Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Results of My Life Style Survey, and My Ecological and My Carbon Footprint

I have the tendency of writing "carbon foodprint" for carbon footprint, so I guess we know what's on my mind.  Anyway, finally, the first part of my report is here!


            The Life Style Survey rated me a “tree-hugger” both in early October, when I first took it, and on December 4, when I took it again.  I had 35 points both times because I got so many zeros.   I drive only 4 miles a day (round trip), and I almost never watch TV or listen to my stereo—things I keep for Mymeque and friends who visit and for Netflix on occasions.  (I watched the documentary “Our Daily Bread” at the beginning of the semester.)  I turn off the lights when I leave a room, but I don’t think that saves a lot of electricity.  I do only one load of laundry a week, and I always use cold water.  The survey doesn’t ask about this, but since I started the Life Style Project, I’ve been using the 30-minute cycle instead of the normal one, which is longer.  (See my Tonga blog to find out how long the cycle is in the washing machines used in Tonga now that they have electricity, and the Australian woman who blogged that fact says it gets her clothes just as clean.)  I sin when it comes to the dryer, though.  I got 6 points for always using it.  But I’ve used fluorescent light bulbs every since I had an environmentally-conscious tenant named Zen who taught me all about it.  I almost never turn on my heat, and in my blog you’ll see references to friends who request “a little heat?”  or go to get their jackets after they’ve trustingly taken them off.   I also blog on references to eco-things like this, as with the father in The End of Your Life Book Club, who the son says always goes for a sweater instead of turning on heat so that their home is “between freezing and frozen.”  That’s mine!  I have to be careful because I’ve built up a tolerance for chill, and I really don’t want to lose my friends.  (Of course, part of the project was to change the habits of Mymeque, mi mejor que un esposo.)  I always recycle and know about compost and the changes in practices within SF.  I said “No” to the question about running water while brushing my teeth, etc., but the month+ that I was doing this project, I noticed that I really didn’t have to keep the water on even as long as I was.  I’ll comment about that as I sum up the whole project.  I tricked the test when it came to the shower.  I got zero points for spending 5 minutes or less in the shower, but I don’t take showers at all.  I take baths—but not the kind that use a lot of water, so my giving myself a zero on that probably was accurate.  I guessed correctly on the 2000 gallons it takes to make one pound of beef, but I was clear on the concept both times.  (One advantage of taking the survey twice goes beyond seeing changes.  It reinforces the information!)  I knew about farming and all the water that takes.  I’ve drunk tap water since 2005—and served it in a pitcher labeled “Tapped from the Hetch Hetchy” for my friends.  I’m a vegetarian and always use a reusable mug for my tea.   
            On the carbon footprint I didn’t do so well, and one of the main problems is that I take too many flights.  This past year I went to the east coast and back and then from SF to Kauai’i.  I hadn’t planned on my aunt’s death, which took me another 3000 miles from SF to Atlanta this past summer.  In the summer alone I traveled almost 17,000 miles.  The first time I took the carbon test, things landed with a thud.  This time there seemed to be a different test even though I went to the same link.
            My ecological footprint has been grim both times.  It says 4 planet earths would be needed if everyone lived like me.  (Of course the average American requires 5, so I guess my being a vegetarian saved one planet.)  It takes 17.6 global acres of the Earth’s productive area to support my lifestyle--(17.7 tons of carbon dioxide) mostly for energy on the land, next for forest land, then crop land.  My life style doesn’t require much grazing land because I’m a vegetarian but do eat some meat products, and I’d love to think those cows are grazing instead of being packed in cage-like structures.  My life style requires very little built-up land and it really should require much in fishing grounds since I no longer eat fish.  It was interesting to see that about half of my Ecological Footprint went for services.    Next for goods, then food and shelter about equally and there was a sliver for mobility. But I’ll have more to say in my summary report!

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for this very thorough analysis. I sin too! I am so busy these days I use my dryer! Always lowest setting though.

    ReplyDelete

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