Students from around the world calculated their class mean and standard deviations for their footprints and posted them on our world map.
Do you see differences across the globe? If so, why do you think those differences exist?
Did you use the calculator to try to reduce your footprint down to the average from a citizen of another country? What changes would you have to make to lower your footprint in this way? Are you going to try and take some of these actions in your daily life?
Student Footprints >
Lights
If we turn our light off more when we leave the house, and aren’t in the area that they’re on at then you can turn them off and you can reduce the amount of carbon emissions.
I agree that turning lights off is an easy and practical way to help reduce emissions at an individual level. Sometimes automatic shut-off lights help with this, but most often those have a sensor on them and turn on when it is randomly triggered. Does this actually save any energy, or do the accidental moments neutralize anything gained from the automatic shut off? Would it be better/more practical to install automatic lights everywhere, or for everyone to learn to turn off the switch when they leave a room?
Also, the type of lightbulb matters a lot. Incandescent bulbs are not energy efficient and certain types have been banned because of this. People should instal LED or fluorescent lights to reduce their carbon footprint.
I completely agree with you! Lights can have a significant impact on our carbon footprint, and turning them off when we leave a room is a simple yet effective way to reduce energy consumption. Additionally, using energy-efficient light bulbs and installing automatic sensors can also help mitigate the effects of lighting on the environment. It’s important for us to take action and make small changes in our daily lives to reduce our carbon footprint and help create a more sustainable future for ourselves and future generations.
Yes, that's right. Turning off lights when you leave your home can help reduce your carbon footprint. This is because electricity is mainly produced by burning fossil fuels, which releases carbon into the atmosphere. If we use less electricity, less fuel will be needed to produce it, and therefore there will be less carbon emissions.
I agree with that statement. More than half of my carbon emissions can be attributed to my home. Of those emissions, I'm sure that lights make up a significant footprint. One of the most important things we can do is to install high-efficiency LED lights. It's also a good idea to introduce motion sensors in rooms that aren't often used. Lastly, we should turn lights off in the rooms that are not in use at that moment. With those simple steps whe can drastically lower our carbon footprint.