All of you have calculated your emissions and you have surely discovered the unexpectedly high impact of some of your behaviors (eating meat, flying to a sunny destination, etc.) on your total footprints.
Are there any behaviors that you are really willing to change or to improve for the sake of the environment? What challenges do you encounter or think you will encounter while trying to change these things? What help, support, and insights from others would make your life easier with these new behaviors?
Let's discuss these issues and make our pledges here!
Now It's Time for Action >
Are we really, truly, absolutely willing to do drastic measures for our planet?
If someone were to take your phone away from you, how would you react? I don't know about you, but I would be mad, maybe even go into a killer mode. Now with that in mind, think about if someone were to ask you to give up your phone and your electronic devices that work at highspeed up for the good of the planet. In the spur of the moment we would say "heck yea!", but would we really? Are we seriously willing to give up the best luxuries if it meant we could leave behind a better world for the next generation?
I'm still not 100% percent sure myself if I would want to give up everything I had because, like others, it is important to me. Looking at how much carbon we leave though, I feel like the right thing would be to give it all up. Am I willing to give up all of this? I think if I were to look up more data and what we are doing to the world, I would make the choice to get rid of the things that cause this. This could be things such as no AC and more fans, or using candles instead of using bulbs 24/7. Are you willing to give up some of the things that make life great?
Just because something isn't necessary, does not mean it can't exist, but are we willing to sacrafice the health of other organisms that live on earth just to experience these awesome gifts? I don't think we should, but we should prepare ourselves because it can be very hard to get rid of something you realize you are very greatful for when it's gone.
Think about how many people live in the world. Right now, the world population is larger than 7 billion, and it continues to grow at an alarming rate. In the time it takes you to read this sentence, about 12 babies have been born. When people advocate "going green," they're not asking you to never turn on the AC, or never use a lightbulb. The human race has power in numbers, and if everyone remembers to turn off their lights when they leave a room, we could save massive amounts of energy. Now think about your AC. You probably switch it on whenever you're feeling a little warm, because it's an obvious solution. But did you know that air conditioning alone consumes 5% of energy used in America, and costs homeowners $11 billion in a year? Turning on a fan produces the same results and is more energy and cost affective.
Saving the planet can be simple. It doesn't require never taking a shower, and growing all of your own food, or never turning on a lightbulb. A simple task such as unplugging your phone charger when you're not using it can save up to 4,000 watts a year. Thi nk of how much energy could be saved if everyone did this! Now, think of all of the simple energy solutions. Bringing reusable bags to the store, switching off lights, taking slightly shorter showers, recycling or reusing paper, and using a fan in your home instead of an AC.
All of these simple tasks can make a huge difference when added up. If we want to save the planet, we're going to have to get ourselves in order, and when you think about it, it's not all that difficult. When you start small, it adds up and becomes something big.