Footprint Reduction
In a recent post, I discussed my various footprints affecting the environment. Much of what contributes to my footprint is out of my control due to the house I currently live in, the products I am able to purchase, etcetera. The goals I set for myself in my previous post were saving electricity by not using lights unless absolutely needed, saving water by taking shorter showers and not eating out as frequently. I am happy to report that all of these goals are going very well and I have been sticking to them.
Goals
Minimize Electricity Use
I have become a nagging roommate to everyone else in my house. I am constantly reminding people to turn off lights and to keep them off when it is light enough outside to illuminate the house without necessitating the use of electricity. I do not turn on any lights in the house unless I need them to see what I am doing.
Save Water with Shorter Showers
As I stated in my previous article, my goal is to reduce the length of my showers from 15 minutes to 7 minutes. So far I have surpassed this goal and have reduced the length of my showers to 5 minutes. With a little effort and this goal in mind, I have seen a 10-minute reduction in my shower length and as a result, I am saving a lot of water.
Eating Out less Frequently
I set out to not eat any fast food the entirety of the winter quarter here at Western Washington University. I am proud to say that so far I have not had any fast food since the beginning of the quarter. Te point of this goal was to reduce the amount I drive and reduce the amount of red meat I consume. So far this has been going very well and I have been saving money by using less gas and not paying for other people to make my food. that being said, I have been to a non-fast food restaurant with an old friend to catch up but as a very infrequent activity, this does not affect my environmental footprint much.
A New Goal
I would like to add a fourth goal to my list of sustainability goals. I would like to reduce the amount of beef I consume and replace it with a more sustainable kind of meat, chicken. I eat a lot of beef due to dietary restrictions and its versatility with different kinds of dishes I can make with it but beef is far less sustainable than chicken. My new goal will be to replace approximately 60% of my beef meals with chicken instead. This will help reduce my carbon footprint and encourage me to explore even more delicious recipes that I have not tried before. This will bring more variety to the food I eat and it will be more sustainable. Raising cattle for beef production uses a lot more resources than raising chickens for their meat because chickens mature faster and use fewer resources for their development.
National Geographic has a great article about the footprint reduction from making the switch from beef to chicken.
Could I be Doing More?
This is a somewhat complicated question. With no restrictions, the answer is yes but due to the fact that I am a college student with little to no disposable income or room for a budget increase, the true answer is no. I am a type one diabetic, I try to minimize the number of carbohydrates I consume to better regulate my blood sugar. I am on a strict Keto diet and as a result, I am eating a lot of meat. Meat is not the most sustainable food, especially when shopping on a budget but for my own dietary restrictions, It has become a large portion of what I eat. If not for the Diabetes and the Keto diet, I could cut a lot of meat out of my diet which would help to decrease my carbon footprint. Changing what I eat would be the best way to reduce my impact on the planet. Unfortunately, there is no cure for Diabetes yet and the best way I have found to manage it is through a low carb diet.
