Discussion Welcome to Einztein
I saw the discussion further down about carbon footprints, so I tried it out. My guess was that I was below average for my country (US), but above average for the world. And, I was right. The total was 7115. But, for the US, that is FAR below average, 10,000 below, and well below average in every category.
But, it is very difficult to get it much lower. I do my best to lower my carbon footprint, but some things just can’t be avoided. I have to drive to get to work, no public transportation option. I have oil heat at home, but I’m renting, so I can’t do anything about it other than moving, which I can’t do right now. No public option for the store, I have to drive there, too. When I lived in the big city, I almost never drove anywhere, but once you leave, it is almost impossible to do anything without driving. That’s just how the US is set up. Kind of sad. And the city is just too expensive these days.
It seems like you are already doing a lot to lower your own footprint. I can suggest two things that you didn't mention: using warm or cold water in washes, and hanging clothes to dry when you can. Is there any way you can set up a drying line outside of your apartment window?
Also, you didn't mention your diet, which can be a huge contributor.
But the main thing on the level of individual footprints that you can probably do is to spread the word to others. Let your friends and colleagues know what you do to lower your footprint.
But as you rightly point out, we need to do more than individual actions- we need real and effective societal and global actions to get emissions under control.
best
Jason
Media & Content Design
ISCFC project
Stanford University
p.s. if we get additional funding, we plan to develop a college, middle school, and adult calculator based on the one you used - which is high school/secondary school focused
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