The Wake

If everyone lived like me, we would need 3.82 planets of resources to be sustainable. This is severely disturbing and in fact quite disgusting. I had a very high food footprint compared to the national average, and I think this is because I eat out probably more than the average American. I’m not a vegetarian, I don’t buy organic and natural foods, and I eat at least two large meals a day. If I wanted to decrease my footprint in the most effective way possible, I would definitely have to start with my eating habits. Unfortunately, being a college student limits the amount of money you can spend on food as well as where you get it. I could start shopping for natural and organic foods, eat less meat, and most importantly of all buy local! I could also start turning off appliances more often because there is no need to have them on as much as I do. I have two power strips that I could turn off at night and when I’m not home or using them. This is just a start to listing off the things that I could easily do for our planet.

The U.S. has the largest average ecological footprint worldwide at 98.48 hectares per person. It is strikingly obvious that the U.S. consumes much more than its resources are capable of sustaining. As Al Gore says, “political will is a renewable resource.” In many respects we probably do not want to do things like less developed countries, but they do hold the framework for a more sustainable lifestyle.

The footprint sizes in hectares for the developing countries of Mexico and China are 23.14 and 12.46. People living in developing countries simply do not consume anywhere near the amount of waste that U.S. citizens do. For unfortunate reasons, they live more sustainably than any of the citizens in affluent countries do. What we can learn from them is how to use only what we need and the ability to understand that we are capable of living modestly, among other things.

Personally, I think doing an ecological footprint really opens your eyes to how much consumption takes place in our nation and how much we think we need to survive when we don’t. I learned that there are many things I can do to start living more sustainably. I need to change the way I shop for
food, what I consume in terms of food, be conscious of how much energy I use in my apartment, and limit my transportation via cars, buses, and planes. I am more motivated than ever before to begin changing my lifestyle. There are so many things we can do that hardly take any effort at all. Sustainability is feasible, and doing an ecological footprint is a good way to figure out where you are making the biggest impact; so go to myfootprint.org today and starting changing your
lifestyle!