Energy usage is the main area that I could improve on in order to reduce my carbon footprint. I tend to leave appliances that I am not using plugged in at all times, which is wasting energy. In the week I tracked, I left my phone and laptop chargers plugged into the wall at all times despite only using them overnight. I charged each of my devices overnight for an average of nine hours, although it takes much less time than that for them to fully charge. Realistically, I don’t think that I will stop charging my devices overnight because that is the most convenient way for me to ensure they are fully charged when I go to class, so I have been shutting my laptop off more often and only charging it every other day. Another habit I have adopted is putting my phone on airplane mode during class to limit the amount of times that I need to charge my phone in the middle of the day. Most of the time, my roommate and I try to conserve energy during the day by keeping our big light off and only turning on the small light in our …show more content…
After college, I will most likely have a family and live in a larger home or apartment that will require me to use more electricity and heat. To reduce my energy usage and cost, I plan to use energy efficient light bulbs and appliances in my future home. Another factor that I believe will increase my carbon footprint is the amount of traveling I do. Currently I travel less than a mile to get to class, but when I have a job I expect to have to commute a much farther distance to get to work. I do want to live in a town or suburb and not in a rural area which should limit the number of miles I need to drive. I also hope to visit other countries when I am older, which would increase my environmental impact by requiring me to travel by