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 >
small changes make a big difference
One easy change that almost everyone can make is taking shorter shower. Water consumption in the U.S. is rising as our population continues to grow, and the amount of fresh water available is decreasing, in part due to climate change. If every person in Washington shortened their shower by five minutes for 30 days, we’d save nearly three trillion gallons of water which would make a huge difference. Another easy change is eating less meat on a day to day basis. wapping out meat for veggies, beans, and tofu can trim your carbon footprint by as much as 25 percent, which is huge. Even eating slightly less meat would make a huge change. Even things like washing your clothes in cold water makes a big difference. it takes five times more energy to run a load in your washing machine in hot water than cold and studies show that it does not make your clothes any cleaner. All these are ways to not only help the environment but also help yourself save money and become healthier.