Seven Day Challenge

Minh Truong

Carbon Footprint country Comparison

Section 51

1)      Even though I am not sure about the average per-person usage rates for electricity, oil, and natural gas, I know that Vietnam has a lower consumption rate per person than me. For electricity, Vietnam consumes 85.6 billion kwh and is ranked the 32^nd highest consumer while United States is ranked number 1. I am assuming that I consume more because of this and for oil, Vietnam consumes 320,000 bbl/day (ranked 39) while the United States is ranked number 1. Also, for natural gas, Vietnam uses 10.3 billion cu m (ranked 46) while United States is still ranked #1. This comes to show that I definitely use more than the average person in Vietnam.

2)      There isnt an actual percentage, but I definitely use a lot more than those in Vietnam according to the ranks. Being ranked number 1 shows that our country uses the most resources while Vietnam is in the 30’s and 40’s for the ranking so it shows that they don’t use nearly as much. If people can still sustain their life without using that much energy, I feel like people in the United States are just wasting and not using energy for its true purposes.

3)      If all of the developing countries consumed natural resources at the same rate as me, that would mean that the planet would not be able to sustain us all. We also have to include the fact that the population is growing at a very fast paste so it will be even harder to sustain everybody. This scenario would not be sustainable because we will run out of resources sooner as well. For example, if everybody were to use up all of the oil, electricity, and natural gas, it would be harder for people to survive and live their usual lifestyle. These resources are considered to be scarce now so if the rest of world is consuming it, it will soon be depleted.

4)      Developing countries have a harder time accessing clean water because they may not have piped water intro swelling or public tap, so some developing countries have a harder time socially and economically compared to the US. The US has easy access to everything so they have more time to worry about other problems such as workign for money while these poor countries spend hours in their day getting water to just survive or stay sanitary. They don’t have as much time to improve themselves economically or socially. It is hard for developing countries to better their current condition because if they spend more time and effort doing one thing, that is taking away from another thing. For example, if they spend a lot of time fixing the water systems, that is taking away from the time they could be growing food. If Vietnam recieves foreign aid from the US with money to improve their water system, it would help them out in countless ways and it would give them an opportunity to go from a developing country to a developed country.

5)      Lifestyles are completely different if I am comparing between developing countries and an average person in the United States.  Like I said in #4, people in delvoping coutries spend more time trying to get by day by day while the United States has it easier, they have time to improve their lives everyday by working and going to school. Kids in developing countries may not even get the chance to go to school because they have to help support their family so it shows that they have a lot more responsibilities and priorities than an average person in the United States. Overall, the United States has better opportunities so the rich become richer while the poor become poorer.

1. Consumption:

Water: 5 minute shower, 2 bottles of water, flushed toilet

Food: sausage egg and cheese croissant, beef patty, chicken wings, noodles, frozen yogurt

Electricity: tv ,charged laptop and phone, lights in room.

Gasoline: no gas, i took the train today.

Money: $50 to the Rondo Charity Game.

2. Reduction:

I reduced my gas usage by taking the train to the Rondo charity Game instead of driving. I have cut down on my showering time to a consistent 5 minutes every day but I feel like food is a necessity so cutting down on that would be really hard. Even though I spent a lot of money today, it was for a good cause because all of the money made went to charity. While i was hanging out with some friends, I tried spreading the word to them about their usage, especially their electricity use at the house. In my household, we have switched all of our lights to LED lights, even though it costs more money to replace your lights, it will eventually pay off in the end, in terms of energy use and the monthly electric bill. I am trying to get my friends to do the same thing.
 

3. Sustainability:

I will be able to conserve my usage in every aspect. I am going to take the train as much as I can and my water usage has gone down a lot as well. Instead of leaving the water running when I am brushing my teeth, I turn it off while I brush until it is time to rinse.

4. Following:

Since today is spread the word, I have noticed that people are trying to influence those around them and every little step can make a tremendous impact on a global scale. My family has always been conservative so I am trying to influence my friends and their families. It is never too late to take action and fix what we have started and it has to be taken step by step so we just have to keep spreading the word!

1.  Consumption - What did you consume today?

Water – 1 bottle of water and 3 glasses of water. Showered for 4 minutes today, washed hands and flushed toilet 3 times.

Food – Lucky charms cereal, sausage egg and cheese on a croissant, coffee, Fritos chips and doritos, brown rice and salmon.

Electricity – turned on the lights in room, kitchen, and opened the fridge. Charged laptop and I am planning on charging my cellphone tonight before I go to bed.

Gasoline- 15 minute car ride to school, 15 minute car ride to Boy’s Football Senior Night, and then 15 minute car ride home.

$$Money$$ - $4.00 for breakfast and $5.00 for 3 on 3 basketball tournament

2. Reduction - In what areas of your current lifestyle did you try to scale back the use of specific resources?

Today, i focused mainly on technology and didn’t use much of it at all. I barely used my cellphone today (only for homework purposes), only used my laptop for this assignment. I use my lights when necessary and that was it for today.

3.  Sustainability - Are there any changes that you made to your daily routine that you could envision making for the long term?  Can you reduce your consumption permanently?  Why or why not? Please be specific, and provide examples.

The reduction of technology is going to be something that I envision doing. Without technology, it gives me so much more time to do other things. Today for example, I was able to play basketball, interact with friends, and go to the school football game and I somewhat felt free from all distractions and disturbances.

4.  Following - What did you learn from following the tumblr feed of your peers?  Did one person’s actions resonate with you in a positive way?  Will you adjust your own actions because of this?

 Today, I noticed that most of my peers reduced their technology as much as possible. I noticed that most of them turned off their electricity when they don’t use it and when every little bit adds up. I am going to keep this routine going and stay on the lookout for other people’s perspective and ways of conserving.

1.  Consumption - What did you consume today?

Water – wasn’t planning on showering but had basketball practice so i was sweaty so i took a 5 minute shower, washed hand, flushed toilets, brushed teeth. 1 bottle of water and 1 glass of water

Food – Blueberry muffin, pizza, fries, sun chips, milk, oreos, rice and meat for dinner. 

Electricity – opened the fridge, charging laptop and I am planning on charging my phone tonight. The electricity around my neighborhood went off for about an hour so that should’ve conserved a lot of energy.

Gasoline- 5 minute car ride to basketball practice.

$$Money$$ - $2.50 for lunch

2. Reduction - In what areas of your current lifestyle did you try to scale back the use of specific resources?

I went from 10 minute showers to only 5 minutes now so that’s half the amount of water being used from me on a daily basis. I am also not trying to use as much money as I did before unless I am really hungry. No more unnecessary unhealthy snacks. Instead of keeping laptops and phones charged at home all the time, I am going to use it until it’s almost dieing before I charge it again.

3.  Sustainability - Are there any changes that you made to your daily routine that you could envision making for the long term?  Can you reduce your consumption permanently?  Why or why not? Please be specific, and provide examples.

Cutting down my time of showering to only half is something I can envision on making for the long term because it isn’t that big of a difference. I am going to reduce my energy use by spending more time just hanging with the family instead of being isolated using the computers and watching TV. These are the things i can change permanently because it is for a good cause.

4.  Following - What did you learn from following the tumblr feed of your peers?  Did one person’s actions resonate with you in a positive way?  Will you adjust your own actions because of this?

  Most of my peers are limiting their water usage and I feel like that is very important. We are setting up good examples for our siblings and families and they may want to follow our footsteps of being conservative as well. This can be the first step to sustainability because if more and more people reduce their usage, it will benefit the world as a whole.

1. Consumption - What did you consume today?

Water: one water bottle, 7 minute shower, washed hands, and flushed toilet about 4 times.
Food: waffles, milk, pasta, bbq chips, fries, hamburger, dr. pepper, rice and fish.
Electricity: charged laptop and phone, lights, opened fridge.
Gasoline: I did not drive anywhere today, carpooled to and from school.
Money: $2.50 for lunch

2. Reduction - In what areas of your current lifestyle did you try to scale back the use of specific resources?

I went on facebook today for a few minutes for homework and that was it. I didn’t use it for browsing purposes. I am also still conserving electricity around my house by turning off unnecessary lights.

3.  Sustainability - Are there any changes that you made to your daily routine that you could envision making for the long term?  Can you reduce your consumption permanently?  Why or why not? Please be specific, and provide examples.

I can envision showering for an average of about 7 minutes a day because it will save a lot of water as we learned today (2 gallons/minute) so every minute counts. Turning off the lights when it isn’t being used is becoming second nature to me and I am doing it very often now. Also, from not being on Facebook as much, I have finished my homework a lot quicker so I am planning on keeping it like that.

4. Peers - What did you learn from following the tumblr feed of your peers? Did one person’s actions resonate with you in a positive way?  Will you adjust your own actions as a result of their post?

I have noticed that people have cut down on their water usage tremendously. After realizing how much water we use on a weekly basis in class today, it definitely made an affect as to how long people take showers. In general, everybody is attempting to cut down from their daily consumptions as much as possible and this resonates with me in a positive way. Everybody is also trying to reduce their time on social networks and this is a positive thing because they can learn to spend more time face to face instead of just looking at a computer 24/7. 

1.  Consumption - What did you consume today?

Please make a list for your usage of the following substances

Water – I drank 2 glasses of water, flushed toilet, brushed teeth, and showered for 8 minutes.

Food – lucky charms, waffles, nestle ice tea, school pizza and fries, strawberry milk, granola bar, sun chips, chicken nuggets, fried rice and chicken wings.

Electricity – Very few lights turned on in the house, I turned off the lights as much as possible. Only using the computer for homework purposes. I used the oven to make chicken nuggets and I am also charging my laptop and phone.

Gasoline – I did not drive anywhere today, carpooled to and from school.

$$Money$$ - spent 2.50 on school lunch and that was it. 

2. Reduction - In what areas of your current lifestyle did you try to scale back the use of specific resources?

I cut back from my usual 15 minute showers to only 8 minutes today. I usually buy snacks/coffee in the morning but instead, I packed extra food and drinks. I spent 2.50 for lunch today though because I got extra hungry and what I packed wasn’t enough. Other than that, I didn’t spend any more money. I also turned off all of the unnecessary lights and unplugged the cords from the outlets in my room when I am not using it.

3.  Sustainability - Are there any changes that you made to your daily routine that you could envision making for the long term?  Can you reduce your consumption permanently?  Why or why not? Please be specific, and provide examples.

I could cut down on my 15 minute showers permanently. Cutting it to about half the time isn’t even that big of a difference and overtime, it will save a lot of water. I can stop buying coffee in the morning as well because it isn’t a necessity and I would also have to remember to pack my lunch in order to save $2.50 a day. I can also use less electricity simply by just turning off or unplugging my outlets.  

 Also, instead of keeping my laptop plugged in 24/7 at home, I am going to charge it fully and use it until it is about to die to conserve energy.

4.  Following - What did you learn from following the tumblr feed of your peers?  Did one person’s actions resonate with you in a positive way?  Will you adjust your own actions because of this?

From looking at my peers’ tumblr posts, I have learned a lot from it because sharing ideas are always better than doing things by yourself. Looking at their ideas and how they reduced their resources gave me ideas that I never would have thought of by myself. I will take my peer’s ideas/actions into consideration as to how I am going to continue my 7 day challenge.

1.  Consumption - What did you consume today?

Please make a list for your usage of the following substances

Water - 1 bottle of water, 10 minute shower, washed hand in sink

Food - pancakes, sausages and eggs for breakfast. chicken bacon ranch sub and bag of chips for lunch

Electricity - lights in room, charging phone and laptop, and TV

Gasoline (fossil fuels) - None, I didn’t drive anywhere today.

$$Money$$ - What did you spend money on today? I spent my whole day during yard work so I didn’t spend any money today.

2. Reduction - In what areas of your current lifestyle did you try to scale back the use of specific resources?

List the areas of your daily routine that you made an effort to limit your usage of certain substances.

Since it is Social Networking Sunday, I reduced the amount of time I used on the computer. I haven’t really been on the computer all day until this. On a typical Sunday, I would be on the computer for a few hours but I am limiting my time. I spent my Sunday doing yard work so it kept me occupied for most of the day without feeling obligated to go on facebook.

Usually, I would use a lot of electricity by playing Xbox for hours but for this project, I’m going to stop playing it for a week.  

3.  Sustainability - Are there any changes that you made to your daily routine that you could envision making for the long term?  Can you reduce your consumption permanently?  Why or why not? Please be specific, and provide examples.

For all of the unnecessary time I usually spend on facebook, I am planning on cutting it down as much as possible like I did today. If i can do it today then I am pretty sure I can keep it up and cut it down on a daily basis. I’ll try to only use it for school purposes instead of just browsing the web as a form of entertainment.

I can definitely reduce my consumption permanently and I plan on doing so. It’ll help me finish all of my homework faster because I wouldn’t get as distracted.

BLS Environmental Science: How Did You Live Differently Today?

blsenvironmentalscience:

Questions to be answered daily

These are the questions that you should provide a response for during the 7 day challenge. Please provide the answers on your tumblr page or your video diary.

1. Consumption - What did you consume today?

Please make a list for your usage of the following…