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Off the Table?

Are there aspects of your daily life that you know contribute to your carbon footprint but you are unwilling to compromise to change them? In other words, what about your life is “off the table” when it comes to carbon emissions? It's OK to admit it- we all have these cherished behaviors!




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Off the Table?

Recent posts:

rcmq   2023-11-11 16:15:45 (Last post: 2024-03-25 19:11:55)
Off the table: Fireworks

Fireworks are very frequently used and in heavy, unhealthy amounts. Disneyland itself spends over $50 million on hundreds of thousands of fireworks every single year. Even if they stopped doing that, all over the world on Halloween, Christmas, New Year, Chinese New Year, birthdays, weddings, ceremonies, and many more special occasions, fireworks are being used every single year. Have you noticed that gigantic cloud of smoke after the fireworks at an event? That's all the toxic smoke that pollutes the air we breathe. And that's just after a single event you attended. Fireworks contribute to combustion and release greenhouse gasses at the same time. Apart from that, much of the debris from used fireworks is not biodegradable and ends up being left on the ground as litter. A much safer and eco-friendly alternative to fireworks would be using paper confetti poppers or even cannons and blasters for celebrations.

Flynn Layton   2024-03-25 19:11:55

Wow, I never realized fireworks could be so harmful to the environment. Still, to conserve the fun and joy spent watching fireworks, we should instead focus on creating more easily accessible eco-friendly fireworks. Disney developed a soot-free firework that is much better for the environment than most. But, these are sure to be expensive and hard to come by, so if we can make these fireworks accessible and less expensive, then maybe we can enjoy a good fireworks experience. In the meantime, we don’t need to have fireworks on every occasion, big and small. Lastly, we can use alternatives such as laser shows, confetti poppers, and bubble machines.

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Jesse Solis   2022-02-25 13:59:27 (Last post: 2024-02-02 10:44:11)
Off the table

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.

MaryamN   2023-11-03 11:16:35

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.

bpadulla0218   2024-02-02 10:44:11

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.

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NiobeB   2022-11-16 16:04:50 (Last post: 2023-11-14 23:02:34)
eating animal products/meats

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.

frhfbhadksbc   2023-11-14 23:02:34

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.

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Anna.23.06   2022-03-01 00:39:45 (Last post: 2023-11-11 20:51:30)
Off the table

I am not willing to take my electronic device off the table because they are very important to me.
My phone is essential for communicating with friends and family.

Bwomacksjrstate   2022-03-03 17:23:28

I understand this feeling very well and I find it to be one of those things that would be very hard to stop using completely. While i don't think it is entirely impossible there are just to many pros like communicating with friends and family.

Samera.lopez   2022-03-04 23:21:40

I agree and understand how you feel because phones are kind of essential now and it's something we use every day now. There are a lot of things that are easier to do with phones and it's easier to connect with friends and family.

Heidiw   2022-03-18 06:19:45

I agree with this, since basically everyone now depends on the internet. Something to think about is limiting your tech uses.

cozrk   2022-03-19 21:18:17

I agree with what you're saying because I also use my electronics in my daily life. It is the easiest and fastest way to communicate with family.

tayakc   2022-11-16 15:24:44

I agree with you and I am also not willing to take my electronic device off the table. Phones, laptops, and other electronic devices are very useful for schoolwork and communicating in my everyday life. Even though they use electricity, they aren’t necessarily bad for the environment. Electronic devices can help save paper by doing schoolwork online instead of in a notebook. I do think that it’s still important to limit your device use for the sake of the environment. For example, you could play less video games and instead spend time playing sports outside.

APhelan   2023-10-30 10:49:29

I agree. Me personally... I don't use my phone all that much, I also don't talk to many people but what if i really had to? You can't really take something like a phone off the table because it is an important communication device. It could also be used in emergencies.

Ballista   2023-11-02 10:22:49

Everybody has made some really good points, needing phones for emergencies, communicating. The main reason being that phones have just become too central to our daily lives, we live in a society where we cannot live without many modern technologies, including phones.

samaarrq   2023-11-05 23:32:52

I agree that electronic communication can be important whether you are usng it to communicate with your family or friends. Phones can also be helpful for students, for example students can search up things they don’t know and learn new things. They can also use their phones to entertain themselves and have fun.

IsabelleS   2023-11-10 15:54:42

I agree with this because i use my phone for so many essential things. such as using it for directions, or contacting family that i don't see often or for family that lives far away. i also just feel safer walking alone when i have my phone, because it gives me the option to call for help if i need too. i also just enjoy being able to take pictures with it or look something up if i don't know the answer to things. I've also discovered many different things that i like from my phone, such as different types of music.

RubyA   2023-11-11 20:51:30

I agree with you, my phone has become an essential part of my life. I need my phone to communicate with family and friends. For sports, I use my phone to stay updated on when my games and practices are. At school, I often need my phone for activities like Kahoot, and Microsoft Teams has become essential to staying updated on homework, and is needed to communicate with teachers when away from school. My Phone is what keeps me connected to the world, through the news, through new music, and through learning new things. In our modern day, things are constantly changing, and phones are necessary to keep pace with these changes. I would not be able to give my phone up.

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Louisa Schwarm   2023-11-04 22:55:39 (Last post: 2023-11-10 15:44:55)
Off the table: Meat consumption

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.

frhfbhadksbc   2023-11-10 15:26:38

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.

jaydo   2023-11-10 15:44:55

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.

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Mark_C_MChavez   2023-11-03 11:25:04 (Last post: 2023-11-10 15:42:26)
Life complications

I'd say this is off the table. The amount of stuff we need to save time is inevitable and we can't change that. Time is one of the most valuable things in the world and we made the devices mentioned in the project to save our time to focus on other tasks. Examples are jobs, studying, other chores around the house, without the technology we have today we spend more time doing daily chores and less time to focus on important work or relaxing and getting a mental break. What I'm trying to say is, we can't stop using most of this technology or we will be wasting most of our time on chores.

frhfbhadksbc   2023-11-10 15:42:26

i agree with you that we wont give this tech up but we don't need it to survive. like even 50 years ago they didn't have half the technology we had and they still managed to do fine and survive without it, so why cant we do the same? But realistically we are never going to give it up so we just have to switch to cleaner alternatives and hopfully not become to relient on these things.

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RubyA   2023-11-10 15:25:11
Off The Table: Driving

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.

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Hana f (canada)   2021-02-19 01:30:41 (Last post: 2023-11-05 18:44:53)
electricity usage

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.

keishaV   2021-02-19 11:01:25

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.

kierstinc (Canada)   2021-02-19 18:13:25

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.

AnthonyYan   2021-02-19 18:42:55

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.

myajg (Canada)   2021-02-19 23:08:10

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.

ceterraw   2021-02-20 00:47:20

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.

TarunKommoju   2021-10-08 17:22:28

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.

Farah14   2021-10-08 18:21:05

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.

Inna. L   2021-10-08 20:46:04

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.

Umut   2021-10-08 21:33:59

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.

587048   2023-11-05 18:20:14

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.

folklore   2023-11-05 18:44:53

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.

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123Keya   2023-11-03 15:25:13
Off the Table

One thing that I can see most people not taking off the table are gasoline powered cars. Over 95% of people in the U.S drive a gasoline powered car over an electric powered one, and this could be for several reasons. It could be because of price, as a 2023 electric car costs $5,000 more than a  2023 gas powered car ($53,469/$48,334). Or because people think it takes up more time to fuel an electric car than a gas car, because of the scarcity of charging stations around the country. Nonetheless, I don't think people would be willing to get rid of their transportation to places in order to improve their carbon footprint.

https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/source … -emissions
https://www.kbb.com/car-advice/how-much … t%20prices.
https://www.npr.org/2021/11/20/10557189 … ic%20fleet.

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MaryamN   2023-11-03 11:05:04
off the table

Something that is off the table is my electronics which is probably what is causing my carbon footprint to be so high. But I will not give up as I use it on a daily basis with various things such as communication, texting, or calling friends and family. Also with internet access at the tip of our fingers, we can learn new things or educate ourselves. With a phone, it makes things easier and saves effort and money. Electronics do cause the rise of my carbon footprint. It also helps me in many ways.
https://edubirdie.com/examples/the-impo … 0computers.

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Lizardd   2023-11-03 09:20:11
Not everything can be off of the table easily

Some things might not be able to be off of the table for some people, such as driving less, which is oftentimes beyond their control. Someone can’t always choose to drive less because of places that are essential, but might not be close enough to them to be reasonable to make a trip to as often as necessary. An example of somewhere that a person might need to travel to is their place of work. It’s necessary for some jobs to be far away from other things, such as an airport or military base. Also, there can sometimes not be reasonably priced living accommodations nearby, or none at all, which would cause them to have to have a longer commute to work everyday. Another thing that might cause a greater commute distance would be needing to go to a certain store, whether it be for prices, preference, or dietary needs.
An additional thing that might be uncompromisable to some people is limiting their electronic usage. In the modern world, electronic usage is oftentimes essential to most people’s day to day lives. They might be used for  entertainment, communication, work, education,  but oftentimes there is a lot of usage of electronics for the latter two which cannot be adjusted.
Overall, there would need to be a greater change than just people changing their habits, such as the availability of certain resources in shorter distances to all people, in order to decrease emissions caused by commute time. There would also need to be a change in the way that some people have work, education, communication, or entertainment, which isn’t always possible. An alternative solution to these problems might not be to restrict the amount of them that people do, but rather make driving and using electronics less harmful to the environment.

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Bella43344567   2023-11-03 09:04:31
Off the table?

Personally  I don’t think i could truly live without electronics.For school work is has become such a necessary about half of my assignments are on the computer. Also for communication I use my phone to communicate with my parents when i'm away from them. When i need to talk to my teacher about something,but I don't have enough time to see them i use my computer and email them. I was raised being able to go on the internet and look up stuff if i didn't know it. Having electronics has kind of been a thing for me and I think adjusting to not having them would be almost impossible.

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Kinsey S   2023-11-02 20:05:14
Off the table

Something that I personally feel is off the table for me is getting rid of my electronic usage. While I recognize the negative effects of electronic usage, I personally feel that it is a necessity for me. Some reasons I use electronics are for schoolwork, communicating with my parents about where I need to be picked up, talking with friends, and even just for entertainment. While I do not believe in completely stop using it I do believe that cutting down my screen time would also be beneficial. Overall, I cannot promise to not use electronics, because I need them for daily tasks like homework, keeping up with friends, etc. I feel that while it may not be the best it is too big of a component of my life to completely get rid of.

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159C519   2023-11-02 17:51:08
The human population changes over the last century

The human population has changed over time because about a decade ago it was at 2 billion people in the world. Currently it is about 8 billion people in the world. So basically the human population has quadrupled in the last century. This is how the human population has changed over the last century. Even though it has grown very rapidly we still may hit logistic growth because no population on earth can just stay exponential. Even if we do not, we will at least hit a massive decline in our population size.

https://ourworldindata.org/population-g … r%20planet.

https://datatopics.worldbank.org/world- … ation.html

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502571   2023-11-02 14:10:04
Off the table

Something I am not willing to take off the table is my phone because I use my phone for lots of things. I use it to write reminders for school, ask questions to my teachers, read articles, and even do actual schoolwork. I also use my phone to stay connected to old friends that I don’t see, talk to my family when they aren’t with me, and for downtime. Things like games or fantasy football that just allow me to decompress from school and sports.

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Phoenix.d   2023-11-02 13:42:15
Off the table

One thing that is off the table is my phone. This is because it's what I use to communicate with family, friends, and other important people like my teachers.

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Zoe23   2023-10-30 10:21:04 (Last post: 2023-10-30 15:28:32)
Individual Responsibility is a trap

It is unrealistic to expect individuals to drastically change their lifestyle simply to reduce their carbon footprint. For instance, how can we expect people to drive less in a place like the United States when there is so little infrastructure for people to do anything else? Solutions must reach beyond the individual.

24ruiz0543   2023-10-30 10:43:37

I agree and I'm glad someone said something about this. Most of the time the way people want us to change our lifestyle is just not possible. Another example being our eating habits. Although going organic would be great, it's incredibly expensive to uphold.

hodin   2023-10-30 15:28:32

I don't disagree with you two, but I would caution to you not to fall into a different trap: the one where you absolve yourself of any personal responsibility.

Ruiz: on eating habits.  Yes organic food is more expensive, but eating sustainably can include your choices of what to eat.  Eating less meat really lowers your personal impact quite a bit, and it can be done cheaply.

Zoe: on driving less.  Sure, but this points to a bigger problem - lack of alternative transportation choices.  This is an important thing to advocate for, but when they are available, do you use them?  Buses and trains for travel rather than driving or planes when possible?  Riding your bike on shorter distance trips? 

I am a firm believer in the concept of "me to we": we start by modeling environmental behaviors in our personal lives, and that leads us to greater and informed advocacy.  For example, as a  bus rider myself, I know a LOT more about what makes for a good public transportation system than someone who has never been on a bus.  It also makes me a more trustworthy spokesperson.

A great example is Great Thunberg.  She started by modifying her own personal behaviors (her own diet and transportation choices) with her family, convincing her parents to go vegan, then she started advocating for climate in front of her school.  And that became an inspirational global movement. 

So...don't cut out the personal just because that seems ineffective by itself.  It's all connected.  And when you act personally you avoid the "cop out" trap where you excuse yourself for any behaviors because you don't see them as having a big effect by themselves.

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Silviuson   2023-04-28 12:17:46 (Last post: 2023-09-28 09:37:52)
1000kg carbon output is too low.

If you paid attention to the test, you saw you needed 1000kg of carbon emitted by you for a sustainable future, which I now want to get into.

For me both food and house sections are above 1000, so that’s not a good start, mainly because I use wood for heat and eat meat and eggs.

The workaround for hitting 1000 is using sun/wind/geothermal-based energy, which is not realistic for our family, and eating way less meat, which is not for me.

I eat meat because it’s tasty and because it gives me way more energy than I would hope for, while vegetable can barely keep up. They’re tasty and refreshing, but they simply can’t compete.

Lab-created meat won't work either. You can't convince me a pill can create what takes a few years in the real world.

Look, I'm not trying to be against this, I'm just stating the personal reasons that make me go against this low of a carbon footprint, despite having one of the lowest in my class.

Mainly aimed at the experts that supposedly look at these posts. If you got anything else to add, feel free.

Take care.

ratsmacker   2023-09-28 09:37:52

well yes, you may not be able to reach the goal of 1000 kg, that doesn't mean that we can simply change that value. we can't just say that the goal is 2000 kg because well, 2000 is TWICE the amount of 1000. and I can understand the distaste for lab grown meat, even just hearing that statement scares me, id rather simply eat less meat than eat lab grown.

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imleBOD   2023-05-10 22:10:21
Off the Table

I've read a lot of the other posts on this topic and I see that a lot of them are about meat. I totally understand that and would agree if it wasn't for the amount of electricity I use. This electricity usage could probably be decreased, but I don't think I could live life without it. All of my schoolwork, the shows I watch, the music I listen to, and even talking to my friends, use some type of electronic device. And I know that people before me got along just fine without electronics, but because of the internet, I can meet people who live across the globe from me. I can talk to people who have totally different experiences than me and that can really teach me something. So while it would be extremely difficult for me to part with meat, I can always have a plant substitute. Electricity is sadly a ginormous part of my life.

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Antonia Grigoriu   2023-04-28 12:25:44
What is hard for me and my family to do

Me and my classes calculated our carbon footprint yesterday and the value is a little less than the average in my country but higher than the global average. Me and my family aren't big consumers for a family that has 5 members. However, there are some things we can't do to lower our footprint:
1.Using the car less. Me and my mother prefer walking but my dad uses his car more than he needs (for example, when he wants to go shopping he drives,even though our city isn't that big). We tried to convince him to walk more but in vain.
2.Recycling.Even though my dad keeps telling us to recycle the milk cartons and cans of juice, I often forget that.
3.Unplugging the laptop or TV when I don't use them. This is because it's hard for me to look for the cable when I want to watch TV again and I hate when my laptop tells me that there is 10% left from the battery.
I hope that we'll manage to change our habits.

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zeke-Die   2022-03-21 08:48:12 (Last post: 2023-04-06 11:09:01)
Does recycling work

Does recycling work or does it just end up in a dumpster in india?

Sophie_autumn   2022-10-25 07:28:09

Yes, it does work. Where I live, all (well mostly everybody) recycles their trash (paper, plastic, aluminum, glass, everything) and it does help. We are an island and they don't import their trash to India or anywhere else, they reuse paper and plastic to make other things.

Greatficus   2023-04-06 11:09:01

Yes, recycling does work! While it is true that some of what is recycled ends up in landfills, most of it goes to facilities that convert them into something else. There is a factory close to where I live that turns recyclables (plastic, glass, aluminum, etc…) into flooring tiles.

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LiliroseL   2021-10-09 00:01:44 (Last post: 2023-04-06 06:46:25)
Off the Table

Although I am willing to sacrifice a lot in the face of environmental activism, on a personal level, I think it'd be extremely difficult for me to become vegetarian. I have allergies to a lot of things vegetarians consume to make up for the protein from not eating meat, such as soy, green beans, tofu, and nuts.

Habibi   2022-11-06 20:55:13

Yes as human we would want to make sacrifice for the place we live in to keep it in a good condition but there would be some stuff like you mention food that most people can't really change anything about it.

Maeve1   2022-11-15 15:26:54

I agree that going vegan would be hard, I personally love milk and cheese so that would be really hard. However going vegetarian I think would be why easier because the only meat i enjoy eating is chicken and bacon and sometimes steak. I do not like pork or lamb
and i think the benefits of going vegetarian or vegan would heavily help stop climate change and even more if lots of people did so.

raine.A   2022-11-15 16:04:50

I think you rise a good point. going vegetarian would be pretty difficult. personally I don't have don't have any dairy products for health reasons anyways so, most of the time the main place I get my protein from is meat and eggs.

Clara V   2023-04-05 06:19:22

If going vegan or vegetarian sounds hard, or you cant because of allergies, then think about buying local meat, or just cutting out red meat. If everyone started to Make little changes like buying locally, or cutting out certain meats, we could really limit the emissions some of the farming for these certain products create.

Awnin   2023-04-05 07:33:42

To be completely honest and realisticI don’t think I would ever choose to be completely vegan, or vegetarian. But I want to put emphasis on the completely part of that. I try not to eat much beef, and pork, and other meats but I don’t think I would cut these things out completely. I just want to say that you can still help out even if you aren't vegan, or vegetarian simply by being conscious and making small changes in your diet and habits. I also agree that it is super important to buy locally. Which is another simple change that can help greatly. I think that local food and other things should be more widely available and easy for everyone to access. It is typically more expensive which makes sense and I think that living locally should be something for everyone not just those who have a lot of money. Even if it doesn’t make sense financially or whatnot to eat completely local, it could certainly make a difference just to trade in some of the things you eat for the sustainable and local alternative.

WalterTheWalnut   2023-04-05 07:46:34

I completely agree with the user “Awnin”. The economic logistics makes it very hard for those who are low-income or face other economic challenges to become vegan or even vegetarian. I also agree with the user “Clara V”, who stated a great way to reduce your carbon footprint if you cannot commit to a new diet  - Buying local meat and produce. By doing this you are not only reducing how far your food has to travel and thus use less CO2 from trucks, planes, and/or boats, but also are supporting your local farmers!

Naomi.fisher-barrett   2023-04-06 06:44:34

Personally, coming from a mainly vegan household a see both the good side, and bad sides of the lifestyle. I understand being vegan can be hard for many people because of allergy’s and medical conditions, but if you don't have any of those, going vegan or even vegetarian is an amazing option. I will say I was reluctant at first to cut out animal products and still I sometimes eat them outside of my home, but cutting a big portion of my diet, has substantially  helped my health. I don’t even notice anymore that I don’t eat meat very much, but I will say I notice dairy. I used to love milk and I hate other nut milks, so that was really hard to ween off of. I’m definitely not saying I don’t ever eat animal products. Once and awhile ill get cream cheese, or some milk for cereal, but I can say that I have cut almost 80% of it out of my life, and it wasn’t very difficult.  Even if you can’t have a fully vegan or vegetarian lifestyle, I think just being conscious of where you’re buying your products from and what exactly you are eating is a really good step in the right direction.

Maggie13   2023-04-06 06:46:25

I understand what you mean in a sense. When I was younger I was vegetarian for a year because people told me I didn’t have the willpower to do it. However, during that year I suffered from a bad iron deficiency. I tried so many different things that were high in iron, but it never helped much. Because of this, it’s really hard for me to be vegetarian even if I want to for the environment. But your health needs to come first, and you need proteins. Try having vegetarian based meals every once and awhile, not ones that have things your allergic to in it. However, they may not have the best protein so you can still have meals with meat in it some nights. But maybe have a meal or two that uses black black beans as the main protein, assuming you’re not allergic to those as well.

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N Hutchison   2022-11-16 17:26:00
Off the Table

The one thing that would greatly reduce my carbon footprint is the one thing I am not willing to give up, having a dog as a pet. Dogs have always been a part of my life, and having one has helped me get through the COVID-19 pandemic, because I couldn't talk with my friends. Without my dog my mental health would be a lot worse. Also, dogs manage to lighten mood and make a home complete.

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Arwen1   2022-11-16 15:18:20
Off the Table

one thing I just can't change is buying electronics. my family rarely buys electronics but when we do its if our current ones don't work anymore. but for in the environmentalist spheres it feels as if the community turns down their nose at people who cannot let go of technology. it feels like I'm a bad activist if I still buy electronics or eat meat.
I know that the vast majority of studies point to plant based diets as the solution but personally I am from a majority indigenous family that has hunting and using animals as a cornerstone of our teachings and culture. I feel as if the documentaries and filmmaker view these problems from western, white perspective.

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elliott_08   2022-11-07 23:43:38 (Last post: 2022-11-16 15:07:18)
Off the table

A lot of activities that my family does such as traveling is very fun to do, and unfortunately, it adds on to our carbon footprint. Not only is it also very costly for us, it adds unnecessary carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and this stuff destroys our planet. When I am older and in more control of my life, I am for sure not going on as many trips as my family does nowadays. Eating habits is also a problem, as I never see myself going vegetarian or vegan. Buying and eating meat, especially processed foods, isn’t good for the earth but yet it is hard to let go of, since it is part of my everyday meals.

BPM at night   2022-11-10 00:42:57

I can also relate to this, my family also travels once in a while, and with our eating habits, we cannot live without processed meats because they are what makes most, if not all our meals, especially when they help speed the process of cooking.

Nora Giddings   2022-11-16 15:07:18

Even though you may need processed meats to cook meals a good idea is switching to chicken or fish. Cows produce so much methane it greatly affects our atmosphere. Eating cows causes more demand which then leads to more breeding of cows leading to more methane being produced. Cows produce 14.5% of all green house gases going into our atmosphere. Just cutting cows out of your diet will help your carbon footprint decrease by a lot.

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1234c   2022-11-15 19:34:58
off the table

I think that for me I use a lot of materials like paper or plastic for school. I think that it does have a significant impact on my carbon footprint but I don't think I can make any drastic changes to this aspect because I need these tools for school.  I still do believe though that schools( and myself) can find better ways at managing the amount of waste we use. This could mean using double sided paper, creating school events that don't require using a lot of disposable materials and generally taking better care of textbooks and gym equipment so that they last longer.

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Sophie_autumn   2022-10-26 05:31:43 (Last post: 2022-11-15 17:04:24)
Cotton Shirts

I don’t think people should keep making cotton shirts. They actually use up a lot of water. They take 2,700 liters just to make 1 cotton shirt. If we start to produce less of these (or even stop making them at all) that would conserve a lot of water.

hahahahahah   2022-10-29 19:59:48

I think people could also think if those shirts are really needed so they don't waste money and also resources

riannahao:)   2022-10-30 07:49:14

This is very true considering what happens under my household. In my family, my mom does quite a lot of shopping online and in malls. Most of the time she buys things that are really not needed considering she already has a bunch of clothing at home, in her closet. This goes the same for shoes and handbags, most dads like mine, buy tons of shoes when the only difference is the color or designs. As well for handbags, they might look the same just because of the name or color and design. This is why people should really consider weather they NEED it or they WANT it.

katherine10   2022-10-31 04:52:21

I agree with your point. People often buy things they do not need such as shoes or scarves. My parents also experience the same thing, they often buy things they want when they have the same design at home. If it is actually needed such as a clothing that is damaged, it would be reasonable to buy a new one. If it a new piece of clothing that has not been worn or tried on at all, I don’t see a reason to buy a new one. Also in different events such as Halloween, I don’t people need to buy a new costume every year. You can rent one or buy one at least once every 2 to 3 years. If we stop buying clothing that we don’t need, we can conserve much more water.

HenryLin   2022-11-03 03:55:24

I agree because one cotton shirt uses about 2700 liter which is enough for a average person to drink 900 days which is really wasting water just for one shirt i strongly believe we should start find new resources or material to make shirt that doesn't waste water

tayakc   2022-11-15 17:04:24

I agree with your points about people buying way more clothing than they need. Fast fashion is a major contributor to climate change, using lots of water and energy from fossil fuels. It is also very unethical because the people producing the garments are often working in dangerous conditions, and many are not even paid a living wage! I don’t think that we should stop making cotton shirts though, instead I think it’s important to buy less of them and embrace the concept of slow fashion. This is basically buying much less clothing, but higher quality items so that they last a long time. The individual pieces are often more expensive, but in the long run slow fashion can actually save you a lot of money. The price of lots of cheap clothes adds up! More people need to understand that what’s cool isn’t always having the clothing that’s on trend, it’s building your own personal style while being kinder to the environment.

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liza da donkey   2022-11-15 16:08:57
off the table

Personnaly, i would give up meat if the rest of my family didn't love it so much. meat is something that is a common every day ritual for a lot of people but behind the scenes, the meat indistry has a very large impact on carbon admissions and the enviornment. it takes so much space to grow and feed cattle, and its just not sustanible. everyone has heard of the cow fart thing but they really do produce methane which is a natural gas. if every stoped eating meat we would have so much more space to grow food to feed the people in poverty that lose most of their food to the animals that are then eaten by weller of humans.

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Ttofu   2022-11-15 15:59:27
Off my table

Somethings that I'll try my best to bring off the table is asking to drive to reasonable walking /bus distances. I do mostly walk but I can see where I can get lazy. I do strive to think the most green but the fact that I'm not in control of my energy producer, what food I eat (some of the time), and how most of the things around me work, is sometimes an inconvenience. But if I feel so strongly about being sustainable, I can give ideas to the people in charge to rethink their actions. Work with the system, not against!

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charlotte_nelson   2022-03-27 11:58:15 (Last post: 2022-11-14 22:42:54)
Off The Table

One thing that is off the table for me is traveling. My family lives really far away from me and I can’t do much to help that, however they are also one of the most important things in the world to me so yes I am going to continue to see them no matter how far I have to go. If someone were to propose another idea for getting to my family that didn’t take several days, then yes I would do it in a heart beat. Flying is currently the easiest way for me to see my family and until someone proposes a better way, it is off the table.

elf3   2022-11-14 22:42:54

My extended family lives far away from me as well. They’re on a different continent, so the best way to visit them is flying. It’s not the most environmentally friendly way to travel, but it is the fastest, so it’s usually how I visit them. If there were other ways that were faster and more environmentally friendly, I would definitely rather choose them too.

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Habibi   2022-11-06 20:43:24
Bad Habits

I know we all have something that we could change in a way that makes our carbon footprint to be lesser. I think these two things that are making my carbon footprint to be high. It's the food I choose to eat and how much usage of technology I do. Yes I know i could change both habits of main to maintain my carbon footprint to be balance, but food is something that I live of while technology is everything today. You talk with your friends and do most of your work online and sometimes there is no other alternative way for it to be done.

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Nivlac   2021-10-08 15:43:13 (Last post: 2022-11-05 12:00:18)
Air Conditioning

I live where it’s hot 8 months out of 12. I know, repeat, KNOW that I wouldn’t have survived if not for air conditioning. I would have died of overheating a very long time ago. It doesn’t even have to be in the house. In the car, at school wherever. It gets very hot and so, I cannot give up air conditioning. Not now, not ever. Thank you, and goodbye.

EBowden-SJRState   2022-03-04 00:27:38

GOd, life would be miserable here without air conditioning. Especially when the humidity is over 90% and the UV index is like 12. Especially because personally I have issues with my autonomic nervous system and regulating my body temperature, but I know everyone else hates it too. BUT I remember seeing this design for a recycled air conditioner that used no electricity when it was first released publically, and the concept has stuck with me since. It's not as good as conventional AC, but when you're in Bangladesh in the summer 5 degrees C definitely makes a difference

https://inhabitat.com/this-amazing-bang … ectricity/

DiegoV   2022-03-04 10:40:06

I agree with you sometimes it gets really hot during the summer I really could not let go of the air conditioner. It is a really important thing to have in my opinion

Howardz0308   2022-11-05 12:00:18

I agree with you on not being able to give up air conditioning entirely, but I think it would be a good idea to keep the AC at a higher temperature, such as around 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit. This decreases the amount of energy your AC uses because it puts less of a strain on the system. Many people tend to keep their homes very cold during the hot months, and just simply sacrificing a small bit of ideal comfort can make a difference. I also live where it is hot 8 months out of the year, and we had to do this the past summer to prevent the electricity from blacking out. It was not too bad and still much cooler than outside. I will be doing this again in the future and recommend others to try too.

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Sophie_autumn   2022-10-26 05:49:06
Ocean and Plants

People have got to start conserving more water, especially the ocean. 70% of the Earth’s oxygen comes from our oceans (phytoplankton). The ocean soaks up bout 30% of the CO2 that people on Earth make. The CO2 kills the the coral reefs in the ocean.

The plants here are also a big part that help Earth and the people in it. About 40% of the medicines that humans make come from the plants on Earth. Wildfires also hurt the environment a lot since they release CO2 into the air.

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IIversonBHS   2022-10-06 19:24:16 (Last post: 2022-10-06 20:34:58)
Traveling

Traveling is off the table for me because I use it to visit family and get me places where I can learn to make a positive impact. It is an asset I can't live without.

KatieMDavis22   2022-10-06 20:34:58

I feel this way too, hard to help but still need your getaways at the same time

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JoseFelix   2022-02-25 11:00:45 (Last post: 2022-10-04 14:51:40)
Off the table

I am not willing to take my electronic time off the table. Even though this is probably my main producer of my carbon footprint I am not willing to take it off the table. What about you? What's
“off the table” for you?

TheLittleRascal   2022-02-25 11:45:42

For me, it's the same I'm also not willing to change my electronic time off the table time.

Larry. A   2022-02-25 11:54:22

I agree with your answer because my electronic devices helps a lot and is something I would not get rid of.

jennifer16   2022-02-25 12:59:25

I agree with you, i'm not willing to take my electronic device off the table because that's how I communicate with family and friends that i'm not able to see everyday. Another thing I would like to add is that, we can also turn off any unneeded lights if we want to lower our carbon footprint but don't want to give up our electronics.

jennifer16   2022-02-25 13:02:23

I agree with you, i'm not willing to take my electronic device off the table because that's how I communicate with family and friends that i'm not able to see everyday. Another thing I would like to add is that, we can also turn off any unneeded lights if we want to lower our carbon footprint but don't want to give up our electronics.

nati chavez   2022-02-25 16:34:39

i agree with you, my electronic time is important for me for many reasons such as listening to music, entertainment and of course communication.

blyy   2022-10-04 14:51:40

i agree. I live with my dad in a different country and almost never get to see my other family. Using a gadget is absolutely the easiest way to communicate and reach out to friends and family.

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blyy   2022-10-02 17:51:54
Off the Table?

Taking long showers. I just can't imagine myself being done in like 20 mins. Concerts, breakdowns, reflections, etc.
All of that stuff happens in the shower and there is no rushing it. (ps. im sorry)

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