The ecological footprint of man is a debatable issue because every year people are causing more and more damage to the environment, which already has extremely negative consequences, not to mention the future. In this essay, I'm going to look at the three main factors that determine our ecological footprint, namely food, homes, and driving, and how we can reduce it.
Stop Eating Processed, Packaged Food to Allow for Your Ecological Footprint to Decrease!
Food is something we have to consume on a daily basis to survive. Food is prepared in many ways, packaged in many ways, and often grown in different areas. But the way we chose to cook and eat our food is completely up to us and what we prefer, but what we prefer may not be beneficial for our health and can increase our ecological footprint. In order to lower our ecological footprint, we as consumers need to make sure the food we eat is locally grown, allowing for easy transportation, is unprocessed and unpackaged, and this is healthier for us as individuals.
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The dominance of beef (31%), dairy (18%), and chicken (13%) is quite clear, accounting for 62% of the total footprint. In some ways, this is logical because before animal products can be consumed, the animals must first be reared using the feed, which itself can be quite carbon-intensive to produce. Most food supplied cannot be eaten and this goes to waste. Fresh food is mostly lost during repackaging within the stores, the main cause of food loss in retail is that shops cannot always sell food before the expiry date, and all the food is just thrown away, which is thousands of food items per week. We waste food at home due to the fact that we do not eat all the food we buy and most food is lost during the process of cooking. Foods are grown, processed, packaged, and transported very differently depending on the kind of food group, therefore their footprints are thus very different. The main point of emissions being released occurs during the production of food. This means how our food is produced is the most important factor in our food footprint. Methane emissions occur mostly due to enteric fermentation in animals like cows, sheep, and goats, so they are largely limited to the beef and dairy food groups.
A method we can use to lower our ecological footprint is to change our diet. I am personally trying to change my diet, and although it is quite difficult to stick to, I am trying my best to stick to it so that I can benefit animals, my health as well as my ecological footprint. Foods such as animal products are less efficient than that plant products and therefore need far more energy to produce these types of food. Therefore, we must not eat processed foods or lower our intake of processed foods. We must cut down on animal-based products due to the fact that the animals are fed before with a feed that contains many chemicals such as methane and substances which may not be healthy for us. If we do this, we will be saving the lives of thousands of animals that are slaughtered daily to feed us, as well as helping our ecological footprint.
Live Big and Have Little, or Live Small and Have Many
Besides food, our homes are also determined our ecological footprint. A home is a building that accommodates me as well as my family and has everything we value in it. A house is a roof over our heads and protection through the cold, heat, storms, and more. A house can often be taken for granted and not used to its full potential, for example, I don't need a massive house for a family of 3, as it would just result in extra cost, extra space waste, and much more. A house with a smaller lawn compared to a house with a big lawn has a smaller ecological footprint, whereas a house with a big lawn has a larger ecological footprint. To lower the ecological footprint, we should stay in a smaller house that still accommodates every member of the family. In order to keep the ecological footprint at a minimum, we should use renewable resources to build the house and make sure it is energy efficient. Some housing appliances that I have in my home, such as the electric stove and refrigerator, are not energy efficient, and this can lead to my ecological footprint increasing drastically. I also never turn appliances off even when I am not using them, which is a major problem. House appliances such as dryers take up a lot of energy and this increases our energy consumption. Houses with larger lawns tend to have a higher increase in our ecological footprint due to the fact that all kinds of chemicals and substances are used to keep our grass green and allow for growth. People normally do not think of any harm done when they add these chemicals to their lawns, but it can be detrimental.
To try to preserve energy it is highly recommended to buy energy-efficient light bulbs, and it is essential to remember to turn off all electronic devices when they are not in use. By making some changes to our home appliances, we can reduce our ecological footprint quickly, such as by not setting the fridge and freezer too cold and making sure it is sealed properly. Dryers and washers of high efficiency are non-efficient and we can solve this problem by using a washing line. By doing all of these things, we are not only making our bills cheaper, but we are being more beneficial to the environment. This will be very beneficial to lowering our ecological footprint. To lower our ecological footprint through the size of our houses, we can think about buying or renting a house with a smaller lawn as well as a smaller homing space. Many people have big lawns that they don't use. For example, I live on a property with approximately 10 000 m2, and more than half of the property is never used. And my house is approximately 700 m2, and we don't use most areas of the house. I could lower my ecological footprint by staying in a smaller house with a smaller lawn space; this could be beneficial and the house will feel more homely and more welcoming.
Walk More, Drive Less
And finally, driving is also a factor in our environmental footprint. A car is a piece of machinery that every person desires and makes use of due to the machine’s ability to get us from one place to another faster than walking. Although a car is very beneficial to us, it comes with a lot of issues, such as the release of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emission which pollutes our air as well as our ocean waters. We see hundreds of cars on a day-to-day basis, and each car releases chemicals, which is harmful to our earth. A habit that could be very beneficial for the economy and one which would help impact our ecological footprint is driving less or not driving at all. If a person tends to be reliant on a car, then it would benefit their environmental footprint if they switched to an electric vehicle, as it is better for the environment.
When I was driving my car today I happened to notice that there is a lot of noise that is being released through the car’s engine throughout the course of driving. This can also be known as noise pollution. I like to think that noise does not affect us in any way, it is just noise, but it can. Having been exposed to excessive noise can often cause multiple health issues, such as an increase in our amount of stress, poor concentration, loss of productivity, and difficulties in communicating with others, as well as lack of sleep, which can cause fatigue. This can thus lead to an increase in one’s ecological footprint. Also, while driving my car, I understand that the car releases a gas known as CO2, which can be quite detrimental if released in large quantities. The vehicles which we drive on a day-to-day basis are one of the major causes of global warming. Air pollution kills more than 2 million people each year, according to a study published in the journal of Environmental Research Letters.
We can reduce our ecological footprint by catching a ride with a friend, walking, or using public transport instead of traveling all by ourselves. If our vehicle produces a lot of noise, we should try getting an exhaust silencer fitted for our vehicle. I find that this will lower the amount of sound produced by my vehicle and will be beneficial for myself as well as the people traveling around me. If this is not an option, individuals can wear earplugs to block out the sound; by wearing earphones, the sound of the vehicle, machinery, or object will be blocked out or silenced a little, so that it will not affect people as much as without the earplugs. Moreover, it would be extremely beneficial to use electric vehicles, where electricity is used instead of fuel, resulting in less emission. The more cars that are made and sold, the better it will be for the environment as well as the people. When the electricity that is being used comes from renewable sources, all-electric vehicles will be producing zero emissions whilst driving.
Conclusion
In summary, our actions are increasingly damaging the environment, increasing our ecological footprint every year. We must finally realize all this and do everything to change it.
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