The strong want to be able to have the popular things/items that are seen all over the internet, muddle the opinion of whether it is actually needed, or do we want it so bad that it feels like we need it? Lots of things are bought because someone wants it, but when something is needed, people noticeably slack on buy that item because it isn't wanted.

I agree with this, that many of the expensive things we buy are not necessities. However, in the world we live in it is a prised thing to have the coolest new thing or the next celebrity item. Along with people having the need to seem cool or fit in. This goes to show that everything we do contributes to climate change even as something as simple as buying the next popular clothing item to fit in because not only does it lead to over consumption but it leads to our judgment about wants vs needs being clouded.

My household will be able to reduce gas usage because my brother has just left for collage so we will have less to cook, heat, and cool.

That will help the environment.

nice, maybe if we all lowered our emissions we could save the planet

@sean1111 I agree with this. Every single person on Earth could do something to reduce their footprint and help stop climate change. However, even if one person does one thing to help climate change that is still helpful because no matter how big the action it still contributes to the overall stopping of climate change.

Being mindful before buying something and not buying unnecessary products.

A lot of the time I have the experience of buying something that I don't really need but feel like it will make me happy. This may be a response to boredom, however a goal I for myself is to find something else to occupy myself with instead of adding to overconsumption and waste. These harmful materialistic behaviors are something I know a lot of teenagers and people in general struggle with, as due to media the solution to every problem seems to be a new product. This wasteful mindset is part of the reason our planet is in such a bad state. An example of this is the floating trash islands in the ocean and the piles of old products and trash in third world countries that are direct results of our consumer driven society. A way to combat this is to think about if you really NEED something before buying it or if it will just collect dust in your home before you throw it out and it pollutes our environment.

I also understand the wanting something but knowing you don't need it. I feel it is a tricky thing to overcome and the best way to deal with this most likely is to try ones hardest to not get that thing. What we need to do is monitor our consumer nature to try and help our planet thrive, even though it may not do much, in the long it will help us.

I very much agree with this statement. I honestly think that people can be able to tell whether they actually need something or not but they still buy stuff anyway. That is what I think is the problem that people need to overcome. They need to learn to be able to just not buy stuff they don't need rather than being able to understand if they need it or not

I agree, but i like the stuff i dont need

I agree with every person because sometimes when I go shopping I buys clothes but at the end I don't even wear them a lot, just for 2-3 times

While I am under average in almost everything I am wildly over in the travel section and should probably cut down on that

Me too, i think that it might be from when i went on trips for fun over summer break. I could cut back on these to reduce my footprint.

I was also wayyyy over the transportation section and that's the only section I really need to improve more on

Me too, i flew way too much this year which really contributes to travel.

My carbon footprint was heavily impacted by my trip to europe and I know my family is going on many more vacations far away what can I do to reduce the impact those trips will have?

you cant so just enjoy your trip away from home and try new things while youre there

I have this same problem. Its very hard to reduce your carbon footprint from air travel as a kid but being mindful about it is already a major step in the right direction.

My carbon footprint was also extremely impacted by my trips. I think the best thing to do is to lower other other stuff like home or foods. I honestly know I'm going to go on more flights. So I'd enjoy the trips and lower using stuff at home that does impact climate change.

my footprint was also affected a lot by trips, so i will try to cut down on big trips

So apparently I got more kgs in home and food, but I don't understand what I should do to bring it down. Any ideas?

I must eat more organic and less processed foods to make less environmental destruction.

chocolate makes me very happy i eat it lots

According to https://concernusa.org/news/world-hunger-facts/ "the world produces enough food to feed all of its 8 billion people, yet 733 million people (1 in 11) go hungry every day. 2.8 billion people around the world (35% of the global population) cannot afford a healthy diet.
That percentage is even higher in low-income countries, where 71.5% of people cannot afford a healthy diet." (as of 2025)
Sustainable eating is great, but almost impossible when you are struggling to just get any food to eat. If you can afford to eat sustainably, by all means do so. But for poorer people, they don't think to eat sustainably, because they don't have the money to do so. Lowering the price of sustainable, environmentally friendly food would be wonderful. So would making it more accessible/advertising it more. Even if people have the money to buy environmentally friendly food, why eat it when there is far cheaper, better tasting fast food like McDonalds? Sustainable food needs to be more mainstream, less costly, and something that is easily available to the general public. Thanks.

Fast-Fashion is one of the biggest influences  of over consumption our society faces today. Websites such as SHEIN started to trend due to their extremely cheap prices, because of this people tend  to overlook reusing & re-purposing because it is “too much work” or they simply believe they aren’t capable of creating something by hand. Instead of encouraging this behavior we should look towards other alternatives such as thrift-stores! Old clothing that no longer fits you can be donated to these organizations or you can use the fabric for a different craft! Any sort of “trash” can be reused and turned into something resourceful.

The craziest part is that some Fast-Fashion isn't even cheep anymore. Our society has started hiking up prices for things that were supposed to be easy and cheep. Now all we are getting is cheaply made clothes for unfair prices. This should be a wake up call for people to start slowing their role on buying the newest fashions from SHEIN, and start going and buying things at goodwill, value village, or just your local thrift store to give old clothes a second life. Doing this doesn't just help our planet, it also saves us the trouble of poorly made clothes breaking and us going to buy a new one, in turn wasting our money.

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 agree with the vegan diet meal but it is quite hard for people who always had meat for the longest time will eventually start to adapt to having a little bit of fresh greens to having half of there meal attached to green foods.

I agree that a vegan diet would reduce the amount of carbon and even have a few other positive impacts but there are some negative impacts that should also be considered when having everyone adopt a vegan diet. In the US, in the year 2024 about 876,460 acres of land were used for farming which is a reason why deforestation happens. If more people were to adopt a vegan lifestyle then the demand for animal products would decrease and so would their populations. This would lead to less land needed for overpopulated animals who were mass produced in order to fill the demand for meat and other products. The economy would also suffer in response to this, such as farmers. Some people also require medical needs that wouldn’t work with a vegan diet and would require more supplements. Most people wouldn’t be willing to give up meat as well. Over all it all depends on the person but if more people adopted a vegan diet less carbon would be created. 

Here is the website link to the statistics on farm land:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/196 … ince-2000/

I agree with possibly adopting a vegan diet, but I wonder for people that won't agree with it is there some other alternative to eating meat, like possibly eating impossible burgers or something? I feel like if you search for the right foods, or possibly the right meals that others have created it would at least be less meat consumption than most people already. Wish there was an in-between because a lot of other people won't agree with going to a vegan or vegetarian diet.

While I agree with what is being said it really is hard to just start being a vegan especially if you have grown up eating meat your whole life. I believe that a way to help the people who want to change their eating, but don't want to give up meat, is to find a happy balance between the two. For example eating vegetarian and/or vegan meals 4/7 days a week and eating meat based dishes the other 3. This kind of plan is a good way to start a less carbon filled eating journey in my opinion, but please tell me your thoughts about this.

something that I cant give up is campfires with my friends because they are too much fun and are not really that bad when compared to other things we humans do.

I feel the same way. I still think we should not do it on the regular though.

I agree even the little things count for something bigger

I agree we should limit the amounts of fires but i can't get rid of them fully.

I believe as humans we want more and more things, such as keeping up with the newest trends. It is not necessary because what we already have before buying these new items are usually in good condition.

I agree with you. I think people do want more and more things as new trends or something new comes out. I however don't think this is a bad thing to an extent of us buying things we don't always need or use.

I agree as well as you can easily notice how fast micro-trends go in and out of popularity which causes for great numbers of people to buy products and throw them away a couple years later after being barely used.

Agreed 100%, unfortunately I have also fallen victim to trends/microtrends but I'm trying to improve my want for unnecessary things, especially when the items I have already work well.

i agree, we want a lot of new things

yes

I agree

Yes it is.

yes, all the pollution in the oceans and a lot of the CO2 in the air was caused by us.

I believe it is due to our large carbon and fossil fuel emissions, constantly warming the planet.

It is caused by us. Via big corporations polluting the atmosphere, and the average persons daily life impacts the C02 pollution as well.

yes

The answer is both, but i think its more important to change the way bigger companies operate to sway the public into watching their own emission's.

I agree

thank you evan

I believe that climate change is effected more by large governments and corporations, and because of this, they should hold most of the responsibility to work against climate change. It is unrealistic to expect individual actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions alone.

I think that climate change is more affected by larger companies but our own emissions are still important

Both do have an effect, but larger companies have a bigger affect 100%. They have much more influence and also burn fuels at huge levels resulting to way too much CO2 in the environment.

I think that both parties have an effect. We should definitely stop companies from doing so much emissions, like carbon caps and taxes. But, I don't think it's an excuse to slack off on our emissions because "one person does not make a difference." We can also push companies to produce less via email and letters. If enough people send them they will listen. (Hopefully ?)

I agree, thinking that it is both larger companies and our own emissions, because every persons emissions, add up to about the same a large company.

I agree, I think that we all have a part to play in climate change, but large gas emissions do also have a big effect.

I think climate change is caused more from big companies but i also think it is still important to think about our own impact to and try to reduce it

i think it is the big companies that are causing it, but individuals should be carful

I think that we should reuse plastic containers instead of throwing them out

We need to make more containers that ARE reusable, most plastic will degrade and leak microplastics into whatever it is containing. I think the solution is to make more biodegradable plastic as apposed to reusing.

I personally think that we need to stop making/creating so much single use plastic in our packaging as its what is mainly sitting in our landfills. Plus, with packaging like the kind you are given from taking food home from restaurants, they use harmful products like Styrofoam which is horrible for environment. Therefore is companies can find more environmentally friendly packaging we can help avoid adding to our already existing waste problem.

We should use either containers that are reusable or compostable inside or outside of your dwelling so it can be repurposed either way.

yeah, I think we should prioritize re-using, and try and keep the number of plastic products we buy to a minimum. As well as reducing the amount of kitchen items like cling wrap and things that won't break down somewhat easily.

Absolutely! I think a lot of people tend to just throw away things that could be used multiple times. Throwing things away will have a bad effect on the environment knowing where they go, I don't exactly where everything goes but i can say for sure a lot of plastic ends in the oceans and definitely effects the wildlife in negative ways. And people can do this by reduce the plastic they throw out.

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.

you're right, we are causing far to much CO2 to enter the atmosphere and this needs to stop. while personal action will help there will always someone who doesn't care, which is why big corporations also need to play a role.

I agree as well, we are causing way to much pollution and C02 to enter our and atmosphere. And we need to do something about it. We need to get big groups of people to help the cause, while individual help and still impact it. Bigger groups get attention better than just one person.

I completely agree Humans have single handed raised the ppm of CO2 by almost 125 since 1960

Wants and needs are very tricky.

What catorgie is most harmful to the planet?

While doing my calculations, I noticed that a carnivore diet with four people produces a lot of CO2.

I agree that carnivore diets produces greater amounts of CO2 than a vegetarian or vegan diet. This is due to many things but one of the greatest contributors is the food needed to feed the animals that could have been used to just feed humans. Personally when driving past cow farms it highlights all of the resources needed to create meat.

I put that I wasn't a vegetarian and immediately got an extreme amount of C02 as well. I guess just one thing to help with C02 impacts would be to eat less meat or just eat smaller bits of it.

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

100%. As a society we need to advocate more about how much affect corporations have on the climate, as it is easily the biggest problem related to climate change imo.

I agree too, however I think a couple of these companies make a change on how much C02 they produce all the other companies are bound to follow which would help to lesson carbon emissions by a large amount.

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

yess, overconsumption is such a big issue right now. If people didn't impulse buy so much there wouldn't be so many things that they throw away.

Especially with clothing trends that go away after a few months, people overconsume clothes so much. It's so important to actually like what you're buying and not just get stuff because other people have it!

100% it is not a necessity and many people should at least attempt to cut back

I think that overconsumption is a big issue and that we all need to remember what we have, before we purchase more things.

i think buying things in smaller amounts is one of the problems because they more packaging is used and it cost the consumer more.

Wanting something is different then needing something, wanting something is trying to get something that you don't need, needing something is if your old thing doesn't work or you need something to live your life.e

yeah if everyone only get stuff they needed and not everything they wanted, the world would be a much better place.

no i disagree, if we only have things we need then we should all simply live in shacks with food and water instead of huge homes with cars and whatnot, also we should not own ANY pets and all fend for ourselves, so i disagree but i do agree that we should limit our "wants" to an extent

I think we need a balance of needs and wants. Everyone should have a house with running water and electricity, and many families need cars to get to work and school. But when it comes to wants, you should be able to get some small things that you want every now and then, but I don't think you need EVERYTHING you want. Also pets should be for families that can afford to take care of the pet, and are financially stable enough to feed it and take it to the vet whenever needed.

yes i agree, you should get wants instead of ONLY relying on what you need. as for pets, i double agree. it almost seems selfish when homeless people own pets (respectfully) because they are literally in the worst possible situation for the pet. if i was homeless and would continue being homeless for a long time to come, i would give my dog to a shelter or someone trustworthy (i know its harder than it sounds

I would say wants are a major part of your carbon footprint because it is stuff that you don't need. Needs are the necessities like food water and shelter. I think the wants are what separate different peoples carbon footprint though I think there needs to be a balance between the two.

there should be certain website that are recipes for things that are typically leftover ingredients

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 ...

I agree with you, not only are hurricanes getting more frequent, but they are getting stronger. With the global warming the ocean is getting warmer. The studies have shown that oceans are getting little warmer each few hundreds years. That effects the strength of hurricane because hurricanes are getting energy from warm ocean water. The stronger hurricanes are one of the side effects of global warming, but I think there are more serious issues.

This is a major issue. If we continue to pollute the climate at a rate as high as we are today, our planet will become unrecognizable. Many places will become uninhabitable due to temperature, sea level, natural disasters, and other things. This will also destroy natural resources, and lead to overpopulation as there will simply not be enough space for us to live if certain spots on Earth are riddled with constant natural disasters. Everyone needs to realize what we are dealing with and change fast.

climate change is human caused because we breathe out carbon no mater what so every breath you take adds on and on and on so even if you try your most to live a life trying to not "contribute" you still will

Climate change is somewhat human caused. Climate change itself was going to happen just from natural events that heat up the climate. However, humans have greatly sped up climate change with gas cars, factories, and fossil fueled powered things. So to answer your question climate change happens because of natural events, but humans have sped up the process of heating of the earth due to what we use as fuel.

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.

I agree with you as my family also lives all around the world so maintaining a average carbon footprint can be hard. It adds a lot to my footprint as my family travels at least once a month to keep in touch with loved ones. Keeping eco friendly on your trips is a smart touch and I can definitely start to incorporate that more in my travel.

I relate to both of your experiences. While my extended family does live nearby, I do take some long-distance trips that add to my carbon footprint. Flying is a high environmental footprint activity, but studies say that some high impact activities, like major trips, are hard to completely stop doing (IPCC, 2022). Choosing to take non-stop flights and building green practice in travel, like you have done, are great methods of cutting that footprint down. It's more about finding a harmony between significant traveling and environmental consciousness. Both are important.

I also fly to visit my family who lives across the country, and it adds a significant amount to my carbon footprint. Unfortunately it is the only way to visit them besides driving, and I don't have the time to drive for four days to see them. I hope that the United States eventually develops an electric high speed rail system as that would help reduce air travel and carbon emissions a lot. I try to keep in mind how I can be eco-friendly while im traveling and on a trip. I always make sure to not over consume and to always bring a refillable water bottle instead of wasting plastic ones. I also think it is very interesting how rural Japan has no recycling system, yet the United States carbon emissions were almost five times Japan's carbon emissions in 2023 (2025, investopedia.com). I wonder what percent of people in Japan have access to recycling vs the United States.

Recently I have been flying out of state every year. Adding on to late my family does a lot of driving back and forth.  I the future I hope that the electric cars will help lower the carbon emissions.  I the U.S. around 28 percent of emissions come from transportation (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d.).  I wonder if in the future will scientist figure out a way to lower CO2 emissions

There are a lot of things that people do in this world that are not eco friendly, and I try my best to reduce those activities. My family and I live in California, and like many others, visit family or friends in other parts of the world. Every year, we drive down to Cabo to see some family friends which increases my carbon footprint by a good bit. In fact, driving is by far the largest part of my family's footprint, over half. This is an example of something that my family will not compromise. I also have a cherished hobby, where I go and run my family’s tractor over the weekend. I hardly burn any diesel, but it goes without needing to be said that this hobby is probably not the best decision for the planet.

Obviously, a lot of this stuff (like traveling to visit family) isn't really in our control, which can seem really upsetting when a few trips a year can greatly increase your carbon footprint. But, like you said, trying to be as green and sustainable as possible when traveling is a great way that you can have an impact on your own emissions!

Sure, You are correct

yes i agree its hard to do.

I agree that you should be going and seeing them because they are your family, but i feel that you shouldnt fly there more than twice a year. that way you can even out your carbon impact and see your family.

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.

I agree with what was said above as for me flying was the biggest part of my carbon footprint but it is off the table to change as i also have family on the other side of the country which makes them very hard to reach if not flying. I also agree with the fact that companies could find a way to make aircraft travel more carbon friendly as for lots of people not flying is impossible.

This post really resonated at lot with me because transportation, and more specifically flying, is by far the aspect of my lifestyle that contributes the most to my carbon footprint. I deeply care about the environment, sustainability and my personal environmental impact, but I have family all across that country in the states of Georgia, Michigan, Alaska, Tennessee, Washington DC and Colorado and Minnesota. For reference, I live in California, and it is incredibly important for all the members of my family that we visit each other. Like tivakc, my family also purchases carbon offsets but that does not make up for environmental harm. I also think that TeaganCR has a really good point in saying that the government and engineers need to be addressing the environmental costs of flight but I also believe it is up the individuals to make other significant carbon footprint reducing changes in their lives such as eating less meat, especially if giving up flying is not an option.  Finally, I think in addition to the work that governments and those who design airplanes can do to make flight more sustainable, I strongly believe that we also need to hold the large airplane coperations accountable.

My carbon footprint was pretty average until it came to the transportation section, so I relate to this a lot! My carbon footprint escalated quickly when I put in all my flight information from the past year which made me feel a bit helpless. My family loves to travel which I am eternally grateful for, but I had no idea it was hurting our planet so much. It makes me sad to realize that experiencing different cultures, traditions, and new places comes with the price of destructive carbon emissions. I wonder if there are any other materials we could use to make planes fly but travel still safe and accessible?

I completely agree. My family and I prioritize keeping our footprint low in as many areas as we can and my footprint is well below average in all categories except for transportation. I've take 2 to 3 roundtrip flights across the country each year to visit family and participate in national sports competitions. Both of these are non-negotiables for me, especially seeing family. I, like many people, am not willing to sacrifice time with family to lower carbon footprint. What we need is to find a way to lower the carbon emissions of flying or find another alternative.

There are websites such as: https://realfood.tesco.com/what-can-i-make-with.html that enable you to enter some leftover ingredients you have (like potatoes, garlic, or onions) and it suggests recipes that you can make to use up loose bits and pieces. This is better for the planet because it means less food waste, as you are eating everything you've bought (and it saves you money, too).

I totally agree with you. This is an amazing way to use up all the ingredients that you have as leftovers. Like you said by doing this you can have less food waste and throw away less food. And if you do this you can save money, which is very important these days with the high prices of everything. I think it's also a great way to try something new and you never know you might like it.

I 100% agree with you. Most people have no idea how much food they throw away on daily basis. Using your leftovers for new recipes is a great way to lower your food waste. Not just that, but you are also saving money by not buying new food for every meal.

I really like the idea! Personally, I never knew about such websites, but now I'm intrigued. I like the appeal of reducing food waste, as people seem to throw away a lot more food than necessary. Also, I feel like these websites could encourage people to cook at home rather than eat fast food. It's a win-win for both the people and the environment.

I think there is so much you can do with leftover food- for example you can take watermelon rinds and pickle them, you can really get creative and find many uses for things, whether its to eat, or to reuse for other projects. Veggie scraps and meat bones can be boiled down to soup broths, and so much more

I completely agree, but lets not also forget composting too, you could pickle the watermelon rhines, or you could compost it and grow more watermelons.

This is such a good idea, and I completely agree. We should all use our leftovers in new recipes before throwing them away in order to limit food waste.

its important to grow home grown food to stay away from gmo and micro plastics and its much more healthier than massive farms that spray there vegetables with pesticides it is better to just spray dish soap water and vinegar

I believe it is caused by humans because apart from necessary things we need in life, we’re creating/doing unnecessary things and hurting the environment more just for our entertainment that don’t even always last.

I agree I think that humans cause all of our earths problems. Things need to change before we could help stop climate change.

yeah lots of things we do need to change like factories and stuff that produce CO2.

I agree that climate change is human caused, but its mainly big corporations, not necessarily one person.

I think its very important to know what u really need then what u want.

I think having a phone that's a new model doesn't matter as long u can get in touch with someone.

I agree, getting the newest phone is a want, not a need, unless your current phone is broken.

How can my school make a big impact?

I’d also like to know this. I feel like it’s hard to make an impact with such a big group of people and not resources like recycling or compost everywhere we go. Some people aren’t as informed and don’t know that’s its very important to do these things.

I think every school has an impact, but it can be good or bad. If a WHOLE school recycles and stops using plastic it could have a GREAT impact! That is my opinion, tell me if u agree...

I agree with u but for example we recycle in my school but everyday I see plastic being thrown in paper bags and paper being thrown where plastic should be. Its really sad and unfortunate some people cant really see how much our planet and climate is suffering because of this little mistakes

I think schools can be a big impact because if more people put effort to recycle plastic it would definitely make some type of impact but nowadays most people dont really care for that type of stuff.

We should get recycling bins instead of just throwing everything away.

I think that my school was one of the first to have compost bins in all of the classrooms in the state at least, so i think teaching and having options to compost and recycle could be one of the ways that schools can make an impact.

you must use what you have to stop waste.

When I calculated my carbon footprint I found that I was far above average because I travel a lot. Air travel is something I do quite often and traveling in planes releases a ton of CO2 into the atmosphere. There is little I personally as a kid can do about this but, some companies could limit their flights. A Some airlines fly extra empty flights just so that they can keep their status, but they are not thinking about the effects that has on the environment. Air travel amounts to about 2.5% of all greenhouse gas emissions which is a lot that most likely could be cut down. We can do our best to limit unnecessary air travel, but in the grand scheme of things we need to be careful and mindful of how the things we do change the environment we live in.

I agree its bad but we cant just limit flights

As a high schooler, I agree it is difficult to affect how you do your air travel, as that is mostly up to the parents. I find myself in the same situation. Another way you might be able to help with all that air travel is making up for it by instead of driving to some places, ride your bike, or walk. That's what I have been doing, and I find that helpful.

Rampant consumerism is a very large issue in the world today. Many people feel like they always need the newest and trendiest thing, but having those things does more harm than good. What we often don’t realize is that buying new products like clothes, makeup, and other commodities hurts our environment. Due to things like international shipping, the materials used to create the products, and how they were created, harmful gas emissions are driven up. Also, oftentimes these products are thrown away when the person feels like they don’t need them anymore, and because people don’t always dispose of their waste properly, thousands of tons of discarded products end up in landfills, creating a cycle of environmental harm that cannot be undone, unless people make large-scale changes to their consumer habits. These changes could be thrifting clothes more instead of shopping fast fashion, or choosing to shop from more eco-friendly brands.

So true ?