Blog#5

A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activities, usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide. When you drive a car, the engine burns fuel which creates a certain amount of CO2, depending on its fuel consumption and the driving distance. When you buy food and goods, the production of the food and goods emits some quantities of CO2. Considering all of these common factors in our daily lives, we need to be more aware of how our choices will affect the earth. The carbon footprint is a very powerful tool to understand the impact of personal behavior on global warming. I was shocked to see that I emit 14 tons of CO2 just from these activities. I think that if you personally want to contribute to stop global warming, the calculation and constant monitoring of your personal carbon footprint is essential. One area where I will reduce my carbon footprint is in transportation. I will walk or bike to class instead of driving my car. I will also try and carpool more often with my friends. I hope these changes in my daily routine will make an impact on this earth for the better.

Blog #3

The start of the Fall season cast an orange haze above the horizon, lighting up the sky as if lit by fire, yet the haze was so crisp and clear. The sun, like a brilliant orange fireball in the distance was partially covered by the hanging clouds, which were all splashed with the random colors of hot pinks, reds and even hints of purples and blues. The sun is so large today, I felt like I could almost touch it. It seemed to look at me with a dull glare, knowing that it's beauty and the planet's dependence on it for survival made up for it. The sun which had it's time to shine for the time it was given, seemed to whipser "Farewell" to the world as it sunk lower and lower in a lazy manner; almost as if it never wanted to leave. A cool breeze passed, and I let the wind tussle my hair as it was almost like a human touch. I close my eyes and I begin to think about my day. Then, by the time I opened my eyes again, the sun was gone, leaving behind a sea of dark, lonely clouds in a twilight sky.