Holly Talkington
ESR 171
Professor Kevin Lien
Winter 2015
Individual
Sustainability
What
is your impact on this planet? How can you reduce your impact? Everything we do
impacts ourselves and the world around us; whether it’s driving, what we buy,
what throw away, and so forth. By becoming more sustainable as an individual it
will help lower the ecological footprint. This is crucial if we are to have a
healthy planet.
What’s
the issue you may ask? According to data from footprintnetwork.org in order for
earth to supply us with our resources and absorb our waste we need one and a
half earths. Wait, one and a half earths to continue living the way we do?! We
only have one planet! Where are we going to obtain another half of a planet? On
top of that, if we continue at the rate we are going by 2030 that will increase
to two earths!
What
is contributing to the need for so many earths? It is the use of fossil fuels
to power our cars, to make our goods, and so forth. Deforestation is another
contributor to build our homes, have fires, make household goods, and more. Our
growing landfills of all our waste are another contributor. These are just a
couple examples of what is causing us to need extra earths than we have.
These
actions can lead to a loss of natural resources and the collapse of ecosystems,
the economy, and even societies. All of our dumping and use of fossil fuels is
polluting our water, air and soil. This creates an unhealthy environment for us
and all the other species that inhabit the planet. With an unhealthy
environment we create health issues and are losing biodiversity.
This
is where you come in. By living a more sustainable life we can start reducing
our footprint and avoid these catastrophic events from happening. By adjusting
simple life choices that you do will produce a difference in our ecological
footprint. Use energy efficient bulbs and turn off the lights when you’re not
in the room. Unplug vampire electronics such as your TV, chargers, stereo and
other similar items. Buying local to support your local economy and to reduce
the miles your product has to travel. Eating organic and little to no meat.
Using reusable products such as shopping bags, to-go containers, coffee mugs,
straws, and water bottles will divert waste from landfills. Try to reduce your
amount of driving, carpool, public transit, and/or bike to reduce emissions
going into the air. These are just a few simple and painless changes; there are
numerous other ways we can start reducing our ecological footprint.
Adjusting
our lifestyle is necessary for all of us to start creating a difference in our
impact on the planet. It also influences others around us to do the same as
well. We all need to take the initiative and do our part. I fancy living on a
healthy planet rich in biodiversity and I know I am not the only one. Remember,
every little bit counts.
Bibliography
Web Site: Schueler, John. Are Energy Vampires Sucking You Dry?.
<http://energy.gov/articles/are-energy-vampires-sucking-you-dry>.
Accessed 2015 February 5.
Web Site:
Global Footprint Network. World Footprint, Do We Fit on the Planet?.
<http://footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/world_footprint/>
Accessed 2015 February 10.
Web Site:
Boston University. Ten Sustainable Actions.
<http://www.bu.edu/sustainability/what-you-can-do/ten-sustainable-actions/>
Accessed 2015 March 2.
