Introduction
The ecological footprint is the amount of land associated with each person’s utilization of natural resources. Its number expressed through global hectares should match available biocapacity for individuals to ensure the planet can sustain nations’ lives. During this week, I learned to estimate the changes in ecological footprint and the effects of different decisions and actions on the environment. This reflection based on calculations is the most helpful tool for creating a more individualized approach to the natural resources contributing to their conservation.
Understanding Waste Types and Management Practices
This week, I learned essential information about waste types, their management, and plans for sustaining the planet. Considering that global populations increase annually, which increases total solid municipal waste, people should develop a more attentive attitude to waste minimization. For me, it was helpful to learn about different waste management practices such as landfills, which carry hazardous materials under the soil, or incineration, which emits greenhouse during burning (Bensel & Carbone, 2020).
These approaches highlighted the importance of recycling and biomimicry, which turns waste into reusable material for other living beings, as in natural cycling. However, the fact that people still did not invent biomimicry techniques for waste management that would lead to zero waste disappoints me. Nevertheless, they still have a chance to recycle their items, thus minimizing their ecological footprint by using them several times and causing less harmful emissions during manufacturing.
Insights Gained from Ecological Footprint Calculations
Calculating ecological footprint helps to understand each person’s contribution to the natural condition, meaning that everyone can access the level of his help or harm. This experience stood out for me this week since I calculated progress in my ecological footprint, which highlights the decrease of 9% from the first week. As I did not expect such promising results, it motivated me to improve my ecological journey and implement new goals, such as supporting local farmers.
My findings forced me to believe in the idea that nations have a chance to restore natural resources by taking daily steps and changing habits. It highlights the necessity to reinforce governmental regulations, especially for BRICS countries experiencing meaningful economic and urbanization improvements (Ulucak & Khan, 2020). By modifying people’s treatments, their environmental degradation might decline. Thus, ecological footprint calculations are essential practices at national and individual levels.
Course Impact on Environmental Awareness and Lifestyle Choices
This week’s learning materials and reflection practices are essential tools to measure and evaluate people’s ability to help the planet. I plan to use an ecological footprint journal to change my lifestyle further, not just temporarily quit some habits. For example, I can use this template to promote an environmentalist approach for my friends and relatives.
Hence, this course changed my outlook concerning the planet’s future as it demonstrates that people try to take more chances to protect the planet. For example, the world’s leading country, China, created 25000 kilometers of train networks, preserving energy (Bensel & Carbone, 2020). This factual information made me more optimistic about the planet’s future and more attentive toward my daily choices. Adding one vegetarian meal per week resulted in a 0.9 gha drop. Thus, this course evokes the will to fight for the planet and alleviate its environmental degradation.
Conclusion
To conclude, the most inspiring part of this week was the ecological footprint evaluation, which justified that one person might drive substantial environmental changes. It destroys any misconceptions that one’s decision does not affect anybody through my personal experience. I will continue tracking my habits and their effect on global hectares. This practice will balance people’s increasing demands with the planet’s biocapacity and sustainability needs.
References
Bensel, T., & Carbone, I. (2020). Sustaining our planet. Zovio.
Ulucak, R., & Khan, S. U. D. (2020). Determinants of the ecological footprint: role of renewable energy, natural resources, and urbanization. Sustainable Cities and Society, 54(1), 1–10. Web.