FOOD: 6.9
MOBILITY: 0.2
SHELTER: 6.7
GOODS/SERVICES: 4.7
TOTAL FOOTPRINT: 18
IN COMPARISON, THE AVERAGE ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT IN YOUR COUNTRY IS 24 ACRES PER PERSON.WORLDWIDE, THERE EXIST 4.5 BIOLOGICALLY PRODUCTIVE ACRES PER PERSON.
IF EVERYONE LIVED LIKE YOU, WE WOULD NEED 4.2 PLANETS.
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No, I don’t believe it is fair that Americans consume more than their share of the earth’s resources. I believe that most Americans pamper themselves and their lives way too much for their own good. Americans are so used to having all their needs met by the availability of resources. However, having all of this availability – being able to get things within a hand’s reach, can lead to consequences.
With the convenience of having resources so available, it has caused people to be lazy and wasteful. One example of being lazy is that people lack simply exercise. Here at Purdue, the bus system is very convenient because a bus comes about every 5-10 minutes. Because of this, many students take the bus rather than walk – even though sometimes it would be faster to walk than to wait for the bus to come. For the buses to run continuously all day, this definitely adds to the air pollution, which may then cause negative health problems.
One example of being wasteful is the amount of food wasted in the dining courts. Eating at the dining court is like eating at a buffet – there are so many different foods to choose from – that often students pile up their plates with more food than they actually need. But the availability of so much food is so attracting that students often fill up 2 or more plates. But once the students start eating and are halfway through their meal, they realize that they weren’t as hungry as they thought and don’t finish their meal. As a result all that food is thrown away and wasted. There are so many other people in the world starving and here are Americans, throwing away good food as if it was nothing.
Americans need to realize that keeping their current lifestyles will only generate harm to the environment in the future. Americans need to take greater responsibility in making the world a better place. Americans should learn to better manage the resources around them and not take them for granted so much.
6 comments:
I agree, Americans should not be able to spend more of the earth's energy than anyone else.
I agree that the abundance of resources that Americans have leads them to be lazy and that's not fair. You bring up a great point with the dining court waste of food. They use so much and throw out so much!
I really wont complain if i live in a country where i am allowed those benefits. i just wish others had the same opportunity. but life really isnt fair i guess.
First, do you really think that it is ALL the American's responsibility to fix the world? There are in fact other countries that are also guilty of being wasteful... too many people forget that. Too many people also forget that some of these things are going to happen whether we want it to or not. It's just how the world works... unfortunately, not everyone can be equal.
your numbers were alot lower than mine i need to aspiire to be like you...
I agree with what you had to say. Many resources and everything that we need is usually at our fingertips, and to be honest I am thankful for that. Living in an area where that is not the case would be a major culture shock.
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