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Jared Jacoby

Advanced Newsgathering

Dr. Kotchemidova

December 2, 2019

Individual Footprint Reporting

Individuals can change the climate everyday with their consumption of food, water and

electricity. Everything people touch in their daily lives has a carbon footprint, which is an

amount of carbon dioxide pollution associated with its manufacture, transportation and disposal

according to the NASA article, “Control, don’t freak.” The more electrical energy from fuels that

are used, the more carbon dioxide is produced and pollution is caused.

One of the action steps that needs to be taken is to control one’s energy usage according

to the article. Author Laura Faye Tenenbaum encourages her readers to take responsibility of the

actions they can control. A couple examples that Tenenbaum gives include conserving

electricity, walking more often and buying less energy-intensive products. Small changes like

these can help reduce carbon emissions as opposed to driving and using electronics all day.

Meat consumption and production has major effects on the environment. Livestock are

usually fed vegetables and grain that require resources such as land, fuel, fertilizer and water

according to the article, “How Does Meat in the Diet take an Environmental Toll?” The process

of growing a livestock generates an amount of nitrous oxide which is way more dangerous than

carbon dioxide the author writes. The article adds that the cattle generate 20 percent of the

overall U.S. methane emissions. Another greenhouse gas that harms the environment.

Other environmental effects include a link between cattle ranching and deforestation

across the Amazon rainforest according to the article. The stock can also cause water pollution
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with their waste after eating food and being contained, the author writes. Despite these issues

that meat consumption can cause to the environment, many people eat meat in large quantities.

According to “Our World in Data,” the average person in the world consumed around 43

kilograms of meat in 2014. This statistic ranges from 100 kg in the US and to 5 kg in India. This

is an increase by 20 kg since 1961. The increase in capita meat reflects the growth of meat

production and how it has been faster than the rate of the population growth.

According to a BBC infographic provided by Poore and Nemecek, Beef has the biggest

carbon-footprint and impact of Greenhouse gas emissions per serving. The highest-impact of the

beef can cause 15 kg of greenhouse gas emissions with each serving. The highest-impact for

vegetable proteins emits less than low-impact beef. Another fact from the chart is how high-

impact chocolate emits even more than low-impact beef if it was made from a deforested

rainforest. Finally, nuts only has one impact and it emits less than one kilogram of gas.

Aside from food consumption, fossil fuels are also viewed as a problem with the

environment. Fossil fuels include coal, oil and natural gases. These fuels have played a huge role

in global energy systems accoriding to “Our World in Data.” Fossil fuels are a main cause of air

pollution and emitter of carbon dioxide along with other greenhouse gases.

Global fossil fuel consumption that the number of terrawatts of fossil fuel source

consumed goes up to 133,853.38 TWh according to “Our World in Data.” The three most used

fossil fuels in the US are coal, gases and petroleum according to “U.S Energy Information

Administration.”. These fuels make up over 80 percent of the energy consumption in the US.

However, EIA shows how renewable shares of energy consumption has been at a high since the

1930s. These renewables include solar and wind electricity generation, which is an alternative to

power from fossil fuels.

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Statistics from “Consumption by the United States” show that despite constituting just

five percent of the population, America consumes 24 percent of the world’s energy. On average,

one American consumes as much energy as six Mexican or 370 Ethiopians according to the site.

By the time the average American reaches the age of 75, they produce 53 tons of garbage. The

average individual daily consumption of water is 159 gallons of water, despite the worldwide

population being able to live on 25 gallons. These facts from “Consumption by the United

States” show how much consumption is being caused by the average American.

Some students at Spring Hill College try to incorporate ways into helping the

environment with small steps. For example, Spring Hill College senior Chase Brouillette said

that he walks to his classes instead of driving to them. “I prefer walking to Carpe Diem since it is

a short enough distance,” said Brouillette. Students can also ride their bikes to class on the

sidewalks and Brouillette said that his roommate gets from place to place on his bike.

At McKinney’s, the restaurant uses paper straws instead of plastic ones. “Most straws are

one use and paper straws decompose quicker than regular straws do,” said Brouillette smiling.

Other actions taken include several students using their water bottles at fountain drinks instead of

plastic cups. A junior, Hannah Shaffett, said she avoids using more than two of the plastic cups a

day since they are unrecyclable. Her friends next to her agree and laugh.

Recycling on campus is another something that students can do, but there are some

problems. Inside of a recycle bin that was supposed to be for cans only, there were plastic cups,

styrofoam cups and napkins. There are a lot of items getting mixed with each other in the recycle

bins when they are supposed to be separated. Brouillette said that whenever stuff gets mixed in

the bins, the recycled items can get contaminated and get thrown out as waste. He believes that

recycling at Spring Hill College needs improvement.

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Other ways that students have tried to reduce carbon emissions vary. Senior Simone

Smith wants to limit the use of water she drinks so she consumes less energy that others can use.

Another student, Damien Dixon, paused before saying that he stopped eating meat so often.

Shaffett said she wants the plastic cups in the café to be recyclable. Finally, student Eleanor

Grindinger said that she watches the electricity she uses carefully.