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I found the easiest part of the project being finding out my original ecological footprint. Then recording the original data on my habits was easy as well. This was when I realized how much energy and waste I was producing.

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How many planets does it take to sustain your lifestyle?

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What is your Ecological Footprint? How many planets does it take to support your lifestyle? Take this free quiz to find out!

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The most difficult part of the project was changing my habits the second time around. This was difficult since I had to actually keep track of time such as turning off lights and showers. The eating and waste was less difficult but I decided to stop eating meat during the semester. This reduced the processed food I consumed.

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You can get many of the health benefits from becoming a vegetarian without going all the way. You can steer your diet in that direction with a few simple substitutions.…

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I would recommend timing your showers with music. This was part of my adjustments. I would shower for the length of 2 songs rather than 4 songs. I would also recommend unplugging lights when leaving for the day. Also you can put a sleep timer on your television so it turns off after not being used for a while.

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Ecological Footprint: The impact of a person or community on the environment, expressed as the amount of land required to sustain their use of natural resources
It's estimated it would take 3.9 Earths to sustain the world population if everyone lived like we do in the US. When considering factors like food, water-use, waste and transportation, it's clear there's an urgent need for more sustainable daily actions. Luckily, you can start creating these habits today!

Check out the Global Footprint Calculator from the Global Footprint Network to understand your ecological footprint. Then, incorporate these suggestions to reduce your ecological footprint and make a positive impact!

1. Reduce Your Use of Single-Use, Disposable Plastics. Did you know all the plastic we've ever made still exists? We use disposable plastic shopping bags for an average of 12 minutes before we discard them (and yes, there are still plastic shopping bags at clothing stores, hardware stores, and more). Other single-use plastics like straws, cups, and utensils aren't used for much longer. Make the switch to reusable items, such as reusable water bottle, reusable shopping bag, and reusable cups. The best step is to start refusing plastic as much as you can every day.

2. Switch to Renewable Energy. According to the EPA, the energy sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the US. If you have the budget and living situation to switch to solar, look into installation options. If you don't, there are still many ways to reduce your use of nonrenewable energy. Look into renewable energy options through programs like SDG&E's EcoChoice. The program allows you to switch 50-100% of your energy bill to renewable energy from clean sources. Best of all: it's easy and affordable! Log in to your account for an estimate and reduce your ecological footprint in a click.

3. Eat Less Meat. The meat industry is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, along with its other issues such as animal welfare, water-use, and land degradation. Reduce your ecological footprint by enjoying vegetarian-friendly meal days and supporting local meat sources.

4. Reduce your Waste. Our landfills are quickly filling up. The Miramar landfill is expected to close in 2030 - then what will we do? Do your part by reducing your waste. Reduce packaging waste in the kitchen by buying in bulk, eating a veggie-based diet, and composting. Reduce your bathroom product waste by concocting your own formulas, buying reusables, and forgoing unnecessary products. Be sure to recycle plastic bottles, toilet paper rolls, and other recyclable bathroom materials. Learn more about zero waste here.

5. Recycle Responsibly. Recycling helps conserve resources and reduces air and water pollution. It also saves space in our overcrowded landfills. Become a recycling rockstar by knowing the rules for your area and recycling as much as you can. For recycling locations along with repair, reuse and repurpose ideas, visit our recycling and zero waste database, WasteFreeSD.org.

6. Drive Less. Our cars release many pollutants into the air and our oceans. When you're able to travel without a car, take advantage! San Diegans can enjoy year-round walking and biking trips to the store, coffee shop, or farmer's market. When you have to drive, consider grouping errands together or taking public transit. If you rely on your car, make the switch to an electric vehicle. Not only are they better for the environment, but you won't have to buy gas ever again.

7. Reduce Your Water Use. Water is precious. We only have to look at the last few years in California to understand why. More water is used in our yards than any other category for the average household. Transform your yard into a water-wise oasis to conserve water. Find ways to incorporate water savings techniques around your home, such as using rain barrels, washing clothes when you have a full load, and stopping unnecessary faucet use. More tips from Be Water Wise.

8. Support Local. Our stuff travels more than we do. Whether it's clothes, food or supplies, many items have a huge ecological footprint. Support local, transparent companies and farms to reduce your footprint. A great place to start? Shop your local farmer's market.

Have more tips to reduce your ecological footprint? Share them with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

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8 Ways to Reduce Your Ecological Footprint | I Love A Clean San Diego

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Ecological Footprint: The impact of a person or community on the environment, expressed as the amount of land required to sustain their use of natural resources It's estimated it would take 3.9 Earths to sustain the world population if everyone lived like we do in the US.

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I think we can all learn from this project. This taught me that it isn't that hard to change my habits. This just takes more discipline than I thought it would take.

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The easiest part from the project personally was the overall workload as a whole. I'd say that the project was not just outright hard in any sense, it was pretty straightforward and self explanatory which made it pleasant.

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How many planets does it take to sustain your lifestyle?

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What is your Ecological Footprint? How many planets does it take to support your lifestyle? Take this free quiz to find out!

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Most definitely, making even the smallest changes in my day-to-day habits was the most difficult part of the project. Keeping track was not a problem as I am organized, but when my organization is slightly disrupted by the slightest changes that I do unconsciously, it can be hard.

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Humans all over the world have thrown away so much stuff, that we are running out of places to put it. There are no places you can go anymore-from Antarctica to the top of Mount Everest, and even deep into the ocean, thousands of miles from land and thousands of feet deep-where you won't find tons of our trash.

In essence, we've totally trashed the place. We've pooped where we eat. If we were our own houseguest, we'd throw ourselves out!

If you're an average American, you produce 4.4. pounds of trash every single day. In a nation of nearly 324 million people, that amounts to more than 700,000 tons of garbage produced every day-enough to fill around 60,000 garbage trucks. That is a shocking amount of waste.

And if that wasn't bad enough, "first world" nations like the United States have started exporting our trash to developing countries for disposal, so we don't have to see or deal with it.

These countries have few regulations or environmental protections, so dumping all of our trash on them (usually to be burned and picked through by poor people) has very grave consequence to the environment and the children living there. (See image above.)

We really, really have to do something about our catastrophic levels of waste. Now.

Here are several ideas...

Reduce, Reuse and then Recycle

The best way to reduce our trash problem is to simply consume less. Much of what we buy in the developed world we don't really need. And since we are currently using up the resources that our grandchildren will need to live, it only makes sense that we drastically cut back on what we buy today.

The second-best approach to reducing trash is to reuse, repurpose, upcycle, give away or Freecycle things when they can no longer serve their original purpose. Anything that we can give a second or third life to will reduce the burden of trash upon the globe.

Lastly, we can recycle many things and use their raw materials in new ways. Glass, many plastics, aluminum cans, cardboard, paper, and even electronics can be taken apart, melted down and made into new things.

Recycling is really a last resort though: Even when things do get recycled, in the vast majority of cases, recycling only kicks the can down the road one generation. At some point that item will still be trash that can't or won't (because it costs too much) be recycled again.

Here are some ways that we can avoid creating trash in the first place. If you pay for trash collection, this will potentially save you a ton of money, too.

37 Ways to Reduce Trash

1. Do a 30-day spend-fast to learn where you are making unnecessary purchases.

2. Don't buy beverages in cans or single serving bottles. For health's sake, don't buy soda or juice at all!

3. Never buy bottled water. If you don't have access to a good well or spring, it is much better to get a good water filter and drink from the tap. ( Find several water filters here)

4. Carry a reusable water bottle. This could be as simple as using a mason jar.

5. Take a reusable travel mug to the coffee shop, or make your coffee at home. Use a French press or coffee maker and avoid those single-serving packages used in Keurig-like machines. Try a reusable coffee filter in your coffee maker, too!

6. Take your own reusable containers to takeout restaurants. If you hand over the containers when you order and ask nicely, most restaurants will oblige you. Eat out less in general; most of it is full of GMOs, vegetable oils, MSG and other junk anyway.

7. Take your lunch to school or work and avoid takeout. Use a lunchbox and reusable snack bags. Not only is this healthier and cheaper, but you get to keep more of your lunchbreak for yourself!

8. Buy your milk in returnable, reusable glass bottles. In many stores, you'll even get some money back for doing so!

9. Buy your honey, pickled veggies, maple syrup, nut butters, and other wet foods in jars you can reuse or return to the merchant.

10. Return egg and berry cartons to the vendors at the farmers' market for reuse.

11. Bring your own reusable bags when doing any kind of shopping. ( These fit in your pocket so you never forget!)

12. Shop for food only from the bulk bins and from farms, produce stands or the farmer's market, where food is unpackaged and fresh. Start a buying club and join a CSA to reduce trash even further and make your food very affordable.

13. Use your own reusable bags for both your produce and bulk items, too.

14. Ditch the processed, packaged food altogether. Make your own soup, yogurt, salad dressing, ice-cream and other foods that come in cardboard, aluminum, and plastic packages. Batch cook on weekends with friends to make it easier. You'll save a ton of money, and eat much, much healthier this way too. ( Here's how to make it easy, even if you work full time.)

15. When you eat out, politely ask your server to take away any paper or plastic napkins, placemats, straws, cups and single-serving containers, if you can. Be sure to explain why and leave a nice tip for their trouble!

16. Don't buy anything that comes in wasteful single-serving packages, like candy, gum, granola bars, popsicles, etc.

17. Cancel your magazine and newspaper subscriptions and read them online or at the library.

18. Buy e-books instead of paper books, unless it is a reference book you will need if the power goes out. Organize your e-books for easy browsing and searching with this free software. Use the library for books you don't want or need to own.

19. Do your best to stop your junk mail.

20. Use both sides of a piece of paper before recycling it or making it into upcycled crafts.

21. Use old clothes for rags for cleaning around the house, instead of paper towels.

22. Use cloth napkins and hand towels in your kitchen.

23. Don't use throwaway plastic razors and blade cartridges. Consider an electric razor or waxing with cloth if you are a woman, or using an electric razor or a straight razor if you are a man.

24. Use non-disposable feminine-hygiene products such as a Diva Cup or Moon Cloth. This is not only much better for the environment, it's much, much healthier for you too.

25. Consider using family cloth instead of toilet paper. Really! It's softer, healthier and far less messy than you would think.

26. Make your own non-toxic and effective toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo and even makeup!

27. Use cloth diapers. They are super cute, frugal and much better for your baby's health, too.

28. Carry a cloth handkerchief or napkin for everything from blowing your nose to drying your hands to wrapping up a purchased doughnut.

29. Make your own non-toxic household cleaners to avoid all the chemicals and throwaway plastic bottles. Put your homemade cleaners in a recycled glass vinegar bottle with a repurposed spray nozzle.

30. Use the plastic bags that other people's newspapers are delivered in to pick up dog poop.

31. Keep a worm bin or compost pile to compost all your food scraps, leftovers, floor sweepings, and more.

32. Don't buy anything disposable. Look for durable goods instead or borrow what you need. Paying a little more up front often means things will last much longer for you.

33. Avoid buying anything in packaging (and count the money you save because that means pretty much buying nothing unless it's second hand). You can also borrow things like tools, strollers and gardening equipment on Neighborgoods.

34. Give your old clothes to charities or others who can use them.

35. List items you no longer need on Freecycle or BuyNothing, instead of throwing them away. (It's amazing what you can find on Freecycle or BuyNothing! You can sometimes even find motor homes!)

36. Skip buying plastic garbage bags and simply put your trash into the can itself. This will require you to wash the can from time to time, but if you are composting well, it won't get too messy.

37. Make a game with your housemates or children to see just how little trash you can create, and how small you can make your garbage bag every week. Reducing our waste footprint can be a lot of fun!

The True Cost of Trash

This short video demonstrates the TRUE cost of our throw-away society. This is the side of consumerism you almost never see because then you might-gasp-buy less!

While we will always need to purchase things and there is nothing wrong with a few special luxuries now and then, as you can see below, we've gone way beyond acceptable limits and into pure gluttony, at grave cost to future generations.
Sustainability starts at home. Change starts with you. How do you reduce trash in your home?

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Humans all over the world have thrown away so much stuff, that we are running out of places to put it. There are no places you can go anymore-from Antarctica to the top of Mount Everest, and even deep into the ocean, thousands of miles from land and thousands of feet deep-where you won't find tons of our trash.

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Definitely, making it a habit to turn off lights when you leave a room and turning the TV off every time you leave the room and especially, the house. It's also a great idea to begin hitching rides with friends and taking turns when going out or coming to school to reduce carbon emissions significantly.

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1. Stop Eating (or Eat Less) Meat

The single most effective action you can take to combat climate change is to stop eating meat. Just limiting your meat consumption can make a huge difference. Greenhouse gas emissions from agribusiness are an even bigger problem than fossil fuels. So while we often talk about cutting our reliance on fossil fuels - and this is still critically important - we rarely discuss the worst culprit. Red meat is particularly to blame, consuming 11 times more water and producing 5 times more emissions than its poultry counterparts. You don't have to become a vegetarian, but eating meat less frequently (the average American eats 8.5 ounces of meat per day!) will significantly help the environment. To get a single pound of beef, it takes over 5,000 gallons of water - as the number one consumer of freshwater in the world, animal agriculture is drastically increasing the problem of water scarcity. Don't forget to inform others: many people simply don't know about the connection between meat and climate change.

You might be surprised to learn that all electronics suck energy when they're plugged in, EVEN IF they're powered down. In the U.S. alone, "vampire power" is responsible for draining up to $19 billion in energy every year. Anytime a cord is plugged into a socket, it's drawing energy - so although your device isn't charging, you're still contributing to your carbon footprint. Simple solution? Leave your electronics unplugged at all times, unless you're actually using them.

Choose to walk, bike, or take the bus - leave the car at home, and you'll be making an easy decision with immediate results. Many people are opting to bike to work, especially with bike lanes becoming more prevalent. Cities are finally investing in the necessary infrastructure to make it easier not to own a car. There are over 65 million cyclists in the United States, a number that has risen dramatically over the past five years. Increasing populations have made effective public transportation more necessary than ever, and options like subways, trains, buses, and rapid transit continue to grow. Many new bus routes are even turning to hybrids, solar power, and other eco-friendly alternatives. In the U.S., public transportation saves 37 million tons of carbon emissions every year. Cities are also increasing walkability, with architects incorporating more outdoor and green spaces, and new buildings focused on green infrastructure and community engagement.

4. Don't Buy "Fast Fashion"

Many major clothing retailers practice what is known as "fast fashion" - selling an endless cycle of must-have trends at extremely low prices. Have you ever wondered how it's possible to pay only $4 for that t-shirt? In this consumer society, we think of fashion as disposable - after all, if I only pay $4 I might not think twice about throwing it away. Heaps and heaps of clothing ends up in the landfill, often to justify buying the latest styles. We're talking over 15 million tons of textile waste - with quantity over quality, fast fashion retailers can charge next to nothing for items that are mass-produced. They push these garments to sell by creating more fashion "cycles" or "seasons" - where there used to be 4 per year, there's now often 12 to 15. There's also the issue of contamination: almost half of our clothing is made with cotton, and unless it's labeled as "organic" cotton, there's a high chance that it's genetically modified cotton sprayed with lots of pesticides (including known carcinogens). This can be damaging to neighboring non-GMO crops, cause water contamination, reduce biodiversity, and have negative impacts on human health. Don't forget that anything made overseas has a huge environmental impact - from the physical act of shipping a product across the ocean, to the chemical runoff from garment factories ( leather tanneries are particularly bad). As if that's not enough, fast fashion is an industry still largely propped up by child labor. Toxic to the environment, detrimental to human rights - who needs it? Try alternatives like re-purposing old clothing, choosing locally handmade garments, buying vintage, or participating in clothing swaps with family and friends.

Whether you live in a house or an apartment, planting some greens is a quick and easy way to reduce your carbon footprint. We all know plants absorb carbon dioxide - a beneficial relationship for humans, that we should all be seeking to nurture. Plant some bee-friendly flowers, a few trees, or a vegetable garden. Balcony gardens are great for urban dwellings. Cities often need to reduce the "urban heat island" effect - basically, cities tend to be hotter than rural areas because of vast pavement areas, concrete buildings, and increased human activity. Creating more spaces for plants, grasses, and trees can mitigate this effect and lead to better cooling, which will be a necessity with worsening climate change. Help avoid the "heat island" effect by planting trees for shade, or maybe try a green roof or community garden.

Whenever possible, try to eat local, in-season produce. Sticking to foods that are grown locally, in your own city or surrounding area, helps to reduce the carbon footprint created by shipping foods from elsewhere. A general rule for where something is grown? The closer to you, the better. When a fruit or vegetable can be grown in your own backyard, or a local farm, the environmental cost is significantly reduced. Just imagine the journey that food from a distant country has to take - by plane, ship, train, or truck, the produce must stay cooled, so it doesn't spoil, and has usually been picked way too early (resulting in not-so-great quality, and fewer nutrients). Small farms are more likely to adopt beneficial soil-care practices and maintain borders for local wildlife, and eating locally-grown food supports your local economy and promotes food security. It's equally important to eat organic produce, which hasn't been sprayed with toxic pesticides and other environmentally detrimental chemicals. Don't forget to avoid processed foods: processed and packaged foods are often bad for your health, not just the environment. Processing plants are major polluters, and their products contribute to health epidemics like obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Choose whole foods that are better for the planet, and better for your own longevity.

New is not always better - the traditional method of line-drying your clothing is much better for the environment. One dryer load uses 5 times more electricity than washing - by simply line-drying your clothes, you can save 1/3 of their carbon footprint. Unfortunately, line-drying seems to be America's least favorite way to save energy - despite the fact that running a clothes dryer is equivalent to turning on 225 light bulbs for an hour. Europeans, on the other hand, are excellent at this (95 percent of Italians don't even own a dryer) - it might be time to follow their lead, especially considering the tumble dryer is one of the top energy-consuming appliances (not to mention the leading cause of appliance-related house fires).

Anyone can make these simple changes: they're easy to implement, and are immediately effective in reducing your carbon footprint. Our actions and choices ultimately make a difference, and we all share the responsibility to do whatever we can to address climate change, big or small.

BEFORE YOU GO

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7 Instant Ways To Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

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1. Stop Eating (or Eat Less) Meat The single most effective action you can take to combat climate change is to stop eating meat. Just limiting your meat consumption can make a huge difference. Greenhouse gas emissions from agribusiness are an even bigger problem than fossil fuels.

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I think this was significant for my progress in reducing my ecological footprint because for once, I could finally track what I do right and what I do wrong and what I do right on my day-to-day operations. I was not too far off from my personal absolute reduction, but it helped me fine tune the details. Great and effective activity.

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The easiest part of the Ecological Footprint project was definitely writing the journal entries. The journal entries were simply descriptions of how I implemented changes in my lifestyle and how the changes impacted my life. They also included the dates and time periods where they changes happened.

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The most difficult portion of the Ecological Footprint project for me was keeping track of the data for my changed habits. Remembering to accurately log all of my data into the excel spreadsheet was slightly inconvenient but was necessary in order to make real strides towards living a better lifestyle and to understanding my impact on the environment.

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I would recommend to a friend that they should look into air drying their clothes instead of using a dryer. Dryers are not eco-friendly and have a very large impact on the environment, an impact that could be avoided by sacrificing the convenience of the dryer machine.

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I believe that the Ecological Footprint project was very beneficial to me as I understand how certain activities that I engage in impact the environment. Now that I have gained this knowledge I have begun the process of changing my habits to reduce my ecological footprint.

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The easiest part of the ecological footprint was documenting my data and habits. However, I found it very interesting on how much waste and energy we produce each and every day. Lastly, I also found the journal entries to be fairly easy.

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The most difficult part of the project was having to reduce my daily habits. For instance, having to change my eating habits was tough since I was so used to eating certain meats. Another part that was difficult during the project was learning how to reduce my energy. Reason being was I was so used to taking hour long showers compared to the ten minute showers I begun to take.

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I would recommend to turn off all the lights if you're not using them. Another suggestion would be to take less hot showers since most energy can be taken up in that portion of the footprint. Lastly, I would recommend car pulling since most of the energy was taken up through vehicles. All in all these recommendations would best help in saving ecological footprints.

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Overall I believe that this project helped teach me that even the smallest things we do can help better impact our environment. With that being said I am now knowledgeable in how to impact our environment in a positive way, which can help lead others into following these ways which benefits the entire society.

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The easy part about the project was the amount of work we had to do. It did not really feel like a project it felt more like a class assignment or a fun thing to do with your friends. It weird to think about how much you really get rid of.

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The hard part of the project for me was actually committing to this new lifestyle I was trying to build for myself. It was hard for me because I have already become adjusted to the luxuries of not paying any type of bills. When you save energy it usually involves you not using as much energy.

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My recommendation to my friend would be not use so much water. A problem a lot of people have is that they use a lot of water, this means taking showers, brushing teeth, or washing dishes. In reality when not that much water is needed to do these activities.

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My conclusion to this project would be that it is very insightful. It really taught me about myself. It help me build better habits for myself that will help me in the long run.