Many students using our footprint calculator said that they could not pledge to reduce their home footprints because they were not making the decisions for the household. Here is your chance to design your own sustainable virtual household!
If you had your own home, what would you do to make it more energy efficient? Where would you get your electricity from? Where would your house be? Would you live near to your school or work or local transit options? Where would you get your food from?
MY Family Footprint >
Encourage your family to support the environment
Try talking to your family about supporting local organizations to help pick up trash or clean parks. Talk about cycling more often rather than using a car to travel short distances. Talk with your parents about starting a garden and composting. During the hot and cold seasons try using less of the thermostat if it is not needed or when you go out. Try encouraging them to use less water when do things such as watching the dishes, brushing their teeth, taking a shower, or watering the lawn. Even making sure to turn off the lights when they aren't being used can make a big difference.
I definitely agree with all of these strategies because they can make such a huge difference in our carbon footprint and actually help lower it since we would be conserving water, energy, and not having to use electricity as much as we used to. I really like your idea about starting a garden and composting because I strongly believe that it can bring many benefits to both the environment and even ourselves since we would be growing our own food and not relying on produce companies.