If everyone lived like me, we will need 2.2 Planet Earths to provide enough resources, as we can see below. An average person living in Ontario needs 3.58 Planet Earths.
I am really surprised with the result of my ecological footprint because I had no idea how my habits consume so many natural resources. Besides I cultivate some green habits as living in a house which has switched all the lights to fluorescent bulbs in order to reduce carbon dioxide pollution, unplugging my devices when they are not using to save energy and washing my dishes by hand instead using the dishwasher to save water and energy, this actions aren’t not enough to have a good footprint and I have so many things to do to improve it. Here are three actions that you could take to reduce my ecological footprint.
First of all, in Brazil I used to travel by car every day and now living in Canada I have the opportunity to strongly reduce the distance I current travel by car. This action has a significant impact in our environment. According Global Footprint Network (n.d), “If every person living in Ontario reduced the distance that he/she travels by car by half, we would reduce our Footprint by 27,774 global hectares. That is equivalent to 38,899 soccer fields” (para 5, footprint calculator section).
In addition, I need to reduce the amount of animal-products I current eat and replace it by meat-free meals. “If every person living in Ontario reduced the amount of animal-products that he/she eats by half, we would reduce our Footprint by 5,600 global hectares. That is equivalent to 7,843 soccer fields” (Global Footprint Network , n.d, para 5, footprint calculator section).
Finally, the last action to reduce the environmental footprint is take a local vacation inste...
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...novation and technology to try to find some substitute natural capital.
In addition, some countries are leading projects to work on strong sustainability. According to An oak tree in the garden, ‘Bolivia, for example, led by indigenous President Evo Morales, recently passed a Law for Mother Earth, effectively affirming the rights of nature “to exist, persist, maintain and regenerate its vital cycles, structure, functions and its processes in evolution.” Implicit in these rights is the idea that the Earth is a living, self-organizing entity that has rights equal to or greater than human beings, who are just one species in the whole community of life’.
Although Bolivia still vigorously required in asset extraction, it involves a huge movement in qualities and monetary needs where human and non-human thriving is recognized as the genuine objective of financial action.
One starting point to reducing the amount of greenhouse gases that you release is to find your carbon footprint. The carbon
Sustainable living to reduce your personal footprint (n.d.). In WWF Global. Retrieved May 4, 2014, from
In my day to day life I have several habits that would be considered harmful to the environment. Throughout this paper I will discuss some of these habits and ways to fix them. The bad habits I have chosen to discuss are; leaving my phone charger plugged into the wall, purposely taking the long way home from work, always choosing to drink bottled water over tap, and using plastic bags at the market and falling asleep with the television on. I am going to discuss how each of these has a bad impact to the environment and how I can help reduce the damage done by these bad habits.
There is no hesitation when it comes to whether humans impact the global environment. However, it is questioned in whether human’s ecological footprint is either negatively or positively impacting. In clear perspective, humans share from both sides and their ecological footprint is noted towards whether it will benefit or harm the environment around them. Topics such as overpopulation, pollution, biomagnification, and deforestation are all human impacted and can harm the environment, but some include benefits into helping the world around us with solutions to their problems.
One of the biggest controversies with livestock production is that the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that get released into the atmosphere. Its assumed that cars produce most if not all the greenhouse gas emissions however livestock has a big say in air pollution. According to Cassandra Brooks, writer for the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, 18 percent of all global greenhouse gas emissions are due to livestock production. This is nearly 20% and can be greatly reduced if people reduced their demand for meat. The Environmental Working Group used a tangible variable for Americans stating “if everyone in the U.S. ate no meat or cheese just one day a week, it would be like not driving 91 billion miles – or taking 7.6 million cars off the road” (Goffman 9). Instead of taking the bus to work, switching your diet around could make just as much of an impact on the environment.
Every day the world around us is changing ever so slightly in many different ways. Humans can affect the environment through our day to day lifestyle without even noticing the change. An ecological footprint is a measurement of how much a person uses the environment around them to live their life. This given measurement can help one to see their impact on the earth. It is an important tool to understand what actually a human does to change the habitat near them. My ecological footprint results gave me a perspective of how my daily life can impact the world I live in, as well as, how I as an individual can change my actions to make less waste on earth. It is also useful for each person to know their own ecological footprint since no one live
As a concerned human being for my current environment as well as the future to come, I agree with these four great tips: Reuse, Reduce, Recycle and buy Recycled as being an effective formula in guiding us to keeping the environment clean and reducing global warming. This would have to start with every individual working together to take the first steps in improving our environment.
Today, people use their own personal vehicles to travel more than ever before. Personal transportation is no longer considered a luxury; it is now considered a necessity. The number of cars in the United States has been growing steadily since the 1970s. The number of miles traveled by cars has risen nearly 150 percent, yet the United States population has only grown roughly 40 percent during that time (hybridcars.com, Driving Trends). Although it may seem like we are advancing into the future, in reality, we are moving backwards from the effects these vehicles have on our bodies and the environment. The pollution produced by these vehicles has brought us to the day where we must find other modes of transportation that cause less harm to the world in which we live. Advances in technology have developed hybrid vehicles to try and slow down the amount of pollution. Driving a hybrid vehicle, instead of a conventional gas powered vehicle, can reduce the amount of pollution that affects our lives and the environment around us.
For quite some time, life on earth has been nothing but peaches and cream for several people and because of people who live a non-sustainable life, it has left others with an indistinct outlook on earth’s future. Sustainability to me is doing things that will help prevent harmful things from happening to the environment now and in the future. With the support of the sustainability and more quality ways of living, the Earth Charter is gradually introduced. Through key research I will explain what the Earth Charter is and why it was founded, describe one of its four parts along with the goals and overarching philosophy, and share the impact it has on my life now and in the future.
A human induced global ecological crisis is occurring, threatening the stability of this earth and its inhabitants. The best path to address environmental issues both effectively and morally is a dilemma that raises concerns over which political values are needed to stop the deterioration of the natural environment. Climate change; depletion of resources; overpopulation; rising sea levels; pollution; extinction of species is just to mention a few of the damages that are occurring. The variety of environmental issues and who and how they affect people and other species is varied, however the nature of environmental issues has the potential to cause great devastation. The ecological crisis we face has been caused through anthropocentric behavior that is advantageous to humans, but whether or not anthropocentric attitudes can solve environmental issues effectively is up for debate. Ecologism in theory claims that in order for the ecological crisis to be dealt with absolutely, value and equality has to be placed in the natural world as well as for humans. This is contrasting to many of the dominant principles people in the contemporary world hold, which are more suited to the standards of environmentalism and less radical approaches to conserving the earth. I will argue in this essay that whilst ecologism could most effectively tackle environmental problems, the moral code of ecologism has practical and ethical defects that threaten the values and progress of anthropocentricism and liberal democracy.
Anthropocentrism is the school of thought that human beings are the single most significant entity in the universe. As a result, the philosophies of those with this belief reflect the prioritization of human objectives over the well-being of one’s environment. However, this is not to say that anthropocentric views neglect to recognize the importance of preserving the Earth. In fact, it is often in the best interests of humans to make concerted efforts towards sustaining the environment. Even from a purely anthropocentric point of view, there are three main reasons why mankind has a moral duty to protect the natural world.
Sustainability simply defined to me as balancing act between the development of sustainability is necessary for both planet Earth and humans to survive. This is reinforced in the World Commission on Environment and Development report (1987) that sustainable development must meet the needs of the present without compromising the well-being of future generations”. The Earth Charter Organization widened the idea of sustainability to respect for a culture of peace, universal human rights, nature, and economic justice (What is sustainability?, n.d.).
Newman, P. (1999). Transport: reducing automobile dependence. In D. Satterthwaite (Ed.), The Earthscan reader in sustainable cities (pp. 67-92). London: Earthscan Publications.
According to the internet human behavior has a very big affect on the environment. Environmental settings such as air pollution, oceans, energy, or noise are all sources that can negatively impact the environmental quality and conditions. Our daily routines have a huge impact on the environment and we do not realize it. New laws that are passing and educating people will help a lot. People are being educated on how to use less water, use our cars less, how to use less energy, and even taking reusable bags when going grocery shopping because plastic bags are very bad for the environment. There are simple solutions that can help in getting started with these efforts. Every little step and effort we make in our daily routines count.
Environmental health explains the quality of your home, work, school, and social environment. Even the health of our planet plays a factor, air quality and availability of clean filtered water and healthy food. Also the weather and pollution, exposures to chemicals are factors playing against environment. I read an article by Lecia Bushak and she had made up many ways to help improve our environment. “Earth Day isn’t the only day you can take steps to make the environment better. In fact, it’s really easy to go green on a daily basis, and in doing so, you’ll be improving your own life” (Bushak, 2015). Following her step I will do my best to not use my car as much. I will be recycling more that’s for sure. I also will start being better about monitoring my electronics and water use in my home! These few changes will make the difference in my environmental health and I am willing to make these changes!