I took a Footprint Calculator quiz today for school requirements purposes. But the result got me worried and here's my reflection about it. The result shows that if people lived like me, we would need 3.5 Earths.
I felt confused and worried that why can’t I get a score of one earth. Calculating my ecological footprint made me realized that single action has a great effect on our planet earth. I felt worried thinking about what could happen in the future if this continues. Time would come that the resources we had would not be enough for all of us. It was terrifying thinking that 20 years from now, instead of having a better world, we would have a world that is very difficult to live in.
I have always asked why powerful agencies like NASA spend so much money in space exploration rather than finding solutions to the Earth’s problems to make it better. After taking the quiz, I understand their reason, it is because many people’s lifestyles have negative effects on our planet Earth that we need more planets to live in.
Despite feeling worried, I still feel inspired after taking the quiz. Knowing the result and gaining knowledge and understanding of the consequences of my actions, I felt inspired to live my life in a manner that could help and benefit the Earth. I cannot undo the things I have done but I can start now taking actions to bring back the balance with the ecological budget of our planet. I was now inspired to know more about the existing solutions and implement them in our household first.
I think the things I can do now is to slowly change my lifestyle. I can start by changing my diet, I could try to have a new vegetarian recipe four times a week. I should also do gardening, to have fresh vegetables whenever we need it and slow down from eating process foods. Aside from changing my lifestyle, I can also continue doing walking when the place I want to be isn’t that far of a walk. I could also support and join community activities that helps sustainability. Moreover, even if it is still in a distant future, I decided to have small size of family to avoid over population.
Please try the Footprint Calculator guys to know your Ecological footprint and reflect on the result. We should continue to love and take care of our planet.
