What Can You Do to Lessen Your Environmental Impact? - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

What Can You Do to Lessen Your Environmental Impact?

What Can You Do?

A Lesson on Environmental ImpactSlide2

Learning Objectives

At the end of this lesson students will be able to:

Define

Environmental Impact

and measure their own.

Understand ways to lessen their impact in the

home

, on the

road

, in the

school

, and on their

own

.Slide3

What is an Environmental Impact?

The consequences of human action and behavior on the natural environment

In this presentation we will be concerned about human actions/behavior related to energy (using electricity, heating, cooling, driving, etc.)Slide4

Measure your impact!

The ecological impact calculator allows you to:

Measure how much biologically productive land and sea you are using by looking at:

What kind of food you eat

How much trash you produce

Where you live:

what kind of house? Do you have electricity?

What transportation you use: Do you ride by a car most often? Do you carpool? How much do you use public transportation?

How much you fly in an airplane each year

Compare this amount to how much land and sea is available

See how many Earths it would take to support your lifestyle!Slide5

Measure your impact!

Calculate your ecological footprint using Earth Day’s online calculator

Measure Your Impact

http://www.earthday.org/footprint-calculatorSlide6

So the real question is… What can YOU do to reduce your ecological footprint and lessen your impact on the environment? Let’s take a look at 4 categories:

In the home

On the road In the school On your ownSlide7

In the HomeSlide8

In the Home

Everyone in the world can make a difference, no matter where we live!

Take a look at the different things in our homes that use energy:Heaters & air conditioners

Lights

Appliances

Windows & insulation

WasteSlide9

Where Your Home Uses EnergySlide10

Some things you can do to lessen your impact

During the winter: set thermostat at 86°F/30°C during the day and 60°F/15.5°C at night

During the summer: set thermostat at 78°F/25.5°C

Turn the heat or air down when not home

If it’s not unbearably hot in the summer, save energy by turning the AC off, opening the windows at night, and shutting them during the day

Shut the doors and windows when AC is onSlide11

Windows

Windows provide views, lighting, and solar heating. Unfortunately, the heat that leaks through them also accounts for 10-25% of your heating bill. During the summer, poorly insulated windows make your air conditioner work 2-3 times more.

Caulk windows

Use curtains to insulate

Double or triple pane windows are recommended to save energySlide12

Keep water heater set to low (120°F/48.9°C)

Turn off the lights when not in useTake advantage of natural light

Use CFL (compact fluorescent lamp) light bulbs instead of traditional incandescent bulbs; CFL bulbs provide the same amount of light, but use 1/5 to 1/3 of the electric power used by incandescent bulbs and last 8 to 15 times longer. Although CFLs cost more up front, they can save over 5 times of the purchase price in electricity costs over the bulb’s lifetime.

One CFL uses as much energy as 9 traditional incandescent light bulbs

At home, you can…Slide13

Did you know turning off the lights in your house can save up to 10-20% of your TOTAL household electricity usage?

Now that’s a lot of energy and

money

!Slide14

When you’re in the kitchen…

Choose what you want before opening the fridge!

Shut the fridge and freezer when not in useCook with stove, microwave, & toaster oven instead of oven

Lower heat on stove after reaching a boil

Use reusable utensils and dishes

Wash with cold water

Thaw food in warm water instead of thawing with microwave!Slide15

Turn all appliances off and unplug when not in use

Use manual appliances; you don’t need an electric can opener or toothbrush

Turn OFF computer instead of putting it to ‘sleep’!Slide16

Energy-efficient products

Choosing energy-efficient products can save families about 30% ($400 a year) while reducing our emissions of greenhouse gases.

ENERGY STAR is the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency. The ENERGY STAR label makes it easy to know which products to buy without sacrificing features, style or comfort that today's consumers expect.Slide17

Water

Use dishwasher and laundry only when fullClean full loads & select for low water usage

Use tap water instead of bottled waterTake shorter showers and choose showers over baths

Turn off water when brushing, washing, shaving

Fill up the sink with water when hand-washing dishes; don’t wash each dish individuallySlide18

On the RoadSlide19

To reduce your impact on the road:

Ride your bike or walk: not only are you saving energy, but you’re getting healthier by exercising!

Use public transportation when possible

Carpool!

Combine car trips

Keep a record of car trips you can avoid

A study at the University of Virginia shows students drove significantly less when recording avoided car trips and calculating the amount of gas and money savedSlide20

When you do drive…

Don’t use the car AC: the AC decreases gas mileage by up to 20%

Inflate car tires to 32-35 psi; the recommended tire pressure will be located in the owner’s manualUse cruise control on flat roads and highways

Coast on downhill roads

Don’t idle car for longer than 10 seconds

When buying a car, check fuel efficiency & if the car takes renewable fuels

For every 2 minutes a car is idling, it uses about the same amount of fuel that it takes to go one mileSlide21

At SchoolSlide22

To reduce your impact at school:

Print double-sidedAsk your teacher to put notes online to view at home instead of printing them out

Turn off computers in labs at night and when not in use for awhileTurn off lights

! Another great option is to put automatic light sensors in rooms

Replace paper towels with hand driersSlide23

Shut the doors to classrooms to keep heat or air inside (don’t prop doors open during class!)

Make sure books/furniture aren’t blocking vents

Shut the windows when heat/AC is onDuring the winter: set thermostat at 86°F/30°C during the night and 60°F/15.5°C at night

During the summer: set thermostat at 78°F/25.5°C

When you’re at school…Slide24

Recycling

Materials you use to recycle are used to create products you buy

When products are recycled, less materials need to be harvested from the environment for productionYou SAVE energy when you recycle!

At your school, find out if there is a recycling program; if not, start one

An easy way to start a recycling program is by re-using the unprinted side of paper

Separate bins for recycling and trash; place recycling bins in classrooms, offices, bathrooms, the cafeteria, etc.

Raise awareness for recycling!Slide25

Use programmable thermostats to minimize operating hours of heating/cooling during low occupancy hours

Use CFL or LED lighting

Turn heat down in hallways, since oftentimes those are low occupancy areas

Turn off computer monitors when not in use

When you’re at school…Slide26
Slide27

Anti-idling at school

Idling means a vehicle’s engine is running when it is parked or not in useSchool buses travel about four billion miles each year, and more than 25 million American students ride a school bus every day.

There are a variety of clean diesel strategies

for making school buses a cleaner way for children to get to school. One of the easiest ways to reduce school bus emissions and save money is to

reduce idling

. Another effective method is to

replace

the oldest school buses in the fleet.Slide28

Anti-Idling

While all new buses must meet EPA’s tighter

emission standards, many older school buses continue to emit harmful diesel exhaust.Do not idle because idling negatively affects:

human health by releasing fine particulate matter in diesel fuel exhaust; fine particulate matter can get trapped in lungs and create respiratory problems

Air quality because diesel fuel contains pollutants that contribute to ozone formation, acid rain, haze, and global climate change

Wasting of fuel and money; when idling, a school bus engine burns about half a gallon of fuel per hour (think of all the FUEL and MONEY saved by not idling)

Engine wear and tear: extended idling causes engine damageSlide29

Anti-Idling Campaign

Start a campaign to get your school involved in idle reductionEstablish an Idle Reduction Policy with rules such as:

Buses should typically be moving when the engine is on

Engines should be turned off as soon as possible after arriving into loading/unloading areas

School buses should not be restarted until ready to depart

Limit idling time during early morning warm up to what manufacturer recommends

Calculate fuel and money savings from idle reduction

Promote your campaign and get others involved!Slide30

YOU!

Here are four categories in which you can personally reduce your environmental impact:

Consumerism

Food

Spreading Awareness

TravelSlide31

Consumerism

Buy from local brands and companies: it takes a lot of energy to produce and ship goods across the world… You also will be supporting your local community!

Reuse & recycle instead of buying newBuy energy-efficient products and products from “green” companies

Buy in bulk or multi-packs to reduce packaging waste

If you have old clothing, donate or give as a hand-me-down. If you need new clothing, buying used saves energy that otherwise would be used in the production of new clothing!Slide32

Use reusable water bottles instead of one-time use recyclable water bottles

Use a reusable lunch box instead of paper bagsBring your own bag to grocery & other stores

If you do need bags at the grocery store, ask for paper instead of plastic! Plastic bags are hard to recycle, not biodegradable, cause litter, and harm wildlifeSlide33

A single plastic bag can take up to 1,000 years to degrade…. That’s 12.82 times the average life span of 78 years!!

One of the many beaches destroyed by the overuse of plastic bagsSlide34

Food

Buy organic food: organic farms have a much lower environmental impact than conventional farms, use natural methods for soil fertilization, weed prevention, and pest control, and growth hormones are not given to animals

Buy dairy products with no RBST

Buy cage-free eggsSlide35

Avoid processed food, farm raised fish, and meat from confined feeding operations

Eat leftovers

Grow your own vegetables and fruitFinish everything on your plate.. Don’t take more than you can’t eat!

Compost your fruits, veggies, & eggshells…You can use this as mulch and in soilSlide36

Let’s talk about composting

Compost is organic material that can be added to soil to grow plantsYou can compost by decomposing organic matter such as food scraps, eggshells, grass clippings, etc.

By reducing food waste (due to composting) we can reduce methane from landfills. Methane is a greenhouse gas with 21% the global warming potential of CO2 and is produced from rotting food in landfillsSlide37

Composting Continued

Benefits of composting include: reducing/eliminating the need for chemical fertilizers, promoting higher yields of agricultural crops, remediation of soils, among many others

All compost requires browns (twigs, branches, and dead leaves),

greens

(vegetable and fruit scraps, grass clippings, coffee grounds), and water

There are various types of composting, but one you can do at home is backyard composting

Pick a dry, shady spot near a water source for compost pile

Add brown and green materials as they are collected (make sure larger pieces are shredded or chopped)

As dry materials are added, add water

Once the pile is made, bury vegetable and fruit wastes under 10 inches of other compost material

Let the compost sit for at least two months before useSlide38

Lawn and Garden Tips

Shred leaves and wood scraps into chips to use as mulch on garden beds Buy garden tools and equipment made from recycled materials

To protect young seedlings from wind, frost, and animals, place the cut-off bottoms

of plastic milk jugs or small paper bags

over the seedlingsSlide39

Travel

Reduce air miles travelled each year

Travel light: don’t over-packStay in sustainable/eco-friendly hotels, lodges, etc.

Unplug appliances at home when going on a trip

At hotels, don’t have towels washed every day

Underground eco-friendly hotel in Bozen, Italy that uses ecological methods of heating, cooling, & buildingSlide40

Spread Awareness

Inform family, friends, & schoolmates about energy-saving processes

Join/create an environmental club at school & make an effort to reduce energy useJoin GO3’s online

networkSlide41

What else can you do?

Play outside instead of using technology like the computer, video games, & movies (which use a lot of energy)

Plant trees! Trees create and store CO2Participate in a park or forest clean-up

What else can you do? Can you and your classmates come up with any other activities or actions to reduce your impact on the environment?