My Ecological Footprint

Let me start off by saying wow, this was not what I was expecting at all. I know that I'm not the most "earth conscious" consumer and it really showed when I saw my results. I try to recycle when I can and turn lights off when I'm not in the room, but I am aware that there is always more that I can be doing. What I found even scarier was that I was lower than the country average-by almost 1.5 earths! Although this is only a short quiz, it really shows how much more we can, and should be doing to protect our planet and sustain life for many years to come. Although I am only one person, I think that small steps by individuals are what is going to improve this planet for everyone.

1. My first goal to reduce my ecological footprint will be limiting my dining out on a weekly basis. With a busy work and school schedule it's easy to convince myself that eating out is the best solution. Not only does this contribute to a large consumption of unidentified food sources, but it is also an unhealthy lifestyle. By reducing my dining experiences to only one time a week, including fast food and sit down style meals I hope to reduce waste and become more aware of the places my food is coming from. I will attempt to plan meals and buy groceries I need to make these meals in an effort to reduce waste.

2. My second goal also has to do with food consumption as I felt like it was on par with the country average and I felt it would be the best for me to change. For my second goal I will try to go meatless for one meal a day (excluding breakfast because I normally do not consume meat for that meal). As I already do not consume any red meats (pig, cow, or lamb) it has been a goal of mine to continue to cut out the meats that I do consume. I feel that this will be a good start to reach the goal that I have been trying to see through for over a year.

3. My third goal will be to take shorter, less hot showers. I am addicted to taking long, hot showers and I realize this is not good for the environment or my bank account. In an attempt to take shorter showers I will try to limit myself to no longer than ten minute showers (this may not seem very short, but to me that is one quick shower!)

I hope that my goals will help to reduce my ecological footprint and I can continue to think of other ways to improve my impact on the environment.