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 >
Reducing our Carbon Footprint
I think we should try to reduce our carbon footprint. Recently, I walked to a local grocery store that was about .5 miles away from my house, instead of my mom driving me there. It really made me open my eyes and I want to do it again. I think it helps reduce my carbon footprint and I got a lot of fresh air and exercise.
I agree that we need to reduce our carbon footprint. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA for short, we use a ton of carbon just by driving, using heat in your home, or turning on the lights in your home. For example, I live in California.California's average footprint alone, 9727 kg is much larger compared to the rest of the world, which is 3791 kg, according to the Stanford Footprint site. This is probably because in California, most of us drive to school or work everyday, which emits a ton of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Instead, we could try transportation devices such as buses, or even BART. This summer I did an acting intensive in San Francisco and I couldn't have my parent drive me there everyday because it would waste a lot of gas and time. So instead I took BART and probably saved a lot of money. Taking the more environmentally aware approach saves you money, so why not try it? I think it's great that you just walked to the grocery store, because you saved a lot of gas and resources, plus it's good exercise. Most importan tly it helped the environment.
Another step you could take would be turning off the lights in your home when you don't need them on, or when you're not there. My dad always reminds me, "Turn off the lights when you leave the room," and I think it's an easy step to take. If you do need lights, why not use candies? They smell good, and they won't waste energy the way light bulbs would. If we all chip in and start to make decisions like this, we could reduce our footprint and therefore reduce how many resources we waste and how much carbon we put into the air, which in the long run can only help us.
*candles
This is a very good idea, all the little things add up and help reduce your carbon footprint one little thing at a time. If everyone would do their part in walking or riding a bike instead of using a car, our overall carbon footprint will lower significantly.