FOOTPRINT FACTS estimates how much carbon dioxide individuals emit annually . The team believe that contextualising and quantifying people ’ s environmental footprints can help improve their understanding of the impacts of everyday actions and incentivise people to start changing their habits . The website also includes a comparison feature , which can be used to weigh up the environmental footprints of different habits , such as eating beef or taking short-haul flights . Furthermore , it provides reliable research in the form of courses , which include everything from lessons on the basics of climate change to advice on next steps . There are also articles on more niche topics within environmentalism , such as unusual alternative sources of energy , which create a more complete story about climate change .
Everything we do releases greenhouse gases into our atmosphere .
Every single inhabitant of this planet , young and old , has a carbon footprint , meaning that everything we do directly or indirectly releases greenhouse gases into our atmosphere . Upper Sixth students Alex Potter and Alex Hall set their minds to creating a website that would compile all the information about carbon footprints and educate the public on how to minimise them .
The FootprintFacts . org website uses a variety of mediums to educate and inform . There is a carbon footprint calculator : a survey , which takes into account shopping , dietary and travel habits and
FootprintFacts . org has expanded beyond just a website and now regularly posts informative content to Instagram and TikTok , with 1500 views for the most popular posts . Not only do these posts communicate important facts effectively , but they are also a lot of fun for the team to create . These platforms have helped the team to educate those in younger demographics on the growing importance of environmentalism . Raising awareness of the climate emergency in the young is crucial , as we have the capacity to drive the movement for betterment and change .
Going forwards the team hope to expand this service by getting more students involved and increasing our online presence . As technology becomes more advanced , people ’ s lives around the globe are becoming more intertwined . We want to inspire everyone to get more involved and invested in reversing the climate crisis before there are more irrevocable consequences . We , as a privileged group of youths , have a responsibility to maximise the resources we have , to both educate about the hard truth and change our own consumer habits .
Alexandria Pu , Lower Sixth
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