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 >
Alexis: Mooresville, NC, USA (Age: 17)
My carbon footprint total was 13,519 kg. This total was slightly below average in my region, which had a carbon footprint of 15,918 kg. I was below the region’s number because I carpool a lot, especially having a large family, and I typically don’t purchase a lot of clothing and consumer goods.
The majority of my footprint came from the “home” section of the calculator. This section was 67.8% of my footprint, with 9,177 kg. I believe it was from this section because I live with a lot of people. We use a lot of electricity and produce a lot of trash. I expected my results to be about average in comparison to my region. I was surprised by some of the numbers of my fellow classmates, both at their minuteness and their high values.
I learned that every little thing we do matters, from turning off a light to throwing away a plastic bottle. These can have both negative and positive effects and it is important to know them. To decrease my carbon footprint in the future, I plan on recycling more and becoming more aware of turning off lights and water.