How Big Is Your Footprint?

Choose one footprint you wish to reduce. Assess your initial footprint using the following websites and report the results:
Carbon Footprint Calculator:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). Household carbon footprint calculator. https://www3(dot)epa(dot)gov/carbon-footprint-calculator
Water Footprint Calculator:
GRACE. (n.d.). Water footprint calculator. https://www(dot)watercalculator(dot)org/wfc2/q/household
Ecological Footprint Calculator:
Global Footprint Network. (n.d.). What is your ecological footprint? http://www(dot)footprintcalculator(dot)org/home/en
I live in south Florida
Think about a typical day in your life, and in a paragraph, record any behaviors that may have an impact on the environment and your footprint. Describe any regular activities that you engage in, including the following questions:
How do you get to work? If you drive long distances (15 miles), how is your gas mileage?
How do you prepare meals? Do you eat in or take out (both)? How much food do you throw out?
Do you leave lights or other electronics on at home when you are not there? no
How much water do you use (e.g., How long and how often do you shower twice a day? Do you have any leaky faucets? no. Do you leave the water on when you brush your teeth?yes)
Do you recycle, repurpose, and/or reuse items?yes
What kind of heat do you use to heat your house? Do you use air conditioning, etc.yes?
After you have identified ways in which you could have an impact on your environment, select one activity that you could change to reduce this impact. Shrink That Footprint lists many actions you can take — some as minor as getting coffee without a disposable cup every day.
Be sure to choose an action that is realistically possible. For example, buying a new home might save you a great deal of money, but is not something that can be completed in the next few weeks.
Design a clear, testable hypothesis using the one behavior selected that you will change. This hypothesis will be used to describe the influence your change will have on your carbon footprint. A hypothesis is a specific statement of "if…then."
For assistance in designing a testable hypothesis, review the Designing a Hypothesis presentation or visit the Science Center for additional resources.
Include a sentence or two describing how you will test your hypothesis: these are your methods. Clearly outline each of the steps you will take to test your hypothesis.