My Footprint 04-22-14

1. This link will allow you to find your global & carbon footprint: http://footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/calculators/
2.This site is targeted more towards a home owner, a child may fill it out with a parent's help.
3. My footprint:
                 a) # Earth's I would need: 4.3
                 b) Pounds of Carbon Dioxide: 21
                 c) Acres of land you need: 19.1
4.Ways to reduce my footprint:
    a)Myself-Eating less packaged foods, more local
                 - Take shorter showers
                 - Use less electrical appliances
    b)The school- Build more interest in recycling
                        - Educate/remind people to turn of lights when rooms are not in use
                        - Have less people running water when they are in a bathroom
    c)The community- Have the community plant gardens for food and/or shop more locally
                              - Promote people walking or riding bicycles when running ( ;) ) small errands.
                              - Get people to spend time in other ways than watching TV or using the computer.
5.  Within the National Geographic video we watched, were many facts and statistics on the average American's footprint on the planet.  The video was very informative, with pictures that represented the quantities of different materials people use.  Showing a gigantic mound of disposable diapers, the amount one baby would use in their lifetime, or a car, showing the weight of hamburgers that an average American would eat in their lifetime.  The visual representations were good for hitting home of how much we really waste while living on the planet.  The amount of garbage in landfills and the ocean, enough to circle the earth numerous times, is inconceivable to my mind.  I feel that my family really tries to be conscious of our impact, but we still have a ways to go if we want our home planet to be healthy.