Re-calculating my Ecological Footprint

Ecological Carbon Footprint:

New Ecological Footprint:

Well, I'm going to be straight. This calculator is Bull****. At the start of the quarter, prior to my goals, I took up 3.5 earths, but now at the end I take up 3.7 earths. I'm pretty upset because I actually met the goals I had set for myself to reduce my EF.

My goals at the start of the quarter:

1. Consume less meat, from 4 meals a week to 2.5

2. No more vending machine food

3. Use less electricity.

How did I do?

1. I ate meat around 3 times a week, which is near my target goal.

2. No more vending machine food, definitely.

3. Use less electricity? Take a look below.

Here is why I am upset with the EF calculator. My first calculator showed that I consumed 3.1 plots of energy land, but my second had increased to 3.25 plots. On the contrary, here is my actual electricity consumption sense the start of September: 

Evidence like this solidifies my original hypothesis that this calculator is flawed, which fills me with an ornery attitude towards this aspect of the class. However, I am more than thrilled with my accomplishments with energy consumption!

Were you able to achieve the EF reduction goals you set for yourself? 

      I would say that out of my three goals, reducing my electricity use was the biggest accomplishment. My electricity bill last year averaged between $40 an $50 dollars. However as the temperature outside has been dropping, so has my energy bill. For the month of November my bill was $18.26. WOW. 

      My next best accomplishment was not eating vending machine food... sorta. Throughout the quarter I made noticeable cut backs with my vending machine consumption. However, there were some late nights when I needed a snack and had to revert to the vending machine. This only happened a few times, so I say count it!

      Finally, my third goal was a variable achievement. This is because I was inconsistent. Some weeks I ate no meat at all, and others I had a meat based meal every weeknight. Overall, I would say I averaged 3 meat based meals throughout this quarter.

Will you be able to continue these practices? Why or why not? 

     Out of all of my goals, I will most likely continue to strive for low energy consumption. This is because I am broke and can't afford high energy bills, but also due to a great system I have implemented with my daily life. This system consists of putting all plug-ins onto a power strip, letting natural light illuminate the apartment during the day, and finally using candles at night for lighting. 

     In regards to the food goals I had for myself, I will not continue with those practices. Frankly I am not self-righteous enough to care about the cost of where my delicious steak came from, its still delicious steak! Finally, vending machine food may be unhealthy, and most likely I will consume less. Still, it provides the convince I need for my heavy work load.