End of Quarter: Eco Footprint Re-Evaluation

Well, we've reached the end of the quarter, and that means it's time to see how I did on reducing my footprint!

After this quarter, my footprint went down quite a bit! I was able to click the box that corresponded with turning off my computer and monitor, which helped to reduce my carbon footprint. I also felt really good about the fact that I have been eating organic produce and that I have quit Kraft mac and cheese. In my first eco footprint evaluation, I had checked "almost never" box, but can now say that I "sometimes" buy organic or sustainably-produced foods.

The one area I felt unsure about was the carnivore/omnivore question in the food footprint. I had originally checked the carnivore box in my first evaluation. This time around, I clicked on the omnivore box, but I didn't feel as though I was eating that well. I did cut down on meat, I was having two meatless meals per week at least (sometimes more because pb&j is so easy and delicious). Even still, I felt that I didn't fit the omnivore description. I feel like there might be a step in between the two. It seems hard to capture the amount of meat you eat in the answers they have you choose from. Oh well... it is still very encouraging to see my progress.

Because I live in an apartment right now and have a very limiting income, there are a lot of things I want to do but have to wait until I can afford/accommodate. Things like solar panels, water recycling system, energy saving appliances, growing my own fruits and vegetables, and raising my own chickens (and maybe cows, we'll see how that goes).

*For my readers*
Thank you for following along with me on this journey. If you enjoyed this blog, then I challenge you to evaluate your eco footprint and make a few attainable and measurable steps to reducing your footprint!

Eco Footprint update #3

Things have been going stellar after my reevaluation!

I have been keeping up with my 2 meatless meals each week. This usually consisted of lunch, but the other night I had tacos without the ground beef. It was delicious and I will be adding that as an easy vegetarian meal now.

When it comes to the organic foods, I have continued purchasing organic produce, though this has mostly been my fruit for lunch. In addition, I have been able to resist the urge to eat Kraft mac & cheese so far this week. This is an incredible improvement of my habits. And, as I promised, if I do feel the urge for some comfort food, I will make the choice and purchase the organic box of pasta.

And last comes my initiative to turn off my computer's power strip at night. I raised the pot on this one to 3 nights a week in my reevaluation, and so far, this has been going better than before. I have been able to remember turning it off, but am choosing to do so on the nights that I'm not up til 5am - this way, the action has a greater impact of energy conservation.

I'll check back in next week!

Eco Update #1

     Well, it has been a week since I calculated my Eco footprint, and I have to say, it’s harder to stick to some of these goals than I had thought. My first action was to purchase more organic foods, starting with organic produce. I hadn’t quantified this goal in my first post, so I’ll do it here: I will try to buy organic produce for 3 meals a week. I have not stuck to my goal this week as my husband did the grocery shopping and didn’t purchase any organic produce.

     My next goal was to switch off my computer’s power strip two nights a week. I have done this one night this week, but mostly haven’t been able to simply because I have been on the computer all night long! For 3 nights this week, I have been up until 5 or 6 in the morning doing homework, and in my tired state, I’ve been forgetting to change my habits. :/  

     My last goal has been easier to stick to. I chose to eat a meal without meat at least once a week, and found that I did this twice this week, once eating a pb&j, and once eating chips and salsa (both were for lunch). I figured that I might be able to challenge myself to eating a meatless meal 2x per week next time.

     It hasn’t been very easy to change long-standing habits, but then again, nothing that’s worthwhile is ever easy.

My Eco footprint is a size 8, too.

My eco footprint results showed that if everyone lived like I do, we would need 4.03 Earths to sustain ourselves! Wow… I suppose I expected my consumption to be on the high end, but put into terms like that, it hits a little harder somehow. 

The area that contributes most to my footprint is my food consumption; I was above the national average in this area. I think this is because I answered that I shop mostly at supermarkets, convenience stores, and restaurants. I do weekly shopping at Fred Meyer, one trip to Costco a quarter to get deals on bulk items, and I enjoy going out to eat (Jalapeno’s at the end of the quarter is a nice treat). I also have a carnivorous diet, eating at least one meal with meat or dairy a day.

The electricity I use to heat my apartment (<1000 sq. ft.) is minimal. I usually keep the heater in my living room on under 60 degrees (it’s actually really cold, but I love blankets), and only turn on the heaters in the bedrooms when I’m using them, with the doors closed to keep the heat in. Appliances in the kitchen are unplugged until they’re used (microwave, toaster oven, espresso machine, and toaster). Since moving to Bellingham, I have driven very little. I walk to school daily, and only really drive to get groceries and out to eat. The most I’ve driven is back down to Everett maybe 4 times to visit family. This has resulted in very low mileage currently.

                

The housing footprint was lower than I thought would be, as I live in an apartment building that seems it was built in the 70s. The complex has over 20 units, none of them have water saving features, and I’m doubting the buildings are made of efficient products. As for my water saving habits, I think I’ve only washed my car once, and only do laundry when there’s a full load to run.

                

My goods and services footprint being low might be a product of my limited funds (that’s putting it lightly). I live within my means most of the time, but I’m really stingy right now trying to save as much as possible for after graduation. I also don’t replace most things until I truly need to. This category is also low because I throw everything I can into recycling, leaving me with less than a bag of garbage a week.

Actions to take:

         1)  The first action I plan to take is to start buying more organic and sustainable foods. I usually don’t do this because it’s more expensive, but I can start by purchasing more organic produce.

      2)   I turn off my TV power strip, but I don’t do it to the computer one, and that will be my 2^nd step. I will work towards turning this off at least 2 nights a week.

      3)    Finally, I’m going to try to eat less meat and dairy products, starting with having one meal without meat a week. This will help with my health as well as the Earth’s. And hey, I love pb&js.

I look forward to making these changes in my life and seeing the results at the end of the quarter.