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 >
Making Some Changes
I have realized after doing the footprint challenge that I am in a better spot than I would have guessed. My footprint is around the average for my country and area. However, that isn't really saying a lot. I live in the United States, where the overall carbon footprint is extremely high. This means that being average is not good enough.
I need to start making conscious decisions in my everyday life to help lower that footprint. There are a lot of ways to do it, and unfortunately I don't have access to all of those options. For example, my area does not have a good public transport system, and it's not very safe to walk places. However, if I start making small changes, like buying more clothes used, carpooling whenever possible, walking if I have someone to walk with and I'm in a good area, and other things, I can begin to lower my footprint.
While I can't save the planet on my own, I can start to make changes where I can.