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 >
Recycling
When you recycle an item, what exactly happens to it? If a product isn't labeled that it is made from recycled items, is it only made of brand new plastic? Why don't businesses take advantage of these recycled materials? It should definitely be made easier for companies to obtain recycled items to use them for new manufacturing. It should be made mandatory for restaurants to switch to only recycled plastics or paper plates. I also think it should be mandatory for plastic bottle companies to only make bottles from recycled plastics. If laws were put into place to force businesses to use recycled materials instead of generating more waste, than the earth would probably be in much better shape. Since we live in an urban part of California, most of us are used to recycling. I have family in Houston, Texas where no one ever recycles. My grandparents have one trash bin which everything goes in- and that's the standard at every house hold I visit over there. It should be against the law for businesses and homes to not recycle across the U.S. At this point, our Earth cannot cont inue to become a wasteland just because politicians do not believe in global warming. Changes HAVE to happen to save the future of our planet, and simple recycling laws are a great place to start.
I agree with you when you say that laws should be put into place to change companies manufacturing ways and to make people recycle because like you said, the world can't continue to have so much waste piling up. It is also interesting that you noted how you've noticed that people in other states, such as Texas, aren't very concerned about recycling. Why is it that way? Recycling isn't something that only some people should do, it is something that is imperative everyone does. According to CalRecylce, (http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/recycle/commercial/ ) California has a mandatory commercial recycling law that makes businesses that generate 4 cubic yards of waste a week, put their waste through recycling services as an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emmissions. If other states do not have this law, than I definitely think that should be changed so that America can start recycling more as a team.