CARE

Change your Attitude and Respect the Earth

[Agrupamento de Escolas de Penalva do Castelo]

[2010/2011]

[Ecological Footprint][A week in a student’s life]Marisa Amaral

My English teacher told me that students involved in the Project “Care” had to perform

work related to our ecological footprint that would be a diary. This work has as main objective to select students who will participate in the 2nd working meeting of the “Care” and I really want to participate.

Penalva do Castelo, 4th November 2010

Dear diary, Today had some free time so I was

researching on some topics that could be connected with the work and thinking in this structure. Still do not know what the issues requests are for work but did a search on the ecological footprint.

I found that ecological footprint is the amount of land and water that would be needed to sustain the present generation, taking into account all the material and energy resources spent by a given population.

I calculated my ecological footprint and if everyone on the planet lived my lifestyle, we would need:

My footprint in global hectares by consumption category:

My footprint share by biome:

If you want to calculate your ecological footprint go to http://www.myfootprint.org/


Dear diary, today I decided to reduce my ecological footprint, for that I will impose some rules to myself as:

http://www.myfootprint.org/

-Remember me always, the rule of the three R's (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle).

-Reduce energy usage. Do not leave appliances on, for example sometimes I leave the TV on standby, but from now on I will always turn off.

- Reduce water consumption; I reduce the consumption of water in the baths and brushing teeth. Now to save water we use rainwater for watering plants and washing the car.

- Minimize the production of solid waste. I will tell my father to prevent the wine bottles that use plastic stoppers. When shopping with my parents we try to choose environmentally friendly products or green sticker or label and for transportation of purchases we choose to reuse the bags while before we do it sometimes has not happened, so it is now mandatory.

- Consume fresh instead of frozen or canned. Increase the proportion of plants in relation to meat products consumed at each meal, which is not difficult for us because we have a garden.

- Use 100% recycled paper and chlorine-free. Place all waste paper collection points blue because it often goes to the trash.


Dear diary,Today is Monday and I had a start of normal school week. I went to school by car as usual, to save time, money and the environment I and my brother go to school with my neighbor because she works there and take us. So instead

of going two cars doing the same route just a car makes this route.Today I was especially attentive to the students in my school and garbage that lay on the floor with a dustbin to 2 feet away as they prefer to throw rubbish on the ground that deviate a little to the dustbin. Since I hate short throw rubbish on the floor, always preferred to keep it and put it in the right place but sometimes do not.

Considering that millions of students around the world lay waste to the ground in environmental terms is terribly frightening. But they are not only students who lay waste ground, and if we walk around the garden there is trash on the floor, everyone should think about the consequences of this because one day the planet explodes and we and everything else will go with him.


Another day of classes, this is the last week of classes. Today I went shopping with my mother and I did not forget to bring reusable bags. In shopping always tried to buy multipacks instead of individual items, and environmentally friendly products.


Dear diary,Today before going to bed I can’t forget to turn off some electrical appliances that usually stay connected is one of the rules that I wrote a few days ago. Because electrical appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers, videos or television spending power even when turned off. The intakes can be classified into two types: “Stand-by” and “Ghosts”. The consumption “Stand-by” usually result from television sets and videos, when they are in charge and get off with the red light. Consumptions called “Ghosts” come from computers, machines for washing the dishes and clothes, that even though off, they are consuming energy. This type of spending “Ghosts” may be canceled by turning the equipment chain, which may be done by removing the plug or using a switched outlet that can be turned off.


Dear diary,I went to see the toys they had in the house and picked many batteries and cells tomorrow take them for recycling. Tomorrow is the last day of school!


Dear diary,

Today my mom and I have installed sewers in the garden to collect rainwater for watering plants and washing the car. With the holidays waiting

for me I say goodbye to my diary eco until the next page.P.S.: To be more environmentally friendly whenever possible I will deliver my work in digital format. Like this.

CARE

Documents

Transcript of CARE