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 >
Reducing Carbon Footprints
One way we can reduce our carbon footprint is by recycling more. If you're like me, you recycle your gallon milk jug every week but when it comes to smaller bottles you might forget to recycle them or throw it away without even thinking about it. One way the world could recycle more could be with the use of bottle deposit programs that will give you back .05 - .10 cents each bottle you bring back to recycle. "Beverage container deposit laws, or bottle bills, are designed to reduce litter and capture bottles, cans, and other containers for recycling. Ten states and Guam have a deposit-refund system for beverage containers" (Schultz). If more countries set up more bottle deposit programs, it would make it easier for more people to recycle.