Blogs
How do these simulations relate to your community? Do any of them feel irrelevant to your context?
These simulations relate to my community, specifically the footprint calculator because I believe people in my community share the same factors that contribute to large carbon footprint. There are many factors that communities share but the ones unique to my communities would be diet and method of transportation. The first factor would be diet, the typical north american diet contains a lot of red meat. It is well known that most north americans often consumes red meat because of the famous fast food restaurants that originate from North America, the main dish is usually a hamburger. In a way it makes us unique from other nations. The con about this is that livestock contributes an estimated 18 percent to greenhouse gas emissions.
This part of the diet also relates to a smaller community, strength sports. Generally speaking, people in this community value protein consumption because it helps maintain and build muscle. Although some of the protein comes from crops like peanuts and soy, most people consume whey (an ingredient common in protein shakes, byproduct of cheese), meat and eggs.As a result this community will probably have a greater impact to greenhouse gas emissions than other communities with different diets.
A factor common in most cities would be the use of cars. In Edmonton, vehicles are used by a vast majority of people every single day. It is our main method of transportation. When I compare Edmonton to a small town like Jasper or Banff, I notice so many of the locals ride bikes or walk to get around the town. There are still lots of cars on the road but it is mostly from tourists.
None of the questions asked in the footprint calculator felt irrelevant to my context.
How do these simulations help you (or not help you) find your place in combatting climate change?
The footprint calculator has helped me find my place in combatting climate change because the footprint calculator divides my carbon footprint into categories that allow to see what I am able to improve on. For me, as an individual I can combat climate change by consuming less meat and eat more locally grown produce.
Have these simulations changed how you think climate change should be tackled?
It has revealed to me new things that played a role in climate change I didn’t know that had such a big impact, like the food I was eating. I was aware that livestock farming contributes to climate change but I wasn't aware of the extent of which it contributes. But this simulation hasn't changed the way that climate change should be tackled, instead it has reinforced my belief that fighting climate change starts with the things that we as individuals can control.
