Ecological Footprint Re-evaluation

Ecological Footprint Re-evaluation

Four weeks ago today I made three goals to reduce my ecological footprint. My goals included restricting my diet to local and organic food, purchasing sustainable products, and reducing energy use by unplugging electronics to avoid ghost power.

Can I do more to reduce my EF?

During the past month, I started noticing other aspects of my lifestyle that impact the environment, and questioning ways in which I can limit, eliminate, or improve various activities in my daily life that increase my footprint. For instance, many of the products that I buy that are marketed as being natural, organic, and fair trade. However, these products are often packaged in materials that require recycling or that are non-recyclable, making them inherently unsustainable. I started asking questions like, "does hand washing dishes as opposed to using a dish washer reduce water use?" I found out that the average dishwasher uses about 4 gallons of water per load, and washes about 54 pieces of dishware. Alternative, the average faucet flows at 2 gallons of water per minute. 

http://www.treehugger.com/kitchen-design/built-in-dishwashers-vs-hand-washing-which-is-greener.html

Goal Update

Local and Organic Food

The most challenging goal thus far has been eating only local and organic food, because it required knowledge of locally grown produce and the seasons which they harvest. Many local markets, such as Youngstocks in Bellingham, WA, sell organic produce, which is mostly shipped from Mexico and South America, seems counterintuitive to me. I realized that if I want to buy local AND organic food, I have to get used to buying produce that's in-season. I found a helpful tool, a website called Washington Grown, where they make it easy to see what's in season locally by each month. It also provides recipes for different seasons.

http://www.wagrown.com/crops-by-season/

Eco-friendly products

I started switching the products I use, such as household cleaners and shampoo, with organic products, such as Jason Products. I also learned about different household cleaners, such as olive oil mixed with baking soda, that are natural and reduce the need for packaging. Jason Products use natural ingredients such as Aloe Vera, and they do not have chemicals that are harmful to the environment. However, are products more sustainable if they are made with resources extracted from the environment?

Ghost power

Over the past month, I've been making an effort to unplug all of my electronics when not in use. My electric bill in February was $17.82 and in March it was $15.91. My next bill should indicate whether I successfully reduced my power bill.

New Goals

Ride Bike Twice a week in replace of driving.

Reduce Packaging When possible, avoid buying packaged products.

Find Ways to Reduce Energy Such as hang-drying clothes vs. using drier.