After completing the survey provided by this site for school, I discovered something weird. My family's purchase and transport footprint is lower than the average, but our home footprint is MUCH higher than the average. Our purchase footprint is shallow, resting at only 425 kgs which surprised me due to the quantity of clothing and technology we buy. In addition, our transport footprint was only slightly lower than the average (personal transport) standing at 3,655 kgs. But the real kicker was our home footprint. Standing at an astonishing 4,769 kgs, I realized how much energy we use/waste. I live in a single-family home with 3 others, so naturally, our energy consumption would be high. However, after answering all the questions, I realized we simply have too much stuff. 91 LED lightbulbs, natural gas heating for our water and home (for 7 months a year!) and air conditioning running for around 4 months a year during the summer; we truly do use a LOT of energy! In conclusion, this survey allowed me to see how much we could cut down on our energy consumption throughout all aspects of our life, especially in our home life.

This assignment has led to a great revelation as to how much is used/wasted! One thing I do personally is not put all the bulbs in a light fixture; as they sometimes hold more than one! I currently have a chandelier fixture in my dining room with 14 bulb placements, however, I currently only have the top part (three) placed with bulbs. It makes the room a little dimmer, but still provides light to be able to see. Maybe try unplugging a few around your house! This experience puts into perspective how little things can add up to conserve a lot!