Lydia Connolly

Thinking creatively can help us address big system problems by coming up with new and innovative ideas to reduce our impact on the planet and on climate change. One person can't change the world, so we have to work together to come up with creative solutions to certain issues within our economy and government. It is up to us to create systematic change in our government, and thinking creatively can aid us with coming up with real solutions we can implement to create positive change for our environment. There are a lot of big ideas out there, but thinking creatively together can help us come up with environmental solutions that are both rational and plausible. 

Some of the single-use items I regularly use are plastic cups,lids and straws, such as at restaurants, vegetable bags at the grocery store, and food packaging as well. Things that can be substituted for these single-use disposables are reusable cups and coffee mugs, and reusable bags and packaging as well. At the grocery store, I can focus on buying food items that are packaged in recycled and reusable materials. Buying reusable items and bringing them with me when I leave the house is something that I have been working on and I have worked on cutting down my purchasing of disposable plastic items as well.  

Electricity is generated where I live, specifically in my household, from our lights, kitchen appliances, washer and dryer, and other small appliances such as TV's, phones, and electronics. Generating too much electricity or wasting electricity when one is not home impacts the environment because most power plants burn fossil fuels to fuel electricity generation. According to the US Energy Information Administration, "In the the United States, about 64% of total electricity generation in 2017 was produced from fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and petroleum), materials that come from plants (biomass), and municipal and industrial wastes." Therefore, this burning of fossil fuels affects our CO2 emissions and therefore catalyzes climate change, which affects every living being on the planet. Power plants that generate electricity also have a physical footprint on the landscape and contribute to the destruction of certain ecosystems. Using renewable and sustainable electricity methods reduces fossil fuel emissions and the impact of electricity on greenhouse gases and air pollution. 

I believe that people in richer countries eat more meat than people in other places because countries who are more prosperous have many more options for food than third-world countries. I also believe that when countries are richer, like the US, meat-eating becomes an industry and corporations turn eating meat into a profit. I think that richer countries also take advantaged of processed food as well, because those countries have the ability to create large industries, especially when it comes to meat and processed meat. Eating more meat has a huge effect on our CO2 emissions and water usage, and it is a large part of creating climate change. Countries that eat more meat, such as richer countries, contribute to CO2 emissions and that creates an increase in climate change that effects everyone on the planet, including people in other countries where the meat industry is non-existent. 

For me, I know that the next step I can take in reducing my water footprint is to limit my meat intake, because the meat industry uses a large portion of water in comparison to other industries. I also know that creating processed food uses a lot of water, so changing my diet could be the next step towards reducing my water footprint.