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 >
Differences Across the Globe
The differences across the globe exist because of different lifestyles across the globe. For example, some places have houses that are really far away from stores and other buildings, requiring the use of a car. This increases their transportation carbon footprint. Additionally, if you live in a big city, you might be able to walk to school, eliminating your carbon footprint for transportation to school. The point is that different lifestyles lead to a difference in carbon footprints around the world. I am going to try and reduce my light usage in my house by turning off my lights when I leave for the day so they are not left on for several hours. Additionally, I am going to not waste any food because of the carbon produced by it. If I do have food waste, I will compost it. These changes are small but can make a large impact if people contribute.
I agree with everything you said. Depending on where you live does affect your carbon footprint. You can live miles from certain places that you need to get to which causes you to use a car more than you actually need to. For myslef, I live close to alot of places I need things from such as groceries, supplies, etc. I use a car to get to these places even though it is not necessary. Transportaion was one of my highest CO2 levels. I will try to cut it down by walking or riding a bike to places that are close to me.