User:

delossantos

Date:

Oct 15, 2009 20:06

I had almost the same results as you. My food footprint was also my highest and my carbon the lowest. My family doesn't own a car so I mostly walk to school or anywhere else unless the weather isn't in my favour then I am forced to take the bus to certain places. However, I don't think the quiz impacted me as much as it did you. As much as i would love to reduce my footprint, I actually believe that I haven't been doing anything wrong. I eat meat as much as I do because of my culture and how my parents choose to buy the groceries. I recycle as much as I can but whenever I can't, I would rather throw out recyclables in any trash than have to litter it somewhere. I don't accept plastic bags from stores unless I absolutely have to. I think I have been doing my part, and in my head these numbers are simply numbers. In other words I think as much as even the most environmental people would want to reduce their footprints, sometimes its just plain hard to do. Change is hard.

User:

Karen48

Date:

Oct 15, 2009 20:38

After taking this ecological footprint quiz, I had roughly the same results. The category in which I scored the highest was food and the lowest was housing. If everyone lived like me, we would need 4.10 planets. These results motivated me and also got me in to thinking about changing my actions and habits. If I didn’t take this quiz, I would have never known that food would be my highest category. Every little thing I did impacted on the environment and I did not notice that. I believe it is good that people are suggesting ways to change and to reduce their footprints. But the important thing is, are we willing to and can we? Buying food from farmer markets, becoming a vegetarian, eating less meat, planting a garden and buying food with less packaging are excellent ways to reduce your footprint. I thought of these ideas but I do not have time to grow a garden and it would be hard for me to become a vegetarian. I will try to eat less meat and less meals because that can balance out my diet. It can also benefit my health. Since my parents decided on what to purchase for our groceries, I will try to ask them to purchase products with less packaging and from farmer markets. Change is hard but we can all start with the smallest change. In order to change, we must sacrifice and think of the consequences that will occur in the future. Taking this quiz made me realize what the important issue is and I’m definitely willing to change as well.

User:

Vinuja21

Date:

Oct 15, 2009 22:38

After taking the Ecological Footprint Quiz I found out that my footprint was 58.59gha and that if everyone lived the way that I lived we would need 3.73 planets. My food footprint was 29.0gha which was my highest category, and the category that I scored the lowest on was Goods and Services which was 6.3gha. After taking this quiz I realized that I am motivated enough to start taking steps to lower my footprint. My main concer is lowering my food footprint and I am more then willing to do so. For starters I can begin to tell my mom to start my foods at the bulk store because things have less packaging, items are also cheaper their so that would also be a big draw for us. Also, purchasing foods that are organic and foods that are from framers market would significantly lower my food footprint. On the other hand, I would not consider becoming a vegitarian because I don't think I can do that. However, once a week (every Friday) I don't eat meat because my mother has asked me not too for reliogus reasons, and I more then likely will continue to do this. Taking this quiz did not just make me realize all the things that I have done wrong to increase my ecological footprint, but also a lot of the things that I have done right. For example, when my family goes grocery shopping we do not purchase plastic bags anymore we take reuseable bags from home, I always turn off the tap when brusing my teeth, all the lights in my house are turned off when no one is in the room, also our garden lights are solar powered, lastly my house has a small garden in our backyard. It also did make me realize all the things I do wrong, going in a car to get to places rather then taking the bus, my family own 3 cars, our heater is always on high during the winter time, etc. Thus, taking this quiz made me realize all the things I can do in order to reduce my footprint, and I am willing to do a lot and I know that when I get older I will be able to do more because I will be the one paying bills, and purchasing items.

User:

jellyfish

Date:

Oct 16, 2009 00:22

After taking the ecological footprint quiz, I was surprised by the result. My total footprint is 47.10 global hectares, which means we would need three planets to support us if everyone lived like me. Maybe the result is not quit accurate because some choices are out of my knowledge. However, it proved that I need to change the way I live to reduce my footprint. My highest score is on goods and services category, and I scored almost the same mark on my food category. For the goods and services category, I think it’s scored so high because I never did recycle in my house and I buy a lot thing. My parents maybe do recycle thing, but I didn’t pay attention. However, I do recycle paper cups or something like that when I was in public place. After doing this quiz, I would start doing recycle in my house, buy less and only buy things that I really need. For the food category, I guess I eat too much meat. I know the way I eat is not healthy, but I get use to eat that way. It’s hard to change habits. Anyhow, this quiz has impacted on me; I would be willing to change little by little with my habits and do any change that can reduce my footprint.

User:

ChristopherW

Date:

Oct 16, 2009 12:01

I'm in the same boat as all of you, I couldn't believe how high my food footprint and ecological footprint was in general(68.32gha). I mean my family recycles a lot and we rarely ever throw out anything that is still working-I've been using the same computer for the last 5-6 years, it ain't pretty and it's slow(256 MB RAM), but it gets things done. The same with our TV. Then again I guess they're not as energy efficient as the newer models, but throwing them out would mean more trash and chemical waste going to the dumps. Damned if I do, Damned if I don't, I guess. Anyways, getting back on track, I remember just a few days ago I was discussing with my dad at the grocery store about how we should buy more organic foods, but when we saw the prices for organic, we knew we couldn't live such a lifestyle. I know I should change because my way of life isn't sustainable, and with rising populations, I'll have to change one day, but for now I can't do much. I suppose I could try to get my family to cut down on meat, since we are more or less carnivorous day to day. It wouldn't be bad for our health either. A good thing that one of my teachers made me realize that I've already started doing was buying bulk. Its cheaper and it eliminates the packaging that we throw away so often. I've been considering becoming a vegetarian for a long time, but I've still got to figure out how to go about doing it while still getting the proper fats and proteins in my diet (its hard to find a plant source that provides complete proteins).

-Chris