Ecological Footprint

After completing the complex tables and forms, I have finally figured out my ecological footprint. I was shocked to find out it was 24.53 acres! I had expected it to be much smaller. I mean my lifestyle's pretty simple - I'm a student living in a room of about an area 150-200 sq. feet. But I have found out that I'm much more wasteful than I originally thought I was. Food waste, plastics, paper made up most of my trash. Styrofoam/packing took up little space in my trash. Plastics pile up in the form of straws, plastics bags from Bruin Cafe that I normally dispose of, lids of paper cups. Paper makes its way into my trash mainly in the form of flyers that I pick up from Bruinwalk, Daily Bruin newspapers, paper cups etc.

My average footprint is slightly above the average American's (around 24 acres), mainly because my transportation footprint was off the charts. My family is based in Dubai, UAE. So obviously I have no other option but to fly all the way there. For example, I flew to and fro once during winter break and then spring break again. This summer I'm going back home and I have to do the same thing all over again. Air travel is very uneconomical and expensive when it comes to oil and energy resources (A direct flight to Dubai is about 16 hours long.) However, it's not in my hands since I don't really have any other means of transportation. I don't own a car so I take the bus (which is more environment-friendly) whenever I go out with my floormates/friends if the place is not within walking-distance. These are some situations I can't help control. I must admit that I can however control my paper/plastic/styrofoam usage by becoming more economical. I have decided to pick up useless flyers and use re-usable mugs instead. I try to leave the lights off whenever I'm not in my room and I try not to leave the water running when I brush my teeth. I love long showers with hot water but after seeing my footprint results I have made up my mind against doing so. Hot water consumes a great amount of electricity and should be used only when absolutely necessary.

My short term goals - I plan to halve the amount of paper/plastics/food waste that go to trash per week. I also plan to use much less water during showers i.e. take a 20-minute shower instead of a 30-minute one.

My medium goal is to try and eat lower on the food chain. Even though I love meat, I have begun to cut it out of my daily diet completely. Sometimes I may indulge in Louisianian fried chicken but that's probably once in two weeks. I wish to spread knowledge about the know-hows of reducing one's footprint so more and more people on campus choose to live more sustainably.

My long-term goals include using the bicycle instead of taking the bus whenever possible. I plan to stay in the country during my short breaks instead of going back home. This is crucial since air travel contributes to most of my ecological footprint.