Part 1:
Your ecological footprint is a measure of human demand with planet Earth's ecosystems, quoted by Wikipedia. What it does is compare the human demand with planet Earth's ecological capacity to regenerate. In doing this comparison you will get the amount of biologically productive land and sea area needed to regenerate the resources a human population consumes and to absorb and render harmless the corresponding waste. When you take this assessment you are able to see how many planet Earths it would take to support your lifestyle.
Part 2:
I took the ecological footprint quiz and my test showed that if everyone lived the way that I live we would need 3.4 earths! I was really shocked to get those results because I truly thought that I was better than that! I feel that since I live in an old house I really can not help some of the problems that contribute to my results being so uneco-friendly.
In my house we have the windows and doors sealed, the heat is also set at 65 degrees but our heating bill is always so high no matter what we do! I do feel that my house does need to work on turning off lights when not in the room. I think we could also do more unplugging electronics when they are not in use too. We also do pretty good on recycling. I myself line dry my clothes so that saves on some energy. I walk to school everyday and only drive when I need to go to the store or work (because my car is required for my job), but when I do go out for my drives I almost always try to see if anyone else needs to go too! I am also really proud to say that all my furniture is second hand, who needs something new when you can get it for half the price (or free) as something new!
I think one thing I should really work on is buying locally grown foods. Also food that does not require so much packaging. I could also work on buying products that are not so harmful as well.
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I like that you've identified specific behaviors to work on. Keep us posted on how those changes go!
ReplyDeleteIngrid- You seem to be very motivated to change some things in your life. I give you props. Feel free to call me if youre going somewhere, and I will do the same.
ReplyDeleteJust so you know--hang drying your clothes not only saves on energy, but I read a study about how it makes your clothes last longer. Not sure how credible the source was (Seventeen Magazine =) ) but either way I bet youre doing more for the environment than we are able to see.
Congratulations--You have the lowest number of "earth's I have seen so far"....
I hope everything at home is getting better! --S
Ingrid-
ReplyDeleteI was shocked as well after taking the quiz, except we would need more earths to support my lifestyle, so good job being more environmentally friendly than me! haha. I live in an old house as well, so it's difficult to change everything, but your suggestions such as buying foods locally are achievable! Good post!
I like how you mentioned the need to save more energy in our household! I think most of us are doing a good job by taking all the neccessary precautions, even if we aren't getting the outcome we desire! :-)
ReplyDeleteP.S. - LOVE the Kermit quote...it's very fitting!
Ingrid, Great idea with the window and door sealing, I remember my parents doing that when I was younger! Your layout was great as well as the links! Great job Ingrid keep up the good work!:) If you need anything this week blog me ing!;) Hang in there and keep it green hey if we needed to go home sometime perhaps we could car pool, that would help us both reduce!
ReplyDeleteIngrid-
ReplyDeleteYour motivation to change inspires me! My roomates and I have thought about doing the window sealing...but we are too lazy to actually do it! How pathetic is that? I think it would help us a lot on reducing our heating bill and making our house less drafty. You suggest easy and affordable ways to help our environment. Keep being creative! Your blog looks awesome;) I love the frog theme!
Hey Ingrid!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I really like your pic. It matches this post perfectly! It's really cool how you line dry your clothes...It seems rare to see people do that these days, probably because it takes more effort. I personally need to work on buying more local foods as well. Oh and ps. your little frog game is ridiculous! No game has ever angered that much. Also, I notice you hiccup quite a lot...a little trick to get rid of them is to eat a spoon full of peanut butter. I don't know what it is about it (maybe it clogs your hiccup valve in your throat?!) but your hiccups will disappear like magic!
ingrid, the frog walking up the wall is so funny, im glad you were able to get it! awesome, and so nasty also! have a good weekend
ReplyDelete