Persuasive Essay On Carbon Footprint

The world in which we live in at the moment has become poisonous. It has been poisoned by the human species’ daily survival activities. Humans around the world have taken for granted the daily impact that we have on the natural world. It all boil down to each and every breath that we take. Each and every breath that we exhale releases poisonous chemicals into the atmosphere. Until when our existence becomes absent, the world will remain poisoned.
Carbon footprint can be defined as the amount of greenhouse gases an individual produces at a time through diverse activities. A person’s carbon footprint is the sum of all emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), which were induced by an individual’s daily activities for a given time frame. CO2 is one of the many greenhouse gases that are responsible for causing global warming which we are currently experiencing today. Carbon footprint is an extremely powerful tool which we can utilize to understand the impact that our personal activities have on global warming.
Through

various daily activities and different factors, the University of Florida’s campus and its residents releases an unimaginable amount of CO2 into the atmosphere, contributing to the overall carbon footprint of the campus. Here at the University of Florida’s campus the primary source of carbon footprint is the emission of CO2 into the atmosphere from different factors activities. These factors and activities include but are not limited to the means of transportation within our campus and electricity usage of the campus as a whole. Once we can reduce the usage of such means, we will reduce the carbon footprint of our campus ultimately.
This issue is important and should be taken seriously due in part on the basis that the concern of CO2 emission into the atmosphere affects each and every living body on the planet. On a broader spectrum, the amount of CO2 that we release into the atmosphere daily affects the global environment immeasurably. The threats that global warming present are detrimental. For instance, the North Pole used to be a great habitation that supported enormous ecosystem. North Pole provided a safe and comfortable home for many magnificent creatures such as the polar bears, arctic foxes, narwhals, walruses, seals, orcas, snowy owls, and many others among these. These creatures have found a safe haven here since man can recall. Due in part to extensive CO2 emission into the air, the weather here has become hotter that it has ever been in the past centuries. The waters are becoming warmer than ever experienced in the history of humankind. These creatures were made to sustain extreme cold temperatures that the North Pole can undergo. Unfortunately, the temperature is raising at a tremendous rate, causing these innocent animals to start vanishing. Because of their physical features such as thick furs and cold resistant skin, they cannot withstand the heat that global warming is creating. This is how our carbon footprint contribution affects the globe.
On a health standpoint, our own CO2 emission into the atmosphere backfires on us here on our own campus. The impact of CO2 on our health might be gradual, but it is lethal. As we go about leading our daily lives, we do not realize the health risks that surround us. Each and every day, we are exposed to CO2 regardless of where we are. Where a high concentration of CO2 is present, the amount of oxygen available is limited. Progressively, we will start to experience asphyxia or the lack of oxygen in our bodies. This can be present in the form of unexpected headaches, dizziness, and restlessness throughout the day. Have you ever wonder why all the sudden you become dizzy? This is due in part to the lack of fresh air in your lungs. Continual exposure to greater amount of CO2 can increase a person’s blood pressure, cause coma, and convulsion. These unexpected minor setbacks they tend to become major factors which contribute to students’ lack of full engagement in their courses and faculty and staff’s lack of enthusiastic interaction with the students. As a result, the university as a whole tend to fall behind compared to other institutions of higher learning. If nothing is implemented promptly, the outcomes of our stubbornness will be unbearable.
Alternatives
Breathe in, breathe out. Just as simple as that, you have release CO2 into the air. The mere existence of the human kind poses a threat to the planet. Instead of trying to control what we are not capable of controlling, we can start right here on our campus where we can manipulate most of the factors that contribute to our carbon footprint. Individually, we can all come together to stope global warming starting from within. However, in order to achieve great measure and maintain a sustainable environment, we have to turn to our elected officials here on our campus. These are the individuals that will support our effort and implement comprehensive set of modifications on our campus.
Preeminently, electricity usage on our campus contributes the greatest amount of CO2 into the atmosphere; thus, greatly increasing the school’s overall carbon footprint.

Based on Laurel Nesbit, a program assistant in the Office of Sustainability here at UF, our campus manages to utilize 470,000 Megawatts of energy annually. This figure is generated from all the energy-consuming gadgets that operate on our campus on a daily bases. These gadgets include computers that are left turned on over the night even they are not in use, copiers, and the fume hoods in our laboratories. Admittedly, the success and the health of wellbeing of the students is contingent upon some of these equipment. For instance, the laboratories need the fume hoods in order to keep the experimenters safe. Instead of casting these necessities away, we can develop alternatives which will be capable of generating energy in order to compensate for the electricity that we endlessly

consume.
We can go about accomplishing the task of developing alternative means to creating energy by looking right here on our campus. When I look at how often individuals on campus push on doors to get in and out of buildings, I see a way in which energy can be produced. We are already doing this; unfortunately, this idea is only present on one building. Similar to how the George A. Smathers library, better known as Library West, has a revolving door at the main entrance, my proposal is to make other buildings that people use ceaselessly throughout the course of the day have these doors. These doors are being used to prevent drafts. They act as airlock, reducing the amount of air that escapes out of the building; as a result, the supply of energy needed to cool or heat the building is minimized. Coinciding, these doors allow more people to walk through the door at once. This means that the door will not be opened multiple times. In addition to preventing air infiltration, if this idea is introduced to great ingenuity, the same doors can be used to produce energy on their own. These doors can use the power of each person that can through the door to harness pure energy. The traditional doors of the building entrances can be replaced with revolving doors that produce energy when used. In literal terms, whenever someone opens the door, energy is generated literally. Although it might cost the school considerable funds, this is for the greater good of every individual here on campus and eventually the entire world.
From a biological perspective, our campus does not have enough green space that can help in our effort trying to make the ratio of the amount of CO2 in and oxygen in the atmosphere equal to each other. In order to resolve this inequality, it is in our best interest that we plant more trees and grasses on our campus. As I walk through the campus from class to class, I have noticed that the amount of trees and grass-land area are insufficient to compensate for the CO2 emissions we release into the atmosphere. For instance, every turn that you take, you will find sidewalks because there are not plants in that place. These sidewalks they also contribute to the overall CO2 that we emit into the atmosphere. Because these sidewalks are made of concrete, they release heat into the atmosphere when they are exposed to the sun. Undeniably, the physical plant department here on our campus, does an outstanding work day and day out trying to maintain the plants. Unfortunately, we simply do not have enough plants on our campus.
Along with increasing the green space area, we also need to decrease the number of scooters that operate on our campus. Scooters are a great source of most of the CO2 that we are accounted for. For approximately every four miles that a scooter is driven, the scooter releases one kilogram of CO2 emission into the atmosphere (Time for Change, 2015). This amount of CO2 might seem as alarming, but if the number of scooters present of our campus is considered, this is deadly. We can go about reducing scooters on our campus by developing an age limitation on individuals that can own and operate a scooter on campus. Targeting a more mature population is ideal because they are attend more to future consequences of their actions. In addition to meeting the required age, they will be required to attend an environmental course that will educate them about the results of CO2 in our atmosphere. Once they understand how they are impacting the environment, they will be driving with a beating conscious, which wants a prosperous future for the generations to come.
Solutions’ Feasibility
In the effort to sustain our environment, replacing traditional doors on building with revolving doors is an effective approach to renewable energy. A Netherland based door manufacturer, Royal Boon Edam has proven it to be feasible. Royal Boon Edam installed this revolving door at the entrance of the Driebergen-Zeist railway station in the Netherlands. As long as people continue to walk through the door, the door will generate approximately 4,600 Kilowatts of energy yearly. It may not seem to be enough, but every little energy that we can create sustainably counts. Further, this amount is what an average household consumes annually. This can be used in conjunction with other sources to power the hood fumes in the laboratories, which consumes four times as much as a typical house. In the media today, they are saying that in order to combat our current state of global climate, we need to open new doors. Why not start from here.
The number of sidewalks can be reduced in order to add more green space on our campus. The trees that we have on our campus are scattered far apart from each other. Although they might seem to be enough number of trees present on campus, they are far apart from one another; as a result, they do not serve their purpose. Increasing the green space on our campus will produce more oxygen into the atmosphere. Although the general student body, faculty, and staff is large and needs the space to walk on, we have to look at what is at the greater good at stake. In the long run, we have to consider the danger that we are currently exposed to due to the lack of sufficient oxygen.
Reducing the number of scooters on campus is not only sustainable, but as well as safe for the general body. Limiting the number of scooters that operates on our campus will create less accidents, and reduce the amount of CO2 that we are accounted for. In the course, there will be a commutative assessment at the end of the course to assess the students’ knowledge. This assessment will determine if the person is capable of operating the scooter in a sustainable manner.
In conclusion, while our planet is going through the most global warming that it has ever experienced, there are procedural steps that we can take in order to sustain the Earth for future generations. We can begin locally and expand outward with time. An effective alternative is the use of revolving doors on our campus. Additionally, we need to increase the green space on our campus; as well as reduce the amount of scooters that operate on our campus.