My Ecological Footprint

Alyssa Huff

What is an ecological footprint? What factors affect it?

  • An ecological footprint is a measurement of the impact your activities have on the environment
  • Your footprint is affected by your home energy use, driving, flying, food & diet, and recycling & waste

Compare your footprint to the national and world averages

  • My carbon emissions are estimated to be 67 tons of CO2 per year
  • The US average is 110
  • The worlds average is 22
  • Mine is lower than the US average but higher than the world average. I think it is so much higher than the world average because in a lot of places they don't have the same advances in technology that we do.

How would your footprint change if you lived in the Massachusetts scenario? Why do you think the results vary?

If I lived in that scenario I think my footprint would change for the better, I think it would get lower. I think this because in that scenario they live in a smaller house and also drive a car that gets better gas mileage less than I do.

Explain which factors effect your carbon footprint the most

  • Home energy- Because we haven't taken enough action to conserve energy by changing to more energy efficient things
  • Driving- Because my family drives mid sized cars that don't get the best gas mileage all the time

What are 3 activities you could do to reduce your emissions? What are pros and cons to these things?

  1. Carpooling- Pro- You save gas by taking only one vehicle. Con- Your schedule has to revolve around someone else's as well as your own.
  2. Replacing Appliances- Pro- You will be more energy efficient Con- More expensive
  3. Recycle More- Pro- Better for the environment and you could make money from it Con- More time consuming

What would be a short term and long term effect those changes will have on your life?

  • Short term- You will feel better about yourself because you are changing positively and are helping the environment

  • Long term- You will have a better ecological footprint

What fact about climate change surprised you the most? Why?

What surprised me the most was the fact that we can change the climate of the whole world with the amount of CO2 we produce. This surprised me because changing the climate of the whole world is a big deal and we should make more of an effort to reduce CO2 emissions