4 replies to this topic

[Shortpoet-GTD]

What have you done in recent months/years to reduce your footprint?

[Karim Jessa]

I'm sorry, this is a new term for me. What is a footprint? I mean, I know what a footprint is (obviously!) But I'm sure you must be using this term in a special sense.

This must have something to do with the environment; this is after all a site about the environment and energy use. I was trying to guess what the likely meaning may be. The first thought that came to mind was what effect (lasting effect, I would think) I have on the environment. So, let's say, if I have chopped down trees, that is my footprint. This is all sheer hypothesis, you realize.

I'd appreciate some explanation, and if possible some examples explaining this term. It may be I'm doing something that is affecting the environment negatively without being aware of it. It's good to know these things.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

Sorry Karim, I just assumed folks on a green web site would know the term.
Ok, for instance:
You're buying clothes washing stuff.
Liquid with lots of phosphates has a larger footprint (damage to the Earth)
than that same chemical mixture in powder form, if you don't recycle the plastic because paper (cardboard)
breaks down in decades verses 1000+ for plastics.
And if you get detergents with less chemicals/phosphates, it's not as harmful to the water. (which we
drink, although they "say" they clean it before pumping it back to us-but that's another thread.)
If you recycle the containers, plastic or bulk cardboard, you are reducing your footprint even more.
Less Saudi Arabia oil (plastic) fewer trees cut down for the cardboard.
The shopping choices we make not only effect our immediate health, but also effect the long term
health of our planet and therefore us, and our ability to survive on it.
Reducing your electrical use, as another example means your burning less coal. Coal still powers most
of this country. So you are reducing CO-2 emissions by getting cfl's/ or l.e.d lights, installing power
strips on electrical equipment (and shutting them off when not in use) and it saves you $$$.
Go green to save green.
Some footprint sites to check out and see how you rate.
http://www.terrapass...int-calculator/
http://www.nature.or...lator/index.htm
http://www.epa.gov/c...calculator.html

[Karim Jessa]

That's an excellent explanation. So, in a sense, it is not the product itself; it's through my use of it that I leave my footprint. Let's say there's a gasoline engine car, and an electric car. The electric car in itself is definitely more environment friendly. But it's useless till I decide to use it instead of the gasoline driven car. And if everyone begins using electric cars, they'll have to cut back on the production of the gasoline cars. And that would be a giant footprint for humans.

Thank you for the explanation. It will make me more aware of the consequences of my decisions as to the products that I use, and how I use them.

[tri-n-b-helpful]

Shortpoet-GTD, on 06 November 2011 - 04:45 AM, said:

What have you done in recent months/years to reduce your footprint?

After ten years of being strictly organic vegan, on August 1 last year, I went 100% organic raw. I don't grow too much of my own vegetables yet, but I am working the pot plants. The heat just kills everything instantly this time of year though and I work full time, so I'm not there to swap them from indoors to outdoors. :-( I do, however, sprout my own grains and legumes and soak nuts and seeds. The grains and beans yield a volume increase of over ten times that of the original!

According to my research, changing our diets to an organic plant-based one is the greatest possible way (aside from going aquarian, solarian or breathairian), to reduce our individual footprint upon the earth's resources, with numerous and far-reaching other side-benefits.    

How about you?