What is your carbon footprint? Seems like an easy enough question but I’ve asked every person I’ve passed today, and no one could tell me. I started to ask my student’s to see if they know and I’m disappointed to say they don’t. Most of them aren’t even aware that they could personally make an impact negatively or positively. I am happy to say, a handful have taken me up on the opportunity to learn what their impact is. I hope you do too.
One of my juniors took the quick two-minute quiz and is totally disappointed in his score. His parents recently bought a plane and they take it everywhere. *Insert largest eye roll humanly possible here* Sorry kid, I suppose you’ll have to make up for your footprint in some other way.
I could sit here and spit out a slew of facts about how we’re actively destroying our planet. Let’s face it, reality, head-on. Because we are. Even with a relatively low impact score, I know there are a hundred ways I could do better.
The fact that anyone denies climate change is beyond me. It makes me want to shake people and scream a little. I’m lucky to live in an area where recycling is taken seriously and the roads are clear of garbage. I’ve driven through parts of this country that were cringe-worthy. Where people didn’t think twice about their impact.
I will say this, there are hundreds of small things we can all do to lower our impact on the earth. We only have this one. Here’s a short list and click anywhere on her to open a far more detailed list of 35 simple ways to help stop global warming.
- Replace Regular Incandescent Light bulb
- Drive Less or Carpool
- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
- Go Solar
- Buy Energy-Efficient Appliances
- Reduce Waste
- Use Less Hot Water
- Avoid Products With Lot of Packaging
- Install a Programmable Thermostat
- Turn Off the Lights
- Turn off Electronic Devices
- Plant a Tree
I saw this video yesterday and it’s pretty much fantastic. What I love, is while I’m talking about global warming to students today, someone mentioned this video. Most of the kids had seen it. So, while I couldn’t play it in class, I told them that at the end there’s a link to a website with a lot more information about how to lower your impact. I’ll tell you the same. Check it out, it’s sort of amazing. A relatable, fun, and humorous way to talk about a big issue. Then check out this link, and see what you can do. Every little bit helps.
Here are some more links to informative articles about climate change, what you can do to stop it, and how to stay informed. Information is power and you have a plethora of it at your fingertips. Take ten minutes today and learn something new.
https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/
https://welovetheearth.org/act-now/
https://www.carbontax.org/contact-us/best-articles/
https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/climate-monitoring/national/110/1/201903
mirandomreviews.com 