just end up in landfills or in the oceans. I think that with this issue there are many answers to this problem. One solution could be to buy water bottles that are reusable and are not made out of plastic. This has been a new trend, especially in the United States through Stanley and Hydroflask water bottles where people have these on them at all times. Another solution that I practice at home is by rinsing out all plastic bottles and then use them to propagate plants. I take the bottles and cut them to the desired size and height and then fill them with water and put the plants in them. Not only do I do this but I also went to go have lunch one day and saw a business putting plants and avocado seeds in plastic bottles to propagate them. Plastic and bottles are so multifunctional and if we just stop to think about the different purposes we can come up with great ideas and unique ways to help save our planet. If we can just start reusing little by little we can continue to get plastic out of Mother Nature. Thank you and have a great rest of your day!

It is very important to be aware of Your impact on the Earth, which includes the products you buy and use. However, it is just as important to be aware of how you can reuse those same products so you can reduce your carbon footprint as well. For example, you can reuse plastic containers that came with food when you bought it for future usage. It's also just as important to help bring awareness to others on how they can be more earth friendly like putting up posters on public areas about where and how to properly recycle.

https://www.epa.gov/recycle/reducing-wa … you-can-do

I agree that the usage of plastic in everyday life has reached an extremely high number. In addition to this, the act of using “one time use” plastic items like plastic water bottles or plastic bags at grocery stores feels so normal as so many people do it in their everyday lives without concern of the harm it does to the environment. Overall, I agree that the usage of plastic is not good and instead people should seek an alternative like a metal water bottle or a reusable bag for groceries.

Soil health is on the decline and leads to worse and less successful harvests, the crop turnover is happening constantly and depletes nutrients from soil without time for recovery of minerals. Regenerative agriculture is the idea of farming in a pattern that replenishes soil and allows crops to be healthier and more nutrient-rich, however it is very hard to accomplish on a large scale due to it being a big change that requires a lot of collaboration.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8023280/

As climate change continues to worsen, we are feeling greater and greater effects of it. Weather has grown not only overall warmer but less predictable as well. In the United States, specifically Florida, I have seen greater devastation grow more frequent as the years go on. While there are roughly the same amount of storms as previous seasons, they grow more dangerous and powerful every year, causing greater risk to life and property, even as our methods of protecting life and property improve, the cost of damages has increased dramatically over time.

https://www.npr.org/2024/10/08/nx-s1-51 … ate-change

Recycling and reusing are important strategies for reducing waste and conserving resources, which benefits our environment. By recycling materials like paper, plastic, and glass, we reduce the need for new materials, which helps lower energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Reusing items, whether it’s repurposing containers or donating clothes, extends the life cycle of products and minimizes landfill waste. We can help by including these practices into our daily lives—setting up a home recycling system, buying secondhand items, By making small, conscious choices, we can collectively make a positive impact on the planet and promote a more sustainable future. This link will take you to a clothing website that uses used clothes and re purposes them into cute vintage clothing.

https://recycled.clothing/?srsltid=AfmB … hmvgihTmxd

Extreme weather events like hurricanes are increasingly linked to our carbon footprint. The burning of fossil fuels releases large amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Warmer ocean temperatures provide more energy for hurricanes, making them more intense and capable of carrying more moisture. This results in stronger winds, heavier rainfall, and greater destruction. To reduce the impact of our carbon footprint on extreme weather, we need to take more steps. Transitioning to renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and hydroelectric power can drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, improving energy efficiency in our homes, industries, and transportation systems can reduce overall energy consumption. Supporting policies that limit carbon emissions and investing in sustainable practices can help mitigate the effects of climate change and reduce the frequency and severity of extreme weather events.

https://earthjustice.org/feature/how-cl … me-weather

Farmers usually farm one crop in their fields but with multi-layer farm crops can be stronger, more biodiverse, improve yield, reduce weed competition, reduce soil erosion, and more.

I agree! By planting various crops, farmers can not only improve the strength and yield of their crops, it also helps maintain bee populations! By having multiple kinds of plants or crops that different bees can pollinate, it helps make sure that the burden of pollinating isn't left onto one local bee population. With multiple populations of bees, it can help reduce the risk of bees becoming endangered.

Ocean acidification is a significant environmental issue caused by excess atmospheric carbon dioxide being absorbed by the oceans. This process lowers the pH of seawater, making it more acidic. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), ocean acidification has detrimental effects on marine life, mainly the organisms with calcium carbonate shells and skeletons. These species are vital to the marine food web and their decline can disrupt entire ecosystems, affecting biodiversity and fisheries that we rely on. The NOAA suggests several strategies, reducing CO2 emissions is paramount, which can be achieved by transitioning to renewable energy sources and enhancing energy efficiency. Protecting and restoring marine ecosystems, such as seagrass beds and mangroves, can also help as they absorb CO2. Additionally, improving monitoring and research on ocean chemistry and its impacts can guide effective policy and conservation efforts. We need to work harder on reducing our carbon footprint!

https://www.noaa.gov/education/resource … dification

I had never heard of this phrase until recently, but it is one of the many effects of climate change. So, what is it? Basically, ocean acidification in the phrase used to describe the increasing acidity of the ocean. This is due to the ocean absorbing massive amounts of carbon dioxide from human activities. The more carbon dioxide that is put out into the atmosphere from activities like burning coal for power, the more the ocean absorbs. When that happens, it raises the acidity of the water. While it may not harm humans, it causes lots of harm to the ocean life. For example, the increasing acidity of the water has been harming coral reefs. Because they are unable to adapt quick enough to withstand the sudden changes, the coral die off. This leaves many aquatic species without protection from predators. While this is only one species that is suffering, soon enough all ocean life will be killed off by the raising acidity. This could spell disaster for many societies that rely on ocean life to feed themselves or to keep them employed. That is why it is so important to take climate change seriously, and to start working as a society to reverse the effects of climate change.

https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/aci … atmosphere.

Now more than ever, we are hearing about climate change. With our warmer winters and scorching summers, it makes since that climate change is happening. However, some people doubt that climate change is even real, or that it is caused by human activity. This can be a dangerous mentality to have, as the more people that don't believe in climate change, the less that will be done to change it. So, what is climate change? Climate change is caused by an increased amount of methane and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. These gases trap heat from the sun in our atmosphere. While the atmosphere is designed to keep some heat from the sun, the introduction of the gases causes it to hold on to more than we can stand. The increased amounts of these harmful gases in the atmosphere are mostly caused by human activities, such as driving gasoline-powered vehicles and burning coal at power plants and factories. The more the overall temperature of the Earth rises, the more animals and ecosystems that will suffer because they are unable to adapt fast enough to the rapid changes. To sum it all up, climate change is very real and caused by human activity. If nothing continues to be done about it, we will eventually experience another mass extinction, much like the one the dinosaurs experienced.

https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/effects/

In densely populated urban areas, waste reduction and recycling are crucial for managing environmental impact and improving public health. Cities with large populations generate vast amounts of waste, putting immense pressure on landfills and waste disposal systems. By implementing robust recycling programs and encouraging waste reduction, urban centers can significantly decrease the volume of waste sent to landfills, conserving valuable space and reducing methane emissions. This not only lowers the environmental footprint but also creates economic opportunities through the recycling industry, providing jobs and promoting a circular economy. In high-density cities, reducing single-use plastics, expanding composting initiatives, and incentivizing businesses to adopt sustainable packaging can help mitigate waste. Moreover, with a large population to educate and engage, city-wide efforts can cultivate a culture of sustainability, inspiring residents to adopt long-term habits that reduce consumption and waste.
https://www.epa.gov/recycle/reducing-and-reusing-basics

Converting to energy-efficient buildings offers significant economic value both in the short and long term. Energy-efficient buildings reduce operational costs by lowering energy consumption, leading to substantial savings on electricity, heating, and cooling. This reduction in utility expenses can offset initial investments in energy-saving technologies like better insulation, energy-efficient windows, and smart lighting systems. Additionally, energy-efficient buildings often increase property values and attract tenants or buyers who prioritize sustainability, creating a competitive advantage in the real estate market. On a broader scale, reducing energy demand also alleviates pressure on power grids and reduces the need for expensive infrastructure expansions. Government incentives and tax breaks for adopting energy-efficient technologies further enhance the financial appeal of this conversion, making it a smart economic choice for both individuals and businesses.

https://www.energy.gov/eere/energy-effi … 0Champion.

Recycling isn't hard at all. I think an easy way to start off recycling is to buy a recycling bin and sort out all the trash that you have into groups of whatever can be recycled and that's the basics of recycling. If you really want to be environmentally friendly you could volunteer for recycling programs to help out around your area and around other places as well.

I agree with you.It helps reduce waste. Like, we produce so much trash every day,and recycling means that we’re giving materials a second chance instead of just tossing them in a landfill.That’s way better for the environment! Plus, recycling saves energy. When we recycle things like paper and plastic, it takes way less energy to turn them into new products than it does to create those products from scratch.

Environmental pollution is a very negative thing that affects the entire planet sooner or later, for example animals, humans, landscapes, forests.
If we do not end them in the future we would not be able to live on our planet due to so much pollution.

I agree with you, but I think that there are more details that you can bring to the surface. Humans are the main cause of environmental pollution. Our everyday tasks and everyday routines pollute the environment. Some examples of this are, bonfires, eating not organic meats, phone usage, and clothes that we wear that are produced in factories. But, we can do better with these things in the future. Some things that we can do to reduce environmental pollution are eating more vegetation foods, turning off lights when we don't need them on, trying our best to conserve energy, and not buying things from huge industries. Those are only some of the things we can do to make environmental justice, save animals, landscapes, and forests from what we are doing to ourselves.

I agree. If we don't stop polluting, there will be no future or a future with little to no resources for us humans to depend on. Yet, there are still many factories, vehicles, and whatever else is causing pollution that is still causing pollution. I think people should take action and think about what we can do to lower our pollution rates.

I agree with you! Firstly, it directly impacts our health. Air pollution, for instance, can lead to respiratory issues, heart disease, and even cancer. When we’re inhaling toxic chemicals or toxic matter, it’s like we’re inviting a host of health issues into our lives. Pollution disrupts natural habitats and endangers wildlife. When species struggle to survive, it throws off entire ecosystems.Healthy ecosystems provide essential services, like clean air and water, pollination of crops, and climate regulation.

Did you know that progress in women’s political participation remains slow. According to my research on the UN Sustainable Development goals... In local governments, the participation was higher at 35.5% as of 1 January 2023. While global employment sees nearly 40% representation from women, they only held 27.5% of management positions in 2022, a notable decrease from 28.5% in 2021.

Did you know that progress in women’s political participation remains slow. According to my research on the UN Sustainable Development goals... In local governments, the participation was higher at 35.5% as of 1 January 2023. While global employment sees nearly 40% representation from women, they only held 27.5% of management positions in 2022, a notable decrease from 28.5% in 2021.

I understand that people love living in big homes and having a mansion of their own, but let's be realistic, no one needs a house that big for one person or even a whole family unless you bring an entire city with you. It's a waste of resources and basically living space. It's even expensive, so here's what I suggest, we can do compact living and only live with what we need, that was we'd always have money saved, our house would be easier to manage, and we wouldn't be raising our footprints so much. And I know some may say that a studio apartment can be much more expensive than normal housing, but that comes down to the person and how far they're willing to go to search for sustainable housing and something within their means. Not above it.

I 100% agree with this and how compact living would lower our carbon footprints drastically. Now, I'm not going to say everyone needs to change the way they live to complete minimalism; however, I feel if people lived with a minimal amount of devices and avoided living in excessively large spaces, there would be a large decrease in resource use and our carbon footprints.

I also agree on this matter, a lot of land and habitats have been cleared for big houses to only house one or two people only for the house to end up being abandoned and left there for years or even decades. It is undoubtedly a waste of resources.

You: 12,983 kgs
Average: 11,838

What can I change to lower my carbon admission.

Try turning things off when you aren't using them and walking, biking or using public transportation more.

You could turn the heat way down at night and use blankets instead.

My total footprint is 42,013kgs and the average is 21,237 kgs. My footprint is 3 times bigger than yours. My footprint is mostly in the home category, where's your's at?

My average carbon footprint was 18,856 kgs, and the average in Ohio is 21,237 kgs. However, I would like my footprint to be lower because most of it is in transportation, so I would try to ride my bike more.

My total footprint is 15,575kgs while the average is 21,237kg, shockingly, it's smaller than the average carbon footprint in my region, but most of my footprint is from my home.

My total footprint 37,058 and the average is 21,237. However, most of it comes from my house.

Looking at my home carbon footprint I realized it can definitely be reduced with it being almost 2000kgs over the average. One easy way to change it is to switch from incandescent bulbs to LED bulbs it can save money and reduce CF. Another way is to wash clothes in cold water rather than hot reducing CO2 by 550 pounds and also is better for clothes making them less likely to shrink or fade.

More about lightbulbs from nps.gov:

If every household in the United States replaced one regular light bulb with an energy-saving model, we could reduce global warming pollution by more than 90 billion pounds over the life of the bulbs; the same as taking 6.3 million cars off the road. So, replace your incandescent bulbs with more efficient LEDs, which now come in all shapes and sizes. CFLs use a quarter of the energy incandescent lights use and last 20 times as long. Not only will you be reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but you will save money on your electric bills and light bulbs as well.

Ever since I was little it would always amaze me how careless people could be; throwing their junk into the ocean. Don't they know there are living creatures living there? But let's be honest we have all made mistakes before this however cannot be an excuse to keep on repeating the same ones. We as of right now must stand up for our oceans. Turtles suffocating on plastic bags and sharks getting trapped in old fishing nets are just not right. Why do we have to be so cruel when they did nothing wrong? Hope is still not lost, we can change. But all it takes is a step, a step that everyone can make, a step that can be so powerful it can change millions of lives underwater. So please next time you feel an urge to throw your trash on the ground, remember the animals you will be hurting, the ecosystem that is slowly declining.

yes i agree with your opinion because when i go surfing i can see a lot of trash and it didn't make me feel good. I can't understand why can't people make an effort to throw trash in the trashcan. I thought that with the new technology we would have better lives in 2023.

I also think that we have to help save our planet through not polluting our precious oceans. We have to live together with our animals and not against them. We can do this through using our trash cans to the best of our abilities. If we do not see any trash cans around, we have to hold onto the trash until we can get rid of it wisely. Another way we can help our oceans is by helping to pick up trash around them. There are many organizations that are focused around helping to clean the ocean and pick up as much trash as possible in a day. One of these organizations is The Ocean Cleanup. This organization is a non-profit that has the main goal of cleaning up to 90% of the oceans floating plastic pollution.

This statement is something I can definitely agree with. I feel for sea life because they receive a lot of harm to their ecosystems. People dump lots of trash either not knowing or not caring about how much they're dumping into the ocean. Also, another harmful thing to sea life is oil. there are lots of reports about how oil is damaging sea ecosystems.

In class, we talked a lot about our environmental footprints, which I didn't even know about before. I also learned that the United States is in a concerning ecological deficit which may be scary on the surface, but there are many people working to make a change.

Food waste is a serious problem both in Italy and in the world. Every year, about a third of the food produced globally is wasted, resulting in an economic loss of about 700 billion dollars. In Italy, this translates into a loss of about 9 billion euros per year. The main sources of waste are households , restaurants , supermarkets and production. The main reason for household waste includes forgotten food in the refrigerator. Even though Italy is not among the countries with the highest waste rate, it still represents a significant challenge. The UN has included reducing food waste in its 2030 Agenda, with the goal of halving it within the next 7 years. This will require a global effort to change consumption habits and reduce food waste at all levels of the supply chain.

While the money lost due to food waste is a lot, the worst thing is how it affects people who don't have enough to eat. Think about it: there are millions of people in the world starving every day, even though there's more than enough food to feed everyone.
When we waste food, it's not just throwing away money; it's throwing away good food that could have helped feed someone who's hungry. This isn't fair and it's not right.
Reducing food waste isn't just about saving money or being eco-friendly; it's about making sure everyone has enough to eat. It's something we all need to work on together, so that we can create a world where nobody has to go hungry.

Sorry i missclicked while creating my account i am actually from Italy.

While the money lost due to food waste is a lot, the worst thing is how it affects people who don't have enough to eat. Think about it: there are millions of people in the world starving every day, even though there's more than enough food to feed everyone.
When we waste food, it's not just throwing away money; it's throwing away good food that could have helped feed someone who's hungry. This isn't fair and it's not right.
Reducing food waste isn't just about saving money or being eco-friendly; it's about making sure everyone has enough to eat. It's something we all need to work on together, so that we can create a world where nobody has to go hungry.

I'm not sure about in Italy, but in the US people try to promote composting our food scraps to try and be more sustainable about our waste. If our organic waste is properly composted it can actually really benefit our environment. According to the UN Environment Program it can help recover soils fertility, reduce the dependance on chemical fertilizers, improve water retention, and more.  We could use this composted fertilizer to grow more food so the amount of unnecessary waste is reduced. Food waste and loss contribute a good number to global greenhouse gasses as well(about 8-10%) so by composting this waste instead of just throwing it away we could help reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that affect climate change. I agree that wasting food is unfair and sometimes it's an honest mistake like food forgotten in the fridge, but even that forgotten food (even if it's gone bad) can still be used to help our environment.

Promoting composting is a vital step towards global sustainability, as it diverts organic waste from landfills and transforms it into nutrient-rich compost. As emphasized by the UN Environment Program, this process not only enhances soil fertility and reduces reliance on chemical fertilizers but also improves water retention in soils, crucial for agricultural productivity. Also, composting mitigates greenhouse gas emissions by preventing organic waste from decomposing anaerobically in landfills, thereby addressing a significant source of methane emissions. Even unintentional food waste can be repurposed through composting, highlighting the value of this practice in turning what might have been perceived as a loss into a valuable resource for the environment. https://www.unep.org/explore-topics/res … composting

Food waste is a huge problem in the US too. We constantly over produce food and buy too much. Many states don't provide composting and even if they do, most people don't own a composting bin. Lots of food gets wasted in thrown in the trash, instead of being reproduced into soil. Most people aren't aware of how much they waste every day that could've gone to another person in need. This is a serious topic that we need to take action on.

Food waste is a big part of the US and other places. I think that your country needs to get better at saving food and not throwing it away. maybe you can compost the food that you don't eat and plant some plants and use the compost to grow your plants.

I just wanted to say that I agree, and that I found this information very helpful and wanted to say thank you!

The increase in acidification in the ocean has impacted all sea creatures with shells and or bones that are made of calcium due to the flow of carbonated calcium going from net positive to net negative.

Although you may think that public transit can give off more carbon due to things like trains and subways being much bigger than the average car, that is actually not the case. Especially with big family cars like S.U.V.s, the standards car companies have to meet is much lower than the criteria that average public transit has to follow. Public Transit is made to have their vehicles emit less and less carbon every year, something that most companies do not follow. According to newyorker.com, car companies are able to classify S.U.V.s as trucks, making it so the window of carbon they are allow to emit is much larger than the average car. To conclude, yes more public transit is a solution to help stop climate change of carbon emissions.

I never knew that fact about SUVs and I'm also glad that you included a cited source as well. People should switch to public transit or at least try to find a more sustainable means of traveling. If cities were more walkable, we wouldn't even have to worry much about transportation in general!

One thing I can do to better help the environment is reducing the use of single use plastic products. This can be plastic water bottles, straws, and even the wrapping of packages that products come in. There is a saying that goes reduce, reuse, and THEN recycle. It is firstly important to reduce the use of single use plastics. I found that having a water bottle that isn't made of single use plastic is a good way to reduce the amount of single use plastic I use. One of the ways I reuse plastic is through takeout containers. We have a Vietnamese restaurant that serves takeout food in plastic containers. Instead of throwing them out, we have started using them to store leftovers when we eat.

https://www.nrdc.org/stories/single-use … -101#avoid

My mom does this a lot and I do too because those containers are good when you have a lunch box and want something to put food in and most of all it's free who would want to miss out on that?

The major thing that I've learned throughout all of my research is how many people genuinely want to make a positive change and help our Planet. This entire sustainability idea means a lot to me, and it makes me hopeful knowing that so many want to and are trying to help

I learned that old makeup packaging makes up 120 million units of thrash and when I found that I wanted to see what I could do to keep that from happening. So, most of my makeup packages I would reuse for other things which is to hold other things and the ones I couldn't reuse I would do the Sephora and they have a bin where you could recycle makeup packaging.

When doing this project I really felt my carbon footprint would be much higher than it actually was. I still want to do more though to continue bringing my carbon footprint down. One way I am going to is by trying to recycle and reuse items more often. I found some interesting sites that talk about how to reuse a lot of household items. But right now I am researching ways to reduce my carbon footprint. Here's a site I found interesting, https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2018/ … footprint/.

I also feel the same about my carbon footprint. Mine isn't so bad although I would love to lower it. Majority of my footprint comes from the home category. I feel like what can start doing is recycle and waste less. I don't waste much but I feel like what I don't eat that is organic material can go in a compost to give back to earth and help plants grow.

How much of an impact do highways have on the environment?

Taken from the FHWA:
In the United States today, traffic and roads are strongly implicated in many of the major environmental problems: air and water pollution, heavy energy use, fragmented farmland and habitat, wildlife and biodiversity losses, and disruption of ecological communities

While they can help us travel, they do contribute to major pollution. However, they do have solutions for animals being separated, with building highway crossings, such as the one below.

I think people throw away things that can be reused way too often. There are many ways that people can reuse things to rerduce the waste they produce. I found a few ways to reuse some items on This Website.

I completely agree with you. Through recent years people have seemed to care less about how they're harming the environment or they're just oblivious to what they're doing. I think people should really take the time to sit back and think about recent global problems like climate change, water scarcity, marine ecosystem deterioration, the decrease in biodiversity, etc.

I believe that a great and fairly easy way to reduce carbon emissions in big cities is to make them more walkable. Some ways to do this are
-Lowering the speed limit
-Investing in public transportation
-Planting more trees and plants
-Maintaining sidewalks and crosswalks
-Making roads accessible for disabled people
These actions provide a very clear result, which is a less vehicle-dependent city, this can in turn lowers emissions and according to CNU, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 4 tons a year. Not only does creating a walkable city make it more sustainable, but it also increases the health and even life span of residents.
https://www.cnu.org/publicsquare/2021/0 … t%20suburb.

I definitely agree. If you look at any large city in the US, it is built for cars, not for walking or biking. But if you look at many cities in Europe, it is quite the opposite. There are tons of people walking and biking, this was even the case for the US before automobiles became a "necessity" in our lives. While it is true that they are a quick form of transportation, it would be much more efficient and eco-friendly if we go back to streets that are made for people, not cars, and if we finally normalize HSRs in the US. Many well developed countries like Japan, Germany, France, and more, all do this.

There is a big difference between desire and need.
Desire is that thing that we want, but it is not necessary.
Need is that thing we cannot live without (for example water, gas, bread, etc.)

I'm completely agree. A big part of our footprint comes from our carbon emissions and what we do within our homes, and your information can be used on other topics to discern the difference between the two words you have listed above. And maybe spread even more awareness to what we do in our spare time and overall lives.

The results across the world were diverse in its own, however I think the majority of it depends on what's accessible to people. Transportation, for example, can be different for me than someone in the Netherlands. Where I am, there is not a prominent access to public transportations, so unfortunately my area relies on individual transportation. For people in other countries, it can be the complete opposite. While a conscious effort can always be made to cut down on personal transportation, such as carpooling, I believe these categories ultimately depend on what is accessible in different regions.

https://infrastructurereportcard.org/ca … 20transit.

I completely agree, while I may have buses where I live others don't. If accessibility because available in terms of buses then we could lower our carbon footprint significantly. The only problem is that we have to make the transportation method sustainable.

Corporations are responsible for a large amount of our carbon emissions. I think that large corporations need to find more enviornmental friendy ways to do buisiness. About 80% of the carbon emissions from 2016 to 2022 can be traced back to only 57 companies. These statistics came from this website

It is important to acknowledge that recycling can be one of the best ways you can help save the planet even by a little bit. It is equally as important to know the proper items that can be recycled so you do not cause a disruption to the recycling centers when they have to sort out improper items. For example, I would not have assumed gardening hoses to be unrecyclable considering it is material can be burned down to make other objects. The website I have provided is a good reference point for anyone who would like to have an idea how the American recycling system works. It would be interesting to see if the recycling systems of other countries are similar to the US.

https://www.epa.gov/recycle/frequent-qu … cycling101

When i change my clothes, sometimes i discard some of them. The parish church collects clothes and objects to give to people in need. In the last period, an application has spread, it's called "vinted", where all people in the world can sell and buy used things.
I think that using these methods can give new life to the items and clothes to avoid to throw them in the landfills.

Hello! I personally donate my clothes to organizations that give them to people who need it, and I think that popular application is great! There is always someone who will want something another person doesn't. Thrifting is very popular, which is shopping preowned items, similar to the application you mentioned. This can cut down waste significantly, especially for clothes and household items.

I do agree that making sure products don't go to waste and can be reused if not by yourself then by someone else is an excellent way to reduce your carbon footprint. However, it is important to make sure that you know how to decipher which clothes can be donated and which ones are not. The website I have provided gives you good tips and rules on which clothes are excellent candidates. It would really benefit the Earth if we could reuse or recycle some of the 50 billion pieces of articles of clothing that we throw out to some good use.

https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/hom … ling-guide

Consumerism is definitely one of the biggest problems of our society. Whether it's wanting the newest clothes or technology, we have the mindset of always needing more. To combat my personal problem with it, I have started dividing my wants and needs. I don't count the majority of foods as a want, along with healthcare or basic necessity items. My wants are typically categorized into materialistic needs. Something that has personally helped me is converting the price of items into how many hours I'd have to work to be able to afford it. If I feel like it's not worth my work, then I find it's easier to walk away form the item.

https://www.becomingminimalist.com/consumer-isnt/

As we all know, climate change and carbon footprints are destroying our precious yet weakening planet. We talk about it all the time. We talk about the causes and effects, the solutions, and why we shouldn't produce so much carbon footprint. But no one really took action. Instead we just sit here ranting on and on about how evil humans are, and how "deeply necessary" it is that we do something, blah blah blah. Now, don't get me wrong, what we talk about is all right and true. But we need to take action. For example, I now walk to school more often than before, instead of riding in a car. Even though this may not seem like a big change at all, it is still something. Remember, small things lead to great things. For those who have the ability to make a bigger change, don't wait, just do. This is for our planet. It's dying day by day while you're deciding if you should buy one more pair of shoes to add to your LOVELY shoe collection.
So please, let's start taking action into saving our planet Earth, and its wondrous nature. Big or small, it's still something, and it will help lead to a better future for everyone.

Hello, I think it's important to make a conscious effort to reduce our carbon footprints, because spreading awareness without effort does nothing for the planet. Unfortunately, for some people, they have to rely on cars to go to/from work or school, but carpooling could cut down the use of car emission overall. Reducing personal use of electricity and plastic can add up, and if everyone had this mindset the Earth could be taken care of better. I agree with your statement, a big or small effort is better than nothing!

Being able to produce your own food is a wonderful privilege that I have experienced and continue to do for myself and my family. At my house we have two main gardens which we switch produce depending on the season but it has mainly produced radishes, carrots, cauliflower, tomatoes, peppers, etc. At times it is not very easy and I have failed many times at different crops however I have learned the importance in being able to make your own food. It is truly a great experience and through gardening I have even began propagating certain seeds and houseplants in order to begin growing them in water before I transplant them into the soil. Through propagating it has taught me a whole new set of skills and challenges but once I learned it can be fairly easy to begin to implement. There are also different styles of propagating and I have not tried too many different styles however the link I am attaching discusses the different kinds and steps to take. Trying out different gardening practices as well as propagating can help you to learn so much about plants and what you are putting into your body. Food is being changed so often lately and not for the good. So it is very important to know what you are putting into your body and what you can do to take small steps to make it better.
https://extension.umaine.edu/gardening/ … 0varieties.

Climate change has been a topic heavily discussed more and more lately. There are many factors and people have their own opinions however, when looking at the data it points to clear conclusions. One way that humans are constantly contributing to the rising of climate change is through deforestation. Forests and wetlands are currently being destroyed in order to make a profit from logging or construction. They do this from a process called clearcutting which is when every tree or native plant is destroyed within a single area and nothing is left. This destroying process is very harmful to the environment for many reasons. One way it is very bad is that it takes away animals and plants habitats where they found refuge in and built their habitats. Another way it is very harmful, is that trees have the ability of taking in carbon dioxide and storing it at ground level or underground but then once trees are cut down and dug up it is releasing all of the carbon into the atmosphere. All of the carbon then can be very harmful to the rest of the environment and people which contributes to climate change. Even where I live, you can see deforestation happening at lesser levels. Currently a bridge is being built and so they are destroying large parts of the forests by cutting them down and then holding controlled burns. There are also many developments that are being placed around the city and region in order to hold all the people that are moving here which requires the destruction of forests. Deforestation is a large issue and we need to begin taking care of our trees and saving our parks.
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/what-are-c … ge#choices

By carrying out this project i was able to calculate my carbon footprint within the society. I am quite satisfied with the results obtained despite my awareness of being able to improve my impact on the planet. In some areas I'm trying to do my best, while in others I know I can do better: particularly in choosing my food. But how can I do it? I could start by enhancing the products of my territory or organic ones, but what else could I do to reduce the portions of red or white meat?
Advice would be welcome!

Good afternoon! Thank you so much for your post and working on this carbon footprint project! One part of my carbon footprint project that I was surprised the most by is that my food footprint was on the lower scale compared to the rest of my categories. Pertaining to your question, about how to reduce red or white meat, depending on where you live you could try to consume more fish or vegetable options. Luckily, I live near seafood shops and places where high quality seafood is so I tend to eat lots of salmon or shrimp. I would suggest you to try that as one option in order to eat less meat like steak or chicken. Another way to decrease meat consumption could be finding high calorie vegetable meanings. For example, sometimes I will eat "cauliflower steaks" or other high calorie meals that can be just as delicious as meat. Some people even eat "Beefsteak Mushrooms" and put sauce on it because it has a similar steak texture and will use that to eat instead of regular steak. I will attach a picture and a link to show you what I am talking about. Thank you so much and have a great rest of your day!

The human needs to be nature's best friend.So take care of it and don't use so much air conditioning and heater.
As you may know there are a lot of unexpected fires in Italy and other countries in the summer time.

‼️We need to be friends again with Mother Nature‼️There are lots of hurricanes,big storms,forest fire,and more bad things.
?SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT?

If we want to recycle,but don't know how,here's a metod:We can take the object that we want to recycle(ex.a plastic bottle ) and do something useful with it by painting it, cutting it,etc.(like a vase for plants)
So,dear children we can create a healthier environment for our body by creating!✨???

I totally agree✨✨

some people exaggerate with shopping which is a desire not a necessity, there are many things they don't need but they still spend a lot of money on things harmful to the environment

some people exaggerate with shopping which is a desire not a necessity, there are many things they don't need but they still spend a lot of money on things harmful to the environment

I think we should start taking care of our planet by not throwing our trash on the floor and start recycling for a healthier environment.

Sustainability is a principle in life that helps me to be more responsible with natural resources and to keep the living environment as healthy as possible!?✨??

It is preferable to recycle all plastic bottles to store detergents or soaps

Yes,It's a very good idea!In my country there are special containers for recycling cans

Hey!?
I will try to save natural resources like turn off the lights that I don't need,turn off the water when I'm brushing my teeth,and more else.
I'm also going to start a journal,where I will be responsible about the natural resources!??
What about you?

I’m trying to recycle to stop polluting with thousands of plastic cans

Keep the environment clean for a healthy life!

Don't leave the water running while you are brushing your teeth,just turn it off and use it when you really need it.

hello

While climate change does occur multiple ways that do not involve humans, we do significantly accelerate it. In moderation things would not so drastically change, but because we humans refuse to change our ways, the Earth is heating up at an uncontrollable rate. Greenhouse gases are naturally emitted into the atmosphere from decaying organisms and waste. Humans are taking advantage of the Earth and are emitting more greenhouse gases than the Earth can handle. This is deteriorating the ozone layer, leading to overheating and harmful UV rays entering the atmosphere. With the temperatures rising and conditions worsening, humans are digging themselves into a bigger and bigger hole that soon we will not be able to get ourselves out of. Humans must accept that we are the cause of the Earth's slow death. If we do not change this soon, the Earth will not survive much longer.
https://ourworldindata.org/greenhouse-gas-emissions

Climate change happens naturally in multiple ways, like the release of Methane from cows, but we humans excel the rate for global temperature rise by multitudes. We use machinery and factories that release hundreds of tons of CO2 and other green house gasses. The gasses are great at trapping temperature because they're magnetically of balance with their charges. When heat hits them the jiggle and trap the energy in heat form. Ultimately this causes the globe to rise in temperature slowly. To conclude, yes  climate change is real, and when it comes to thee question of if we're to blame, majority answer is yes.

I completely agree with you, some change is completely normal, but humans speed up this process extremely.

While climate change does occur multiple ways that do not involve humans, we do significantly accelerate it. In moderation things would not so drastically change, but because we humans refuse to change our ways, the Earth is heating up at an uncontrollable rate. Greenhouse gases are naturally emitted into the atmosphere from decaying organisms and waste. Humans are taking advantage of the Earth and are emitting more greenhouse gases than the Earth can handle. This is deteriorating the ozone layer, leading to overheating and harmful UV rays entering the atmosphere. With the temperatures rising and conditions worsening, humans are digging themselves into a bigger and bigger hole that soon we will not be able to get ourselves out of. Humans must accept that we are the cause of the Earth's slow death. If we do not change this soon, the Earth will not survive much longer.
https://ourworldindata.org/greenhouse-gas-emissions

People do not seem to ask themselves if something is a want or a need before buying it. People often impulse purchase, and later realize they are not entirely interested in the thing they bought. For example, fast fashion is a large reason landfills are overflowing. Companies find less fortunate individuals to exploit and hire to work for miniscule wages. With the price of wages low, these companies are able to produce their products at an extremely low rate. This is appealing to people because of course someone would rather spend less money than more money. People often purchase clothing to fit into the newest trends, which in this day and age, change daily. With these rapid changes, the clothing bought to fit the trend is no longer useful. This leads to over "34 billion pounds of used textiles" being throw into the landfills in the United States alone. This also opens up the conversation that people should be who they want to be, not just someone who follows societal standards. If someone is able to establish themselves, they may not have the urge to purchase something just to fit in. We as humans have the ability to produce products that are safe for the environment and control our spending, yet we refuse to put the Earth's health over our wealth.
https://www.bu.edu/sph/news/articles/20 … vironment/

Fast fashion fuels overconsumption by encouraging lots of cheap purchases of trendy clothing, leading to
a ton of  waste. This way of living and thinking makes you choose quantity over quality, contributing to pollution and unethical labor conditions.

Recycling Centers almost everywhere in the city

These days a lot of people buy things that they don't need just because they like them or they buy something that are very cheap and they use them only once then they threw them away. This is due to fast fashion, but if we want to save our planet we have to change our mind and start also thinking the consequences before buying. We can reuse cloth, in our school we have a room that is called "VINTED CLASS" where we can swap clothes.

Yes I agree with you that we always buy stuff but never use it like maybe we buy a peice of clothing but only use it once so then we are just wasting materials and if you think about it you are also wasting your money.

I also agree that we buy stuff, but then only use it once. For example; the people that will celebrate Halloween, most people will buy there costume and wear it on Halloween, but never wear it again.

I agree there are a lot of people that just buy things for the show factor and not thinking about what they really need.

But when you wear a Halloween costume only once, you can sell it for someone else to use.Another way To save money you can use some of your old costume for new things on your new costume.

You could get your clothes from a thrift store or get hand-me-downs.

I find it hard because I never reuse my halloween costumes and I feel like i'm wasting a lot

You could donate those clothes that you have grown out of

I agree we have to put the planet first before our wants and needs. Donating clothes to places like good will or the salvation army is great way to have your old clothes re used!

Hi i am Cody Hsu i think people shouldn't waste food because some people are hungry.

Absolutely, not wasting food is essential for several reasons. Firstly, it helps to reduce environmental impact by saving resources like water and energy used in food production. Secondly, it is economically prudent as it saves money spent on purchasing and preparing food. Thirdly, it aligns with ethical considerations by acknowledging the global issue of hunger and food insecurity. Finally, minimizing food waste promotes a more sustainable and responsible approach to consumption, benefiting both people and the planet.

I agree with you, you make some really good points.

Interesting

I agree if you don't waste food it'll help because then no food gets wasted and your points are very explanatory

yes that is a do not do right there! and did you know it watse monney

We really don't need to waste food. ex. have a big meal and then not finish it.

of course. that is very true. wasting food is not acceptable. if you do that you are  not helping the beautiful planet. think about all the people that are not as lucky to have good food, so if you waste your food it would not be helping the world and even people.=)

i eat to little food

every time we go out for dinner we normally end up having leftovers and my mom will NOT toss it out so we will either eat it for dinner the next day or give it to a homeless person:)

Hi Cody, I agree with you! Food is such a precious resource that many people take for granted. There are people out there who are starving or don't know when their next meal is going to be. So not wasting food is very important!

We as humans are so wasteful. We have so many possessions that we just throw away or never use again. I found an article that shows a bunch of items that we all have lying around our house that could be repurposed! Such as using an old toothbrush to scrub those tight spots around the house or using old socks as cleaning rags!
https://www.kindafrugal.com/17-creative … day-items/

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After doing this carbon footprint project. I came to realize just because my area doesn't do recycling as part of trash pick up, I could be using the plastic bottles in our household for so much more. We do use a lot of plastic in our home. I do a lot of gardening and found some great ways to reuse those plastic bottles. I already use gallon milk jugs as watering cans. I also take the gallon milk jugs and put small holes at the bottom to make a hand sprinkler. But in the article 27 Easy Plastic Bottle Crafts (https://www.pillarboxblue.com/plastic-bottle-crafts/), I found so much more ways. Since plastic is non biodegradable, I want to find ways to keep them out of the landfills as much as I can with my part. Check out all the creative things you can do with plastic.

is can destroy a lot of stuff

Tornado's can also also be a extreme weather as it can severely destroy houses, and buildings.

I agree with these other posts about extreme weather, it can cause peoples lives and homes!

Can't find why I'm SKIBDI RIZZ Ohio sigmatiy

we could use less plastic, more paper and cloth bags that you can reuse, you can also reuse plastic utensils and straws, just wash them if you use them. Try not to leave trash around, especially the beach!

Try reusing a bag for your groceries!

You can use the plastic shopping bags as garbage bags or shop with them again.

We can use reusable cups

You can also use reusable water bottles

I know I can definitely change my carbon foot print because my transportation level is 8359 kgs. the way I can reduce this is by using public transportation,biking,and carpooling.

         !IF ANYONE ELSE HAS IDEAS TO HELP PLEASE PUT THEM IN THE COMMENTS!

If you have friends that bike then go with them. If you have friends that have a medium car or you do use that to carpool in.

Those ideas are very good ones you can try using those ideas as many times as you can and very often.:D

I think air travel is a real problem and we should do our best to find other ways to travel.

Yes, I also agree with that. But you can also see if you can walk more and bike because it's good exercise and you can get places.

But still even w/o air travel your travel on ground could be very high.

Well, an airplane uses way much more gas than your car does, so it's better to use your car.    At least 100g vs. At least 10g   (g=gallons)

If you live next to any of your friends offer to carpool or ask to ride a bike with them this will motivate them by not using a extra car while having fun at the same time.

I've just completed the questionnaire and i discovered my carbon footprint is 5152 kgs.
More specifically, i got: 2869 kgs in "Home", 1462 kgs in "Food", 261 kgs in "Purchases" and 560 kgs in "Transports".
i think that's a good score, considering that avarage, in my region, is about 8000 kgs.

However, I'd like to reduce it in some way.
Respect for nature is something that my parents have taught me since I was younger, and now I'm used to pay attention to everything related to the environment.

Most kgs of my footprint comes form the "Home" section, i wanted to ask you some tips, advise and green alternatives to reduce my carbon footprint.

To lower your carbon footprint in the home section, I think you could install solar panels to lower the carbon from heating your home.

To lower your carbon footprint you can turn off lights when you are not using them and you can also use blankets instead of using a heating system.

Here is my answer to this question:
To lower your carbon footprint in the "Home Section", you can use less heat in your home (use blankets instead of a heater), use fans instead of air-conditioning, use less incandescent light-bulbs and more LEDs and florescent bulbs, turn off the light when you don't need it, turn off the water until you need it, take shorter showers, use cold instead of warm/hot water to wash your clothes, compost leaves or yard waste, and put less things in the trash; recycle and compost more.:D:D:D:D:D

you can use LED lights, and an electric heater/AC like a heat pump

You could use air conditioning as sparingly as possible.( if you have it).

To reduce the carbon in "foods" you can make sure to buy foods that you absolutely need, and eat food before the expiration date so you don't waste it.

You could also use reusable bags for groceries

Reduce car use??

Maybe you could bike or walk more to nearby places and if its cold maybe layer and use blankets instead of using a heater? I hope this helps!

Most companys care about money rather then the environment.

I m at 9457 in my carbon footprint is that good

9457 is about average.

9457 kgs is the average and I think if you want to decrease it, you may turn off the light when you not use, eat well, if you house near the school and you should walk(use car when your home is far away).

There are people in the world that can't afford to buy things and if u just waste money on things you don't really need then you are just being selfish. Only buy things you need. Not want.

Yes I agree, we shouldn't be selfish and buy things we only NEED.

The average amount of CO2 a person produces a year from GAS is 4.6 metric tons. Can YOU do less?

yes with me I think that I should turn off the light,walk, waste less and eat healthy.

things with meaning and usefulness are essential in our daily lives. But at the end of the day were humans so if were going to get something we want we better use it. And if you don't like it see if it can be returned.

THRIFT STORE

The amount of trash we use is a massive number, and all of it goes into a landfill but there are so many ways we could reuse this trash and lessen the numbers in the landfill. For example, plastic water bottles don't have to be used for just one purpose, they can be refilled with tap water or at a water fountain and used repeatedly. As well as a piece of paper, don't just use one side and throw it out, use the other side. There are also super fun activities for kids that can be making crafts out of pieces of trash like a toilet paper roll, or kleenex box. What I'm saying is not everything is just a one and done, things can have other purposes as well.

I agree with you, reusing items and materials has a positive impact on our environment and helps with climate change. Reusing is a part of the five Rs (refusing, reusing, recycling, reusing, and reducing). There are tons of examples for reusing such as pins that could be used as holding items, cardboard boxes that could be used as holding paper, and jars or paper cups be used as holding pencils in them. These are some great ways to reuse materials. As you said plastics could also be reused as many uses to us. Yes, and crafts are another important but also fun way to reuse and a good idea to teach new learners or kids. Instead of just throwing something away and buying another, reuse it. Basically, the concept is reusing as many things as we possibly can to help our environment be more friendly and reusable. If you are curious about the five Rs in general then go look at my most recent post under 'Reusing and Refusing'.

I agree with both of you. So many materials go to waste, instead of being used again. Reusing instead of wasting would have a positive impact on the environment by preventing pollution and saving energy. Lowering the amount of waste going to landfills also reduces the amount of toxicity in the water around the landfills which has a positive impact on the environment.

I totally agree with the three of you. So many people, when throwing something away, don't acknowledge the fact that they could reuse or repurpose the item they are throwing away. Not only can reusing or repurposing items be fun and a creative activity to do (depending on what you are reusing), but it can prevent your waste from ending up in landfills in turn harming the environment, and turn what would have been "waste" into "art." Other than the environment, this can save you money as you can use that object to the max instead of throwing it away and spending money on a new one. I give many specific examples in my post on the topic of "Reuse and Repurpose" that we can start doing today for a more sustainable environment

I agree, recycling can deffinetly contribute to a Greener future. After using plastic bottles and other containers, you should always recycle, wether its putting it in the recycling bin or making a craft project out of it, you should deffinetly do it. After using a plastic bottle, where do you think it goes? Well, it turns out that some of it gets dumped into the ocean and can injure or even kill Marine life, so next time you are using plastic, consider how you could reuse it.

I agree, recycling and reusing definitely will help make this plant greener because there would be less one use plastics, there would also be less green house gas emissions because we would be making less plastic and glass.

I completely agree! I recycle and refuse everything I can and it was honestly surprising how many people don’t do this! I did some research and was astonished that more people haven’t taken action and helped people who either don’t know how or don’t know where to start.

I agree reusing all kinds of trash is very good for the environment. We should all try to recycle as much as possible and try to reuse plastic we use. If something is not too dirty we should try and reuse it for something else.

I agree you should reuse everything and reuse plastic definitely and that will help you a lot so if you see trash throw it away and reuse it like definitely use glass and plastic and spend time with some of your friends and that will help you a lot

If everyone reused, we could have a much, much cleaner Earth.

I agree there are so many things we throw away that could be recycled or reused. As a planet there are a lot of things we are doing wrong

Yeah and as shown in some of the other post trash can be made to make beautiful art.

do you all out there agree that there aren't enough food stands for the homeless? I lived in San Francisco for a good part of my life and Oakland as well, if you don't know where those places are just know they are filled with homeless, hungry, thirsty and uncleaned civilians and I believe setting up more food stands could help this cause more than we think.

-Ezra

One thing I do is help the homeless by feeding them bags of food some Sunday. I hope this idea helps

I agree that there needs to be more food stands in places where the homeless population is high or even just above average. They deserve to have the same treatment as more wealthy people when it comes to food and health.

We have to don't waste food because is important and because we must think about how they made it and probably it take more time what we think to redo them

I agree

I agree

I agree

I agree it can be difficult to undo our prior actions but with time and effort we can help the earth.

I agree it can be hard but overall we need to help the earth and the people on it.

people make videos of them wasting food and it should stop

people should try to not waste food and make sure to not use more than you need.

I agree. Do not waste food!

I completely agree. We should never wast food and the food we don't eat can be saved or donated.

Agreed don't waste food its not healthy for the environment and it wont be good as many people could've ate that food.

I agree also, because when we waste food we just waste the time of the people who made it.

I agree with this because most people will buy tons of food and not eat all of it and instead throw it out. This wastes food and is a huge problem.

I noticed that most of it is lower than the average but because of sports, it's higher than average for transportation. Because of this, I should try to drive only for sports and things I need to drive for, but walking to school and stuff I'll keep on walking.

I also do a lot of sports and your transpartaion can get pretty high because you might travle for games and practices, one way i thought i could lower my CO2 is carpool with team mates.

I am going to start recycling more plastic and other materials, and when going long distances for sports or other activities I should carpool more with friends.

After looking at My carbon calculator results I saw that they were higher than the average for my area. Because of this, I started to think and discuss ways to lower my score with my family. We thought of ways to reuse items more times than we already do before eventually throwing them away. For clothes, we thought of finding places to give old clothes away so they have another life. For example, donating to thrift stores or giving clothes to younger family members. When it comes to purchasing new items we as a family decided to actively try and get clothes second-hand. When it comes to waste we will do better to reuse containers and jars. For example, we could reuse jelly jars as makeup brush holders or use them to hold leftovers. These were just some of the ideas we came up with that would help lower our carbon footprint by reusing and repurposing the items we already have in our house. I hope that this can help someone else to think of new ways to reuse and repurpose things they have in their house.

I really like all of your ideas.

Good idea, I should start doing some of those things in my family to lower my carbon emissions.

If you want buy something but you don't know if you really need it or only wanted, just wait few days and if you still thinking about that, maybe you need it

I agree because I have that problem because one time I thought of buying something so I got it but I didn't need it at all

I agree. I think that it is best to only buy something if you need it or know that you will use it often. Don't buy something just to have it

Yeah, I agree to you should always see if you really need something before buying it, because you don't want to buy something that is not going to be used a lot.

My name is H20WATER

Nice to meet you too,H20WATER!! GO GREEN!!

my transportation is very high it is double all of my other subjects like home energy,food,and purchases.

same. Mine was going to be average but then I put down the amount of round-trips I take per year and doubled my carbon footprint.

OK I may have lied with that title because I wont be talking about what the numbers for my carbon footprint are. just.. other stuff. OK so thank you for reading this things lets get started.
My parents LOVEEE keeping our lights on. I will walk into an empty room with literally no one in it and the lights will ALWAYS be on, unless I was there recently, because I always turn off the lights. also I'm not sure if this is on topic or whatever, but my parents didn't have a compost bin for practically a YEAR. It honestly took a lot of convincing, and they still don't use it! My dad also throws everything in the trash. He never gives anything away. OK, now I'm REALLY off topic. than you if you've made it this far. my point is, I wish I could reduce my carbon footprint and have my parents care more about the environment, because I really do and I hate polluting the lovely earth.

oop I had a bit of a typo there-

Maybe I could power my entire my house using electricty, and then use led light bulbs so that it doesn't harm the environment.

You could use Solar Panels and use Electric or fuel efficient cars

you can also reuse the trash in your house

take shorter showers

go GREEN!!!!

you can try biking,walking, and taking public transportations

smiley face lol

you could bike, walk, or take the bus to school if you live to far.

Thamk you

you could use your car less and eat more healthy like greens and eat more proteen you could make sure you sort right and you can take other forms of travle like bike's skate boards or anything you like to ride you can do carpool or ride public transe port to.

not go on as many plane trips

My family's footprint is pretty good for the food and the home, but the transportation is alarming. It literally doubled the home and food combined!

Maybe you can ask if you can carpool with people and try biking or another way of transportation like walking? I know my food is not that great because I am not vegetarian but something I do know is how you can try helping your transportation.(:

Another idea is to start using public transportation to get to places.

you can also try biking instead of public transport like cars and busses

mine isn't good either but that's because me and my family took a trip to Europe and the flight was like 16 hours.

You can walk or bike to places instead of using a car.

I think one way to fix it is to use other kinds of transportation like public or bike and stuff like that.but you could also plan less vacations or go out less. you could cut on the amount of times you use the car and maybe use a bike or a skate board if its a short distance.

maybe you can start riding a bike and being less in cars

Riding bikes to school or work will make the world a whole lot cleaner. You could also take public transport or carpool with a friend.

In our company, Tintasytonercompatibles, we are using only recycled plastics, in addition to reusing all the boxes and packaging we receive to minimize our carbon footprint. We have changed the labels to just a QR to minimize plastic waste. We can all help!

But is there a way that we can do more than this can we spread it further?

My home, transportation, and my purchases were all under average. My food category was pretty high above the average where I live. I think this is because I don't eat enough vegetarian meals

I don't eat any either and I have mine under the average for where I live.

Some things you need to survive and some thing we just really want. But we don't need thoughs things.

we don't need everything we want

I agree to a degree, but some wants might help the fight for climate change, would you agree that there are some exceptions to your statement?

I checked today and my foot print in travel alone is 6,143 and my regions is only 2,557, now to be fair I have bean traveling a lot lately but I would still like some tips on how to refuse it, wile traveling

It is super cool that you are traveling a lot! Maybe try doing some road trips, maybe staying closer to home!

I think road trips would still waste energy, but that's a good idea! I like road trips. anyways, you could try biking places with your family too! you can buy a wagon thing that I used to have as a kid that connects to the parents bike and you can just ride around.It won't be able to get you places far, but it works!

We should really not waste food because people are out in the world starving and we are throwing out food that they can be eating.

Planes are a huge contribution to carbon emissions. For me personally and my carbon footprint, my transportation segment was up to 13,626kg which is very high considering the average in my region is 2,557kg. I was below average in all the other categories but transportation is what seemed to trip me up. According to sierraclub.org, just 2 people in a fairly efficient (30 mpg) car generates lower emissions per person than the average plane. To put this into perspective, one gallon of gas produces 19.37 pounds of carbon dioxide, and one gallon of jet fuel produces 21.50 pounds. Although plane rides are sometimes inevitable and we cannot completely avoid them, it is important to sometimes think about alternative options to flying and really run through how much CO2 the plane you're onis emitting into the atmosphere.

Same

Agreed, Mine is really high for flights

Today I had to do an assignment in class and it was about reducing carbon footprint. All day I have been thinking what to do, that's when I thought of it. Do you know how much plastic is being used and thrown away each and every day due to school lunch trays. For this fact I think we should start using reusable lunch trays. The reusable lunch trays will basically just be a materials we can use over and over again for lunch hints the name reusable lunch tray.

Today I had to do an assignment in class and it was about reducing carbon footprint. All day I have been thinking what to do, that's when I thought of it. Do you know how much plastic is being used and thrown away each and every day due to school lunch trays. For this fact I think we should start using reusable lunch trays. The reusable lunch trays will basically just be a material we can use over and over again for lunch hints the name reusable lunch tray. According to cafeteriaculture.org which did an estimation of New York's schools. They found out that NYC public schools throw away 850,000 styrofoam trays a day. All together about 80 trays per foot adding up to a whomping 2 miles high, if stacked on top of each other. They found out that this is 8.5 times the height of the empire state building. It is important to know that this is all just in one day in just one city. Now just imagine how much more this problem would be weekly. Around 4,250,000 styrofoam trays a school week. Now if you take this and use 80 trays per foot, you get 10 miles of styrofoam trays a week that get thrown away. If your worried people won't be interested in helping, a lot of people will be willing to partake in using reusable lunch trays. “We created giant NO-STYRO data PUPPETS, each made of 500 used and washed lunch trays. We took the puppets all over NYC and to City Hall. People laughed first, then heard our story of toxic and polluting styrene foam and were inspired to take action!” STYROFOAM OUT OF SCHOOLS. By reducing the amount of styrofoam thrown away it can help bring justice for the environment by eliminating the amount of trash around the world. Styrofoam also when broken down can be easily mistaken as food for smaller marine animals. This will help the environment in the long term along with other ideas that the new younger generation has, which can help keep the earth going for a long time. https://www.cafeteriaculture.org/foam-t … hools.html

I have seen some videos of 'school lunches around the world' and I noticed that some of them had metal lunch trays. I wonder how easy that would be to integrate into US schools. It seems like it might be expensive to make and install a way to clean them. Is that what you meant by reusable lunch trays?

In my school we are still using throw aways cardboard trays. However i think it would be much more efficient if they used metal or plastic trays. This will lower carbon foot print and save money for other things in the school that provide for students. It may cost a bit to clean but i feel like they could make profit not after a long time.

many people still use plastic bags for their lunches. we should only be using things we can wash and use again for lunches,

I strongly agree because if we use reusable it costs less money and it also helps use less waste for one use trays and it helps the enviornment because there will be way less waste environment

In our school, we have paper trays that get recycled, as in our old school we had reusable ones. The thing with the reusable ones was the staff washes them, but there is still things on it which can be concerning.

At my old school in 5th and 4th grade we switch to metal trays/reusable and we had way less trash!

At my old elementary school we partnered with a company that helps schools get metal lunch trays and utensils. Sadly, I cannot remember the name of the company. The lunch trays were really cool, and made of metal so we could wash them. After you were done with lunch you would put the tray and utensils in a bin and the school would take them to a company that cleans the utensils and trays for schools. I highly recommend talking to your principal about this. With some hard work and lots of determination this can become a reality.

my school uses paper trays at my house we use only glass but my school only uses paper every day their are thousands of paper trays cause they use more trays for the food so they have double trays for each person if you ask me that's a lot of paper used in one day alone

Hi! At my house, I recently downloaded a coding game, and I was planning on coding a video-game focusing on helping creatures that are being harmed from Ocean Acidification. The game would be centered on quests that the player would go on to help ocean creatures--- but that's beside the point. I can't think of any creatures right now!!! Do any of you have any ideas for ocean creatures and some quests to help them? Please spare me the coder's block! :,(

(P.S.) (I wanted to code this game to raise awareness of Ocean Acidification. Just an FYI!)

Wants and Needs are very different considering what is a necessity to live or compared to luxuries. Needs are an essential to live. Such things like a home, transportation, food, clothing, etc. You can cut back on some carbon footprint for needs by cutting down on things like transportation. For example, on a nice day maybe you can take a walk to school or ride bike instead of driving. Another example could be rather than going somewhere to eat like a restaurant you could cook something homemade at your own house. Most of people’s carbon footprint comes from transportation. People like to ride dirt bikes, or side by sides, etc. for fun. If you find other things to do besides things with motors, you could bring it down way more. Through this you can even cut back needs, because even our needs aren’t fully a necessity. Everyone has wants, as we are human. We want to go places such as the mall, the movies, the fair, etc. But there are some alternatives to make our world a better place. For example do you really need to go to the mall? Think about do you really need more clothes? You buying more clothes causes them to produce more, causing more pollution. As opposed to going thrifting, which will decrease carbon footprint and pollution. You and your friends want to hang out to go to the movies. Why not instead go to someones house and use a projector to watch a movie? If we all work together to cut back on our carbon footprint, we can make the earth healthier. Such simple things are possible.
Need or Want? | BioEd Online

I agree that we should not use things with motors for fun and we only use them for a time when needed.

I agree, so many families just buy toys that they play with for like, only like 2 days and then leave them in the corner to gather dust. I believe that people should only buy something if they have been wanting it for a long time, and rarely buy toys. Instead, people should focus on buying food and things that they really need.

My carbon footprint is about average, but I'm wondering how to cut down on my vacation footprint.

when renting a car on vacation, request on that uses less fuel, or don't even get a car and use public transport

Instead of tossing out old items, why not give them a new lease on life? Reusing and repurposing can breathe new life into old belongings, reducing waste and our environmental impact. That shirt at the back of your closet? It could become a trendy tote bag. Those empty jars? Perfect for storing pantry staples or organizing crafts.
By embracing "Reuse & Repurpose," we cut down on the need for new products, conserving resources and energy. Plus, it's a chance to get creative and have fun! So, before you toss something, consider its potential for a new purpose.

I agree that we should reuse things that can be reused

try to walk and bike to places more

I ride my bike a lot and even try to walk to most places and I really only take a car to go to polo and football

My carbon footprint for food is 2 times a average person and I don't eat a lot. I should eat less.

I wouldn't say that you should eat less, eat the average amount of calories for your age and you should be good. Maybe try to eat more vegan/vegetarian meals and order groceries when you're almost out of food in the fridge. I don't recommend eating less if you already don't eat a lot since that's unhealthy, I hope this helped.

Maybe the average person just eats not enough?

I think that eating less is not the most healthy option, you could always try more vegetarian meals, maybe eat less meat in one day.

Me and my family try to bike whenever we can to save energy also we enjoy biking.

sorry not "also" "mainly because"

nice job unanimous person, I like to bike as well, but I mostly walk

Me to!

I also ride my bike a lot

i do bmx and bike to school and back every day me and my family bike a lot but its hard to go everywhere on a bike i also go to the park with my friends and we try to do wheelies we all fail though

I was better than other people until I entered the transportation. I fly a lot on airplanes, but I don't know how to reduce my carbon footprint. I can't stop taking fun vacations, and it is too far to drive.

I know right? My Co2 from traveling is literally off the charts, it just stretches on and on. Is there anything we can do?

My Co2 tracker was at the highest in the "Food" place, and I'm trying to cut back on the harmful things, but I agree, It's hard to figure out how we can help. My suggestion would be to bike or walk to school, even if it's a little far, or carpool so that there's less singular cars. Or, (If possible, I know we can't control this and some people have less money, this is a suggestion)

Sorry, my keyboard glitched and it cut off my message--- I meant "Or, (If possible, I know we can't control this and some people have less money, this is a suggestion) We could get electric cars for our families!" Sorry for the glitch, and again, this is just a suggestion. (Oh, wait, sorry, that typed weird, it sounded better in my head  :,|

Usually, flying does take up most of your carbon footprint, and it is hard to stop taking vacations, I agree with you Elias.

my family's carbon footprint is pretty low except for the transportation and food, I think that my family should eat more plant based meals and that I should ride a bike to school more often and that my family should a more energy efficient car.

Plant a garden in your backyard and/or find an easier way to get to school also.

I think eating more plant-based meals is a great way to start. Maybe experiment with different ways to go/bike to school.

I hope this is helpful!

Wow I use less Co2 than the avger person.

LUCKY! I wish I could say the same thing...:)

Something you can do to reduce the amount of time your lights are on is to always make sure to turn off the lights when you leave the room or if you see a light(s) is on and no one is in the room also turn it off (I do the second one almost every day).

My family drives around a lot and I think we can stop it by using bikes to get to areas that do not require a car. Like we could use bikes and scooter to get around so we do not use a lot.We can  also try to recycle more so the trash we use does not end up in the ocean.

With me if you want to produce less carbon dioxide , you can turn off the light and any device if you not use it .Also I think eat well can make you produce less carbon dioxide.Our earth need help from us because the ice get hot and melt , this make the sea level go up .

I looked back at my carbon footprint sheet and noticed that my family turns on our lights many hours a day, so I can make sure we turn off devices, light, and water when not needed to reduce our footprint.

with me I think that if you turn off the light it is good .Also you may walk or bike to school.With me I think that eat well can make you produce less carbon dioxide.

With me I think that my family need to decrease carbon dioxide because temperature of the earth get high and this make me that I need to protect the earth.

You can do this by replacing your light bulbs with LED bulbs and turning off lights when your not using them, you can also reduce your carbon dioxide by turning off the water when your not using it and turning off electronics when your not using them. Bike to school if you can or walk if you don't have a bike. It's awesome that you want to protect the earth since its a very important thing.

you can also use a bike instead of cars

With my family I think that my mom told me that I need to turn off the light when I'm not using it.Also I walk to home every week.

I saw that my data of the carbon dioxide is 4777 kgs and the average in my region  is 9727 kgs .

#climatechange is gonna save the planet everyone!

Except its not. It may, on the rare occasion, educate others and encourage them to take action, but the post itself is not enough. We like and follow, but do we take the time to learn about the topic and what needs to be done in to help. Social media is helping us convince ourselves that we are “doing our part”, and I think that many of us struggle to find reassurance, scared that we too are a part of the problem. But we soon become so enveloped in this fear are that we neglect our duties of a citizen of planet earth. It is important that as we move forward with climate change that we remember that a repost is not a solution, it is simply a bandaid stuck on top of a problem that has become to real.

You're 100% correct. We often use social media as a mask and a tool to at like people we're not. In this particular case instead of acting like someone, were acting like were doing something that were not.

I've been thinking about this for some time now. I mean, boosting a video and then just continuing doing what you've been doing won't magically make climate change disappear. It may help raise awareness, but not everyone is willing to try and help.

Don't waste food, there are people in the world that don't get the food we have.

Yes we should not waste food because there are many people out there that don't get food so we should not waste the food that we have. We should also if we do have food left over (hopefully not) we should compost it, I know many people don't compost but if you don't I think you should start, because it is better for the environment.

This is a very good statement because when you are eating you should always be thinking about the people who don't have everything you have, and if you don't like the food you should eat it anyway, because some people don't have any food on there table.;)

my family produces a very large carbon foot print

my family also has a very large carbon footprint due to our flights and numerous trips to Tahoe.

My carbon footprint is really high in transportation because I go on lots of flights throughout the year so I think I should try to go on less trips and not fly in an airplane as often.

My carbon footprint is lower than the average American exepct it is a bit high in food  so I think I should start eating more plant based meals. And it is a bit high in transportation so I should start riding my bike more.

Oil & fossil fuels are some of the biggest contributors to pollution and our global ecological footprint, so why don’t we stop using them? There is no true answer because there are too many unknown variables. Although I am confident in the belief that through innovation we can find an alternative what if we don’t, can we really continue to rely on oil & fossil fuels until we pollute the earth beyond repair? What would we be able to do without our main source of energy? Oil fuels every industry within our lives, transportation (which already affects every other industry), medicine, the production of electricity, etc. Without oil, we would essentially be back to the days when electricity wasn’t a thing. So my question is, what is the answer, what if we never find another way to harvest enough energy from resources besides fossil fuels?
    Personally, I think that right now we should focus on innovation so that we can solve these problems, however, if we were to assume that we can’t or we are incapable of doing so I think that we should begin to slow down oil production and begin to rely on more environmentally friendly resources until we can become stable off of just these resources.

I think that us cutting off oil wouldn't be possible, because the use of cars every day, machines in factories, heating in buildings are a few things we can't live without. People with gas cars might not be able to afford electric cars, people using machines in factories are needed for jobs, and heating in buildings / houses are needed so people don't freeze. Therefor we need oil in our every days life to life and survive.

I agree with everything you've stated thus far; I would like to add that if we can lessen our oil use while focusing on innovation, we will have more time to find a solution. By driving less and cutting back on unused heating, we can help preserve our environment for longer.

This statement from jaydo is agreeable; If we use cars every day that our oil powered it might not slow down. However there could be possible solutions. car company's could slowly change all there cars to electric then all the old gas powered cars need to be exchanged so they will by the new electric car.

Probably not cause we need oil much more than most people think.

I totally agree what with what you all are saying, like it's highly unlikely that we can completely cut off oil, but through innovation we can use other materials alongside it to cut it's consumption.

I agree with you. I think it would be extremely difficult to stop using oil all together. The sad fact is that some people just don't care. I think the best case scenario is that instead of cutting off oil use entirely we start to ween off it. Everyone can start doing their part by using less oil and fossil fuels, and slowly but surely we one day can stop altogether.

I agree with all of you that it would be hard to cut off oil because you use it to charge cars or the factory's. I think that we could use less oil by using eletric cars or have more eco friendly factory's.

I agree with sopwin, it would be easier to start to gradually lessen the use of oil then to cut it off entirely, but I also agree that with innovation, we could stop using oil gradually. It is really hard to make people care, and I really want to help with oil reduction in the world! I know this isn't my post, but I'm really curious: Do any of you all have ideas on how we could make people more notified about climate change?

Climate change disproportionately effects marginalized communities particularly within the black community  “ Black or African Americans are 40% more likely than non-Black Americans and non-African Americans to currently live in areas with the highest projected increases in mortality rates due to climate-driven changes in extreme temperatures.” -EPA When we are talking about the effects of Climate change we need to talk about who it is effecting the most, and sadly it will often not be the people that have cause the most environmental harm. In order to make real social change we need to make environmental change as well, to neglect climate change as an issue will effect minorities disproportionately so if you are about social change you must work on  environmental change as well.

I think that this is very valuable information. I didn't know this before but I do now, and very much agree with you. We should be taught about this and i'm glad you're bringing this to the attention me and many others.

In the last years because of the climate change, natural disasters incrased, and many people have lost their family, friends, house, work and so on. If we don't want that this will have a largest incrase in the next years, or we don't want that this will happen to us, we have to pay attention and reduce our emission of carbon, so we can save the planet, many people and the nature.

We mostly ride our bikes to school but it takes up half of my energy but it saves energy and gas but we carpool with our friends with their car and my mom's car when she's not working. But riding your bike is fun when you do it with your friends!

I thought that my carbon footprint was high because my transportation column was very high. Since I visited the East Coast (NYC, DC, Boston), my flight there and back were much higher than the average. Even though I love to visit places like New York City, I  believe that without a trip there my carbon footprint would be much lower.

we have been driving to places which it would only take a little bit longer to bike. It's not needed and we should start biking instead of wasting gas.

I also recommend maybe scooters too, they are honestly easier for me less leg work

72 F today

My carbon foot print was only about 300 above average(9,700) even though I flew in a plane for over 25 hours, and in a car for about 50 which I think is really good, I would still like some tips on how to reduce my foorprint.

My family's footprint is pretty good for the food and the home, but the transportation is alarming. It literally doubled the home and food combined!

My answer:
I think you can use more public transportation to get to places and walk or bike to school. You could also get a car that has good fuel efficiency.

My family's footprint is pretty big. we have a large house and we keep it heated with gas. There are also 5 of us so the environmental costs add up. I was wondering for some tips for things to ask my family to do to lower our carbon footprint as a family?

You and your family could try to turn things off when you're using them, and can try to use public transportation, biking more often, and using blankets instead of heating at night.

You can turn off more lights, take shorter showers, or bike scooter walk or skatebord more.

I think you could get solar panels. It would be expensive, but if you heated your house with solar panels, it would be much more sustainable.

You could maybe turn off the water while brushing your teeth and taking shorter showers and baths--- and maybe on hot days just take cold showers? Just a thought.

You could try carpooling and/or taking public transportation. Another idea (if possible depending on how far you live from day to day activities) is biking and/or walking. I really enjoy biking because it gets you to places pretty fast and is a good source of exercise.

for thelok I try to turn off things but my ADD makes it really hard to stay focus and remember things so some times I leave things on.

you could try to turn off lights when you leave rooms and not us heating and cooling as much.

You can try to turn off thing when you're not using them and to bike to school.

In addition you could also try to be more conscious of your water use and also start to make it a daily habit to place trash in the right bins.

I should not eat as much snacks when I get home from school and not break all the plants when I am walking to school.

After calculating my carbon footprint, my family's carbon emission is roughly 10+ kg. Over half of that is from transportation, since my high school is 6 miles away from me. My parent's car model is a decade or two old and may emit more carbon dioxide than most other vehicles, and it'll be passed down to me. It is very possible I could save the environment by purchasing an electric vehicle as soon as I can, or deciding to bike the 6 miles to go to school and then another 6 to get home, but I would be saving myself time and money (and even my own energy if I don't bike 12 miles a day) by continuing what I do. What do you guys think are some ways I could somehow reduce my carbon emission from transportation?

I think some ways to reduce your carbon emissions from transportation is use public transportation like the bus or to carpool whenever you can with friends to school. Another way is since you said the car would be pass down to you is to keep you tires filled becauseY ou can reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by about 275 pounds per year by making sure your tires are filled to the recommended pressure. You will also save up to 5 percent on your gasoline expenses and your car will ride smoother.

I think that in order to reduce your footprint you could consider to use public means of transports such as buses or even trains, which produce almost 0 pollution. Another way could be to save some money and contribute with your parents to buy an electric vehicle.

even if something like biking sounds hard, over time, you would get used to it.

Biking is hard but when you do it a lot you build muscles,you may be sore like taking a hike but one way to build up your muscles for biking is going to 1 mile bike ride bit by bit and slowing move up until your ready.

You can try biking if you want to. But since it could be hard to bike twelve miles everyday to your high school you could try public transportation or carpooling with a friend it could help a lot!

That sounds hard, you could try taking the bus or biking. It might sound hard but it isn't that hard and you will get used to it over time.

no more planes

I disagree because how would we get from another far place to another some people won't want to use boats because they have sea sickness

I disagree,because how can we can get to one place to another if we can't drive.

I agree, how are we going to get to a far place??

I disagree with no more planes because it would release even more unhealthy gases for the environment if you drive to a far place instead of using a plane.

me and my family went on a tour of Europe so that means that we took up a lot of transportation CO2.

so I think that we could only go to Italy or France.

sometimes I feel bad that I'm not contributing, but in reality,even just recycling and  reducing waste helps the world.:)

That makes sense I also agree that sometimes contributing can be hard but that little effort can help the world.One thing that you could do is riding your bike more often instead of driving it is also a good workout.

Global warming is a really big issue that is vital to learn about and we can stop it from getting worse for our planet. I did a carbon footprint form and my carbon and was surprised that my food and transportation was pretty high. I then thought that what makes my transportation so high was that I go on a decent amount of vacations that require planes to get there. Another thing was that my food was high because of red meat. We can help the earth be a better place by eating vegetarian on some days and not use planes as often.

I relate to this. Whenever I take vacations I usually fly. It's kind of hard to control this since I don't choose how many flights I take. The best thing I can do is alter things in my life that are under my control.

which is better driving or flights?

I was very surprised to see how My Carbon Footprint was very high I traveled a lot through the year and used my phone a lot and also had the heat and AC on through the year we also have lights on in our house all the time.

your family could turn off lights to save energy and you could carpool when traveling with friends

What is the difference between wants and needs? In my opinion, wants are things that I can live without, but needs are things I can’t. For example, water, food, clothes are obvious needs. But what about those shoes that you want, do actually need them? If you have no shoes then yes, but what about those shoes sitting at the back of the shoe closet. Buying whatever you want and getting sick of it is just a waste of money and material. Prioritizing needs over wants ensures efficient resource allocation. Indulging in wants without consideration can lead to wasteful consumption. Being mindful of consumption habits not only benefits finances but also reduces environmental impact and promotes sustainability. Therefore, before indulging in a want, assess its alignment with needs and values.

I agree. Things that are essential to life, such as food, water, and shelter, are called needs. Conversely, desires are items we would want to have, including toys, new technology, and more. Most of the items we purchase, including pricey clothing and other items, wind up in a landfill. Anything that we use and eventually breaks or grows too tiny ends up in a landfill. Over 92 million tons of apparel end up in landfills, according to the report. This is due to fast fashion. Fast fashion is very common these days and shops like ZARA, H&M, and TOPSHOP are the biggest producers of it. This is why we have to consider when we buy clothes. Be reasonable. Don't buy clothes every single day.

Wants and needs vary, a simple definition is needs being things you must have to survive most which fit under the criteria of food, rent/mortgage things that are necessities. While wants are simply things you want to have could be a game console, a new tv or some snacks. The separation between wants and needs is that the more necessities or needs that you have the more money or time/effort you have to put into it which in some cases causes more pollution which isn't good. Aswell as adding to that with your wants, the more wants the worse it can be. So ultimately your wants and needs can affect your pollution and your carbon footprint. They can affect it with things such as lights.Also anything that affects energy can add to your footprint. As well leaving a tv on and running adds to your footprint which in some cases are wants like when you want to watch tv and then your done and leave it on it constantly adds up more and more and other things like food the more snacks and stuff you buy just because you want it also adds to your footprint. As well as your purchases this adds as well and driving around. All these things add to your footprints and can be affected by how you use them for your car. Maybe you have to drive to work but after you want to go to McDonalds, that's a want that affects the pollution. Maybe you're at the grocery store and you see some clothes that you want that affect your carbon footprint.

I 100% agree. Wants and needs are completely separate things. While food, water, oxygen, and shelter from the elements are things that we could not live without, there are so many things that we use that are unnecessary. In California, USA, the average person uses 1,191 kgs of CO2 on purchases alone. I use 119 kgs of CO2 alongside my purchases. I know that a lot of those purchases are unnecessary and I also know that it will be higher when I have to pay for everything myself, however, this is just to show the high level of wants vs needs in the world, specifically the USA and my own state.

I think that there is a part of me that wants to fuel my want, and another part that tells me to not be wasteful. I 100% agree that needs are what should be prioritized and that we should be mindful of every purchase we make, but there are some times where being frivolous is good if regulated. I think even if purchase causes waste, we can still balance the slightly unnecessary buying habits and the waste that we produce, maybe just to twice a year or something like that. Knowing that a balance between these two is the ultimate want, It begs the question- Which should/can we choose first, the fulfillment of human want, or the necessity of global cleanliness? I think that this is what the world is struggling to work past. the general public, governments, people in power, i feel, have been taking the easy route. they have been focusing on themselves and what directly affects them or their group in this moment, which is not always what we should be thinking about. they have only scraped the surface of what it means to have a balance of the two in the last couple years, and even through all the protesting and attention that this movement is getting, it just isn't enough. I know that once the necessity of global cleanliness has caught up to the people in power who chose to step aside, who chose to deal with other matters first, will be then facing a problem that they cannot handle. this is what scares me.

I agree as well. Nowadays, with social media constantly advertising new products and steadily generating new trends everyday, our consumption numbers have gone up significantly. This has caused our carbon footprint to increase. Content creators are constantly displaying a plethora of new clothes and “trendy” items they purchase consistently and influencing their thousands of followers to do the same. In my own personal experience, I see influencers on social media buy frivolous pieces of clothing that are an example of fast fashion. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, fast fashion is, “an approach to the design, creation, and marketing of clothing fashions that emphasizes making fashion trends quickly and cheaply available to consumers.” In other words it is cheap, poor-quality clothing, made quickly to keep up with the trends being perpetuated by social media. This clothing is not sustainable because of its poor quality and because it is a part of a trend that will most likely “go out of style” within the next few months. Once one trend fades, another is created and the cycle continues. People will continue participating in fast fashion to keep up with the trends, just to throw away those clothes in the subsequent months. All this clothing is being quickly produced and just as quickly thrown away takes a humongous toll on our carbon footprint. Giving into these trends and purchasing unneeded clothing is leading to wasteful consumption.

I agree with everything that has been said on this thread but I would like to add the aspect of how influencers can cause us to make "impulse purchases". When we see someone we really like to watch advertise a product on social media it causes us to have a more biased take on the product, as if one of our own friends had recommended it, we feel like because this "internet famous" person owns and loves this product, and since they are recommending it then it must really be a good product. But their praise may cause us to cloud our view of if the product is actually worth it or not. Many influencers just advertise products for the money even if they don't like the product and see it as a useless item. I would recommend everyone having their own unique checklist as to what is worthy to buy and what is not, and just because an influencer praises something doesn't mean it should meet your checklist. By making these impulse buys just because we saw it online and it is easy to order through amazon, we waste our time, the workers time, our money and precious resources which are limited to this world. Every time we make an unnecessary purchase we have a bigger impact on the earth because of the carbon footprint from that item being made, transported, and then dumped into a landfill. We need to cut these purchases out of our lives.

I concur. The things we need to survive, like food, water, and shelter, are known as needs. On the other hand, the things we desire, such as toys, new gadgets, and more, fall under the category of wants. Unfortunately, most of the items we purchase, including expensive clothing, end up in landfills. Anything we use that eventually breaks or becomes too small is also discarded.

I definitely agree. Purchasing things you don't need, such as clothes and other products, to merely stay "on trend" is wasteful and has a bigger impact than you think. The transportation and shipment involved in each purchase contribute to these carbon emissions. From the resources used in the production to the emissions generated during transportation, each step contributes to its overall environmental footprint. According to BBC.com, "The fashion industry is responsible for 8-10% of global emissions." Most of this impact comes from raw materials such as cotton, synthetic materials, oil, and chemicals from dyes. These wants are nonessential, while our needs are crucial to human survival in today’s society. These needs include food, water, shelter, and healthcare. Prioritizing these necessities is vital for people to live fulfilling and dignified lives.

I completely agree with your distinction between wants and needs. It's so important to recognize that while we might desire certain items, they often aren't essential for our well-being. The example of shoes is perfect; having a few pairs is practical, but accumulating more than we need just leads to waste—both financially and environmentally. Prioritizing needs over wants is a wise approach that encourages more responsible consumption. By being mindful of our habits, we not only make better financial choices but also contribute to sustainability efforts. It's crucial to pause and assess whether our purchases truly align with our values and needs. This way, we can reduce waste and make more intentional decisions that benefit both ourselves and the planet.

Yes I completely agree that we are spending a lot of money on things that we want like candy, toys etc. I think we should be spending money on things that we need like food, water, clothes , and shelter. Sometimes we spend to much on something like clothes, you need clothes but you don't need so many that your whole room is covered in them, or shoes you need a few pair but not so many that your shoe rack is overflowing with them.

I know that everyone likes ice cream, milk, Mac n' Cheese, and just cheese in general--- but have you ever thought about how it affects the climate? Cows--- the source of all our dairy--- release methane, a global-warming inducing chemical, through their digestive system.(As in, when they b*rp or far*...) Personally, I am the only dairy eater in a lactose-intolerant family, but I still feel that we could cut back on the dairy so that farms don't breed cows so much, and so (Hopefully) the amount of methane going into the atmosphere will reduce. (Lactose-free ice cream is good, people!) This is just a thought, but personally, I will try to cut back on the dairy. A pebble in the ocean still creates a ripple! Thanks for hearing me out, and if anyone has any other ideas that don't involve giving up cheese for the sake of the world and reducing methane, I'm all ears!

If I had my own home, something I would do to make it more energy efficient would be remembering to turn the lights off every time I leave the house and I won't be back for a significant amount of time.  I would get my electricity from solar panels that I would put up myself attached to the roof, and make sure to put up just enough so that I would solely need the energy produced by the solar panels to survive successfully in my home.
My house would be located somewhere near a city, so it would take less carbon emission to go places every time I had to go somewhere. I would also live somewhere by public transit so that it would be more eco-friendly to take the bus or the bart train once in a while. I would grow my own food in a garden in my backyard, so I wouldn't be wasting food or money.

very good

The weather is changing a lot because of Global warming. The climate is changing and it is getting hotter. This is mostly caused by the greenhouse effect. It is scientifically molecules that are uneven are getting heat and holding the heat and they move around like particles. The atmosphere keeps these molecules in which means they cant leave and because of that the heat never leaves. If this continues to happen many animals can die and lose their habitat like polar bears. We need to find a way to fix this.

Its crazy how the weather has gotten more powerful and destructive because of humanity's actions

Yes I agree with you that global warming is affecting many things like the animals and their habitats are starting to change, and we should do something to stop it.

My footprint is as follows:
Total: 10,559 kgs
Home: 4,190
Food: 3,451
Purchases: 320 kgs
Transportation: 2598 kgs
Any recommendations for reducing this?

Using less electricity in your house could lower your home admission.

I think you should only travel by bike. install some solar panels, and buy land to create a wind farm, these are both great resources for clean energy.

Thanks for the advice.

If you don't already, you could try to start a compost bin for your food scraps.

you can carpool or walk or make sure to turn off the lights after you are done with them. You can also take shorter showers.

I think we should eat local foods, and reduce food that is not suitable for health.

I totally agree.

I noticed that today climate change is a serius problem, for example where i live in winter it snows only 1/2 times a year and not even too much snow, here we have also a glacier (Presena)  that is melting because this temperature changes

I think extreme weather is a big problem because it is due to of global warming.
For example in my town this summer it was so hot in comparison to the other years and when it rained the wather created a lot of disasters like landslides.
Global warming is dangerous for the animals and the humans on the earth.
One of the biggest problems is also the glaciers that are melting, for example I live near the Adamello glacier, an old glacier that unfortunately is dying due to high temperatures

Here are some thinks we can all do to help the environment and reduce our footprint:
.Go on foot and use pubblic transport to consume less carbon
.Take recicling
.Buy second hand clothes or for example use our cousin or brother old clothes
.Switch off the lights or in general the electrical devices
.Turn down the heating and putt on more layers

the climatic conditions are getting worse and worse, today we should reduce the consumption of non renewable sources, reduce pollution, stop deforestation, recycle, and use renewable sources.

we all need to collaborate together for save our planet, our lives and the lives of future generations

I noticed that today climate change is a serious problem, for example in winter it snows only 1/2 times a year and not even too much snow

I guess if we use more pubblic transports and less car for only one person it will better for our planet and there will less pollution

Corporate responsibility has become a vital expectation for businesses in today’s global landscape, as stakeholders increasingly demand accountability for social and environmental impacts. Companies are now recognizing that their operations extend beyond profit generation; they must also consider their effects on communities, the environment, and the economy. This includes adopting sustainable practices, ensuring fair labor conditions, and actively contributing to local development. By integrating corporate social responsibility (CSR) into their core strategies, businesses can foster trust, enhance brand reputation, and drive long-term growth. Furthermore, transparent reporting on social and environmental performance not only holds companies accountable but also encourages industry-wide standards. As consumers prioritize ethical practices, corporations that embrace responsibility can create positive change while aligning with the values of their customers and employees.

Extreme weather events have become increasingly frequent and severe, posing significant threats to communities and ecosystems worldwide. From devastating hurricanes and floods to intense heatwaves and droughts, these phenomena are largely driven by climate change, which alters weather patterns and increases the intensity of storms. The impacts of extreme weather are felt disproportionately, often affecting the most vulnerable populations who may lack the resources to prepare for or recover from such events. These incidents can lead to loss of life, displacement, and economic instability, underscoring the urgent need for robust climate adaptation strategies. By investing in resilient infrastructure, enhancing early warning systems, and promoting sustainable practices, we can better prepare for and mitigate the effects of extreme weather, ultimately safeguarding lives and livelihoods while fostering a more resilient future.

Environmental justice is a critical movement that seeks to address the disproportionate impact of environmental hazards on marginalized communities. Often, low-income neighborhoods and communities of color bear the brunt of pollution, hazardous waste, and climate change effects, while lacking adequate resources to combat these issues. This inequity stems from historical injustices and systemic racism, where decision-making processes often exclude the voices of those most affected. Advocating for environmental justice involves promoting equitable access to clean air, water, and green spaces, as well as empowering communities to participate in environmental policymaking. By addressing these disparities, we can foster healthier environments and create a more just and sustainable future for all, ensuring that every individual has the right to live in a safe and thriving ecosystem.

World hunger remains a pressing global issue, affecting millions of people across diverse regions. Despite advancements in agriculture and food production, inequalities in distribution, poverty, and conflict contribute to persistent food insecurity. Many communities lack access to nutritious food, leading to malnutrition and health complications, particularly among vulnerable populations such as children and the elderly. Climate change exacerbates these challenges, threatening crops and livelihoods. Addressing world hunger requires a multifaceted approach that includes improving agricultural practices, enhancing food distribution systems, and fostering economic stability, alongside international cooperation and support. Combating this issue is essential not only for individual well-being but for global stability and progress.

Hunger is experienced around the world, either by climate change, war, poverty, etc. War creates an instability of accessible food. A program named “U. N. World Food Programme” helps different communities worldwide. They aid people who have lost their everyday living by tornadoes, floods, droughts, etc, by rehabilitation projects. The program also helps the environment by reforestation and planting a diverse range of crops. Humans can unite to end world hunger by defining food security. Food security can be established by having more accessible and affordable produce production and distribution. 

https://www.wfpusa.org/articles/how-to- … solutions/

I agree hunger is a big issue worldwide. There are many people in the world who starve for days with no help and care even when there are many people who can help. In the U.S wee should help more to people in need around the world.

I completely agree that hunger is a multifaceted issue driven by various factors like climate change, conflict, and poverty. The U.N. World Food Programme plays a crucial role in addressing these challenges by not only providing immediate relief but also implementing long-term solutions through rehabilitation and sustainable practices. Their efforts in reforestation and promoting diverse crop production are vital for building resilient communities. By focusing on food security, we can ensure that everyone has access to nutritious food, which is essential for overall well-being. It’s inspiring to think about how we can unite as a global community to tackle hunger. Supporting initiatives that enhance food accessibility and affordability is key. Whether it’s advocating for local food systems or participating in community programs, every action counts.

We have to use less fossil fuel.

I completely agree that reducing our use of fossil fuels is essential for creating a more sustainable future. Fossil fuels are a major contributor to climate change, air pollution, and other environmental issues. By finding ways to cut back—whether through using public transportation, investing in renewable energy, or adopting more energy-efficient technologies—we can make a significant impact. It's not just about individual actions; we also need systemic changes that support a shift away from fossil fuels. This includes advocating for policies that promote clean energy sources and encouraging companies to prioritize sustainability. Every small step counts, and collectively, we can drive the change we need for a healthier planet.

Plane rides are one of the most carbon-emitting ways of transportation. From my personal carbon footprint, my transportation section was up around 6,000 kgs more than normal because I took many plane rides around the world. According to billiontrees.com, a plane emits around 90 kg of C02 per hour. To put that into perspective a normal car emits around 1 kg of C02 per hour. Planes emit way more carbon because they burn a lot more fossil fuels than any other type of transportation. A plane like a Boeing 747 uses approximately 1 gallon (about 4 liters) of fuel every second. Although it is hard to avoid plane rides, the next time you are on a plane think about how much carbon the plane is emitting into the

Yes!! I recently calculated my carbon footprint and was shocked to see how much a couple airplane rides a year shot it up more than 5,000 kgs. Over 16 million flights per year are handled by the FAA which is a huge amount of carbon emissions. As you said plane rides are essential for our worldwide travel, but we do need to consider how much carbon we are emitting every time we fly, even short distance flights.

I completely agree that air travel is one of the largest contributors to carbon emissions. Your personal experience highlights just how significant the impact can be. The comparison between planes and cars really puts it into perspective—it's startling to realize how much more CO2 planes emit. Given that many of us rely on flying for both work and leisure, it’s crucial to be aware of the environmental cost. While it may not always be feasible to avoid plane travel, being mindful of our choices can help us mitigate our carbon footprints. Perhaps considering alternatives like trains or limiting long-distance trips could make a difference.

People should stop littering and throwing their junk such as plastic bags on the ground whenever they are done with the snack they just ate. They should rather stop being lazy and throw their waste in the trashbin. Saving the community from pollution by doing a simple act of consideration should not be too much of a hassle.

I think we can all agree that littering is bad and I don't think anyone would disagree with out on that. I think that there a multiple causes of littering and pollution, but while the are related, they are kind of two different things. I think of littering as something like dropping a wrapper on the ground, and I think of pollution as a more serious and company controlled issue. So, I do agree with you, but I think that pollution is a little bit different.

I agree with you conner however I think it needs to be treated the same in order to truly stop it

I completely agree that littering is a significant issue that can be easily addressed through simple actions. It’s frustrating to see people carelessly discard plastic bags and other waste, especially when taking a moment to throw it in a trash bin makes such a big difference. Littering not only harms our communities but also impacts the environment in numerous ways. Each small act of consideration can contribute to a cleaner and healthier space for everyone. Encouraging a culture of responsibility around waste disposal is crucial. We all have a role to play in keeping our surroundings clean, and it really shouldn’t be too much to ask.

My average carbon footprint is 8994kg, which compared to the average American, is quite low, but comparing to the average person overseas, is quite high. Currently I am trying harder to conserve water by taking shorter showers and running the dishwasher instead of handwashing. I'm also trying to limit my single use plastic intake and invest in reusable alternatives. Although I am trying to take more accountability for my environmentally unfriendly actions, I'm wondering when big corporations will, when will they stop sweeping their overuse of fossil fuels or plastic under the rug? What are THEY doing to reduce carbon footprint? Or are they being silenced by the fossil fuel industry in return for money? When will they tell us the truth and stop increasing co2 emissions?

As long as they are motivated by money, they are probably not ever gonna stop unless the government does something about it, plus some corporates are even backed up by the government.

I agree. While Millyvanilly's efforts are obviously beneficial to the environment, and should be continued and adopted by more, I think the overarching issue is companies. If companies do take responsibility for their footprint and ACTUALLY make an effort to change it, then we can expect a more systemic change. Companies are pushing us to use paper bags while everything you see in a grocery store is wrapped in plastic. While I do think that individual efforts are important, companies need to change and the government needs to step in.

Many grocery stores and restaurants overstock and waste 100s of pounds of food per year. Although there are corporations and groups trying to speak out against this, but these companies stay silent and continue to waste food. If we want to see a change in this behavior, we have to all work together to protest.

Conner i disagree with you because it starts with you

Replying to Loic1234567890: It is somewhat true that it "starts with you"; we should all do what we can to decrease our carbon footprint. BUT, part of the reason people's carbon footprints are so big is because companies don't make cheap, sustainable products. As Connor mentioned, many things in grocery stores are wrapped in plastic, and often those plastic-wrapped products are cheaper; many people can't afford to have a lower carbon footprint.

https://instituteofsustainabilitystudie … -products/

Here is an article that may be useful.

Growing your own food is an amazing way to minimize your carbon footprint, and possibly save money in the process. I personally have an at home garden and we grow fruits, vegetables, as well as herbs! It’s also nice knowing that I’m not eating anything that could be bad for me that might be on non local plants, like pesticides. Growing your own food is also a great way to use up your compost, to help naturally fertilize your garden at home without any chemicals. These are some of the many positives of growing your own food at home, and I definitely recommend doing it as not just a way to lower your carbon footprint (although that is a main positive) but as well as a fun and fulfilling activity, knowing that you grew the food you are eating.

i defiantly agree!

More people need to be educated on Climate Change. The fact that so many people still doesn't believe it is real is insane.

Although my family lives in a city and have a very small back yard, we still find space to grow a small vegetable garden. We grow peas, cherry tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, and basil.

Vary cool i also have a small garden where we grow tomatoes and other types of plants that we can eat

hope fully by growing these plants i can do my part in reducing our carbon footprint.

This is a great way to reduce our output of CO₂, good work.