Blogs
1. Ecological Footprint Calculator
What part of your ecological footprint most surprised you?
I was surprised about the amount of carbon dioxide I produce. I knew that our world was facing carbon dioxide issues but when I saw the actual number, I was shocked; I had no idea that we are producing that much carbon dioxide. I was also surprised by how much of my ecological footprint is effected by services. I didn’t realize what a big impact services is in contributing to global warming.
How did your footprint compare to your city’s average (if available) and your country’s average?
I believe that my footprint was lower compared to my country’s average although my footprint was higher than some of my peer’s.
What parts of your footprint do you feel is possible to reduce? What parts don’t?
I think that it is possible to reduce all parts of my footprint. For every part of my footprint, there are alternative things I could do or use to reduce my negative impact. I’m not sure if I feel that it’s possible to eliminate my entire negative impact but there are certainly ways to reduce it. Certain areas seem easier to reduce than others and I’m not really sure how to reduce my impact in areas but I feel that it’s accomplishable.
Find a location with a smaller carbon footprint from yours, within your own country if possible. What is different about this community from your own? What can you learn from this?
The residents in Portland, Oregon have a smaller carbon footprint than me because they use a lot of public transportation and a lot of people use bikes to commute. This has taught me how using a more eco-friendly way of transportation can add up and make a bigger positive impact.
Read this article about large companies, individual actions, and climate change: http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/08/just-90-companies-are-blame-most-climate-change-carbon-accountant-says. What do you think are the limits and possibilities in affecting climate change by the reduction of individual footprints?
I think that the limits and possibilities are endless in affecting climate change by the reduction of individual footprints. Every person helps in a small way and when lots of people help, their small contribution becomes a big change. Just a few big companies could positively impact climate change by changing their habits. When one person or company makes a change, they inspire others to do the same. This helps in a big way and helps the world to unify and protect our earth.
2. Climate Challenge
What strategy did you take in Climate Challenge? Was it effective in reducing emissions?
I tried to pick policies that would be approved and that would reduce gas emissions. This did help with staying in office and negotiating with other countries, although this strategy wasn’t always effective. There would be other problems such as food and water shortages. Even if the carbon dioxide levels were low, the other areas would have issues.
What did you think of how the strategy cards represented resources? Do you think some of the strategies/policies would have different impacts than the ones shown in the game?
Overall, I think that the strategy cards represented the resources well. Some of the impacts in the game might be larger or smaller in real life but I felt that it was a pretty accurate simulation.
How did you approach international negotiations? Was it better to lead by example, or attempt to encourage other nations by investing in their green economies?
I invested in other nations but soon learned that leading by example was a better approach. Even when I invested in the other nations, they still didn’t fully agree with my changes and they didn’t trust me. Leading by example encouraged them to follow and join my policies and persuaded them towards better improvements.
3. Water Footprint Calculator
Were you surprised by how much water you consumed?
I was surprised by the amount of my footprint that was impacted by the meat I consume. I never realized how much meat impacts the water that I consume but the numbers seemed to make sense when I looked at them.
How did your footprint compare to your country’s and the world's average? (You will need to research this.)
My average was a little higher than half of the world’s average. My footprint was 693m^3 and the global average is 1243m^3. I was surprised that the averages were so different. I’m not quite sure how my water conservations are different than other consumers. I didn’t know my grossly yearly income so that could’ve swayed the data.
What parts of your footprint do you feel is possible to reduce? What parts don’t?
I think that it is possible to reduce the amount of meat and other foods I consume (those were the two categories that were the highest in the food component of my water footprint). I don’t think that it’s possible to reduce the cereal, fruit, vegetables, and dairy that I consume because the supplements would fall into other categories which wouldn’t reduce my footprint, my diet would just be different.
Do some research on a water-based conflict in your country. Which communities have access to water, which ones don’t, and who controls the resource use?
Most americans have access to water and will use an average of 80-100 gallons of water per day. 13-15 gallons of water is considered enough to stay clean. More than 6% of Alaskans don’t have running water and some only use 2 gallons of water per day. They access water from a branch of a nearby river and during the winter, have to lug blocks of ice home. Some towns use community wash bins to conserve water but this spreads infections and oftens causes residents to get sick. Alaska Public Media says that, “one in four infants is hospitalized for severe respiratory infection.” Sewage systems and plumbing are expensive and hard to install and maintain due to Alaska’s climate conditions. According to Alaska’s constitution, water is a public resource which belongs to Alaska residents and the resource is managed by the state in order for the public to receive maximum benefit.
