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 >
Turn the Faucet Off When You Brush
If you care about your personal hygiene, you prevent cavities and gum disease by brushing your teeth two to three times a day depending on your schedule. To brush your teeth you need to run the faucet, which can use gallons of water just to brush your teeth for two to three minutes. There is a way however to reduce the amount of water you use to brush your teeth that can be utilized elsewhere. By simply turning the faucet off while you brush your teeth, you could on average save approximately 6,000 gallons of water every year. Again, this is something that requires little effort and commitment, but can make tremendous change when done on a larger scale. For example, the U.S. is currently home to about 330 million residents, and if each resident brushes their teeth once or twice a day for a year straight, as well as turns the faucet off, the U.S. could save roughly 1,950,000,000,000 gallons of water annually. That is almost two trillion gallons of water spared. This can all be done by simply turning the faucet off. Just do it.
I agree with your statement Liam. Personal Hygiene is very important and we can do very simple things to save our planet. The place we will be spending and enjoying the rest of our lives in.