Hey guys! These crazy times really tire us out without giving us time to think about everything else that's going on around us. A major aspect of our lives that we look over without a second thought is the environment. The environment provides all of the basics for our survival without any large investment on our part.
What is an environmental footprint?
An environmental footprint is the effect that a person has on the environment, either in the terms of natural resources they use or the amount of harmful gas they produce. Now, many people may think that they don’t have an environmental footprint, or that they are more eco-friendly than others. But the average carbon footprint in America is 16 tons, which is 4 times the global average. Not to mention the 49 tons that an average household in America produces annually. All actions from the efficiency of your appliances, the size of your household, how much you drive or fly, how much you recycle, and even how much you eat will affect the size of the environmental footprint.
How do I reduce my footprint?
The problem of producing a large carbon footprint is one that everyone struggles to solve, people try to find different ways of reducing their consumption of carbon footprints but there is still so much more that we can be doing. Travelling is one of the largest producers of carbon that we do on a daily basis. From driving to flying everything that we do has a large effect on the environment. Switching from our original gas consuming cars to all electric alternatives or even moving to public transportation is one of the biggest changes you can make as an eco-friendly citizen. Using energy efficient appliances is also a very large step in saving the planet: from your dishwasher to your washing machine, these machines can reduce your carbon footprint while also pushing you to think about the environment and the role you play in your community. Following those two actions, focusing on a healthy diet and how much and often you go shopping also determine your carbon footprint and the effect you have on the environment.
What are the effects of a high carbon footprint?
The livelihood of all animals, humans, and even the planet are at risk if we allow the carbon footprint to continue to grow without any repercussions. The carbon emissions trapped in our atmosphere cause global warming, leading to the melting of the polar ice caps, the rising of the sea level, the disturbance of natural habitats, extreme weather events, and many other negative impacts on our environments.
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