Olivia's Story

One experience I had at Earth Camp that will change my life is learning about my eco-footprint. The average American’s eco- footprint is 23.5. My family’s eco-footprint was 22.7. Now I thought that was a pretty good number, but when I looked down on other country’s eco-footprint, my jaw hung open. China’s eco-footprint was 3! Italy 8, Russia 11, Mexico 6, and Bangladesh 1! I decided that I really need to get a move-on and start to reduce my eco-footprint and help other friends and families too. The first action that I will do is start to carpool, ride my bike, walk, etc. and not to use so much gas in cars or fuel. This helps the planet and your body to be healthier. The second action that I will do is not to create so much waste. I will not take items that are perceived obsolescence, which means that the companies make it look like it needs to be thrown away after little use, because it looks cheap. For my lunch, I will put my items in little tubs, and not little bags, and use a reusable lunch box, not a paper bag. The third step, which is a big one to me, is to shop at the thrift store, like Good Will, and not Wal-Mart or Target, even though their prices are low. The items at Good Will could have been used a lot of times, so it saves new materials from getting put into new clothing, and the prices are good. That is what I learned at Earth Camp.