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 >
Carbon footprint and plastic straws
The following site is one I found when researching what effect plastic straws actually have on the environment. The study looks at various types of straws and their embedded carbon dioxide emissions.
https://www.appropedia.org/HSU_straw_analysis
Looking at this research there is a breakdown for what type of straw has the most C02 emissions when it comes to producing, packing, and shipping. After looking this study over it made me question if reusable straws actually are better for the environment or not? As far as greenhouse gasses that where put into the atmosphere for production of each type of straw goes, plastic straws production wasn't much higher than other types of straws. While the numbers are close the one factor we can look at is there will not be such a significant amount of these other types of straws found in the environment. It is two totally different categories though, the greenhouses gasses put into the environment or the actual straw that still manages to find its way back into the ocean.
Reading some responses on this discussion board influenced me to look into more information regarding if the reusable straw actually is better for the environment or not? All in all I still believe in reusable straws for the simple fact of using less plastic.