Your Ecological Footprint Might be the Solution!

Following the recent disasters occurring all around the world, from floods in Germany to Forest fires in Greece. Scientists have concluded that all of these events are happening through poor efforts to control and reduce our environmental impact on the planet. However, it is still not too late to change our luck. If everyone did their bit to reduce their ecological footprint we might have a chance.

What is an Ecological Footprint?

An ecological footprint is a method that was created to measure the impact a person has on the environment in terms of land and water usage required to produce the goods consumed.

If you would like to measure your footprint visit the WWF website here.

Why Should you Reduce your Footprint?

Countries such as China, The United States, and India currently lead the world in carbon emissions and this is all arguably due to the manufacturing that occurs in these places and the burning of fossil fuels for electricity heat and transportation. However, with all the events taking place around the world it’s time for everyone is stand up and do their part. The average Global temperatures are rising, extreme weather events have already reached a severe and deadly stage alongside rising ocean levels who knows what’s next in-store. To think all of the problems are the result of human activity.

Take your stand and lower your ecological footprint to help contribute to the overall reduction of carbon emissions globally. Everyone doing small changes can lead to major results.

How to Reduce your Ecological Footprint.

There are many ways individuals can reduce their impact on the world through simple ways.

1. Eat Less Meat.

Globally the meat and dairy industry accounts for 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing your meat intake by having vegetarian days or at least purchasing meat from local sources may help reduce the travel time to help reduce global emissions.

2. Recycling.

Recycling not only allows for the conservation of resources it also reduces air and water pollution. When we recycle responsibly we can help make space in areas that were previously overcrowded with landfills. To find out more on how to recycle properly visit RecycleNow.

3. Use Public Transport.

If there are alternatives to driving, take them! Walking, riding a bike, or taking public transport whenever you can is a great way of reducing your total ecological footprint. A study conducted by the European Cycling Federation found that riding a bike around instead of driving can reduce your total emissions by up to 20%.

4. Use Energy-Saving Alternatives.

Need to get a new light to bulb at home? Why not opt for energy-saving options to ensure you can reduce your energy use and in turn the national energy production emissions. (Although the UK produces over 50% of its electricity renewably it still produces 37% via gas-fired power plants!)

5. Second-Hand Goods.

I recently decided to visit a charity shop as I’ve never been to one before and let me tell you. The prices and the clothes I saw left me astonished. I saw major brands such as Topshop, Zara and H&M clothes all for under £5 in mint condition. Not only will you be making a conscious decision about your purchases you’ll also be looking stylish. Not to mention the used furniture and electricals you can get from Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree! These all save valuable space in landfill and reduce the amount of waste that is burned.

So how do you mock up to our ecological footprint checklist?

If we all chip in and do our bit hopefully we will be able to find a way to revert the damage we have done to our planet that we call home. There are many more ways you can reduce your ecological footprint, but the ways mentioned here are a good place to start.

Let us know what you got on the footprint quiz and what methods you will use to reduce your footprint on our Twitter or Facebook.