Ecological Footprint For Humanity

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Fragile Footprints for Humanity Many of us wake up in the morning and take a hot shower, brush our teeth, consume breakfast, then head out the door to start our day. These simple routines that we perform as a human species, throughout our life, are done mindlessly without much consideration to our impact on the environment. This negligence and lack of understanding about the environment is the very demise for the destruction of the planet--that every man, animal, and organism calls home. Like the rest of the world, I am also to blame for this destruction and altering of our environment. After tracking my ecological footprint for one week, I came to understand exactly what I am doing to the planet, as well as how easy it is to take my day to…show more content…
After recording this information and analyzing my data, I came to realize how large my ecological footprint actually is. With surprise, my data showed water usage as being one of my most negative impacts to the environment, resulting in roughly 2,600 gallons of water used each day. Compared to the U.S. average, this is nearly 400 gallons more than the average American (Grace’s). The use of showers, the flushing of toilets, the washing of dishes, and the use of laundry machines all played a major role in my water footprint. Translating my electricity consumption, gas usage, waste, and the buying habits to carbon, resulted in nearly 9 metric tonnes per year emitted into the atmosphere (How). This result is nearly half the American average of 20 tonnes, but over double the world average of 4 tonnes (Massachusetts). While my carbon footprint is better than the average American, it is still not on par for a sustainable world, nor is my water…show more content…
Change is the major takeaway that must be dealt with and simple actions, such as the unplugging of appliances that are not in use, can decrease my carbon footprint. Other actions include me taking 5 min showers instead of 10, flushing my toilet only when there is a number two, turning down the thermostat a few degrees, and simply turning off lights that are not in use. Over the next few years, I will be buying my first house, starting a family, and trying to better myself. With a larger family and a larger house, means a larger environmental footprint. I will have more square feet to provide electricity/heat, more mouths to feed, and more traveling to be done. Hopefully my larger income will be able to offset these actions by purchasing an electric vehicle, the use of solar panels, and more energy efficient appliances. Like many people in the lower to middle class, I can not afford energy efficient appliances, hybrid cars, or the ability to buy locally grown food, in today's age. This economic gap, between a cheap lifestyle and a sustainable lifestyle, is too large for me, and many individuals, to do both. Over time with economic, social and political change, hopefully a more sustainable world will be on the horizon. One thing that is for certain, is individuals must become aware of their footprint and must take the necessary actions to change

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