MS. TISH TABLAN
INTEGRATING THE ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT
Creating an individualized action plan to reduce your footprint
Objectives: Use the environmental footprint to summarize and conclude all the information students learned
throughout the environmental science class, and apply this to their daily individual choices and actions. This
lesson would serve as a final project in my class.
Grade Level: 9-12
Subject: Environmental Science
Materials: colored paper, markers, and general art supplies, “Transportation Footprint” worksheet, computers
and internet access, “Eco-Lunch” worksheet
Part One: Footprint Quiz - After being introduced to all different environmental concepts, especially those
focused on in the EF, the students will calculate their individual environmental footprints. Students will access
the internet, go to www.myfootprint.org, and take the quiz. The teacher may have to prepare the students
teaching some of the concepts (such as green-designed residence and organic food) and by having students
estimate the size of their houses and the distances they travel during the week ahead of time. After the students
find out their ecological footprint, have the students create a visual or poster to put up in the classroom that
illustrates how many planets and how many acres their lifestyles use up. The students will also write a
reaction/reflection on the amount of land their lifestyle creates.
Part Two: Reducing My Footprint Plan – As a final project the students will create a report on how they plan
to reduce their environmental footprints in each of the four categories (Mobility, Goods, Food, and Shelter). In
my class the students have already discussed the environmental issues relating to each topic and many solutions.
In this assignment they will list specific actions they can take to reduce their footprints and then try to estimate
what their new footprint would be if they implemented these changes. They will compile and include numbers
and information they had previously calculated in my class. Those assignments are included below.
Supplemental Assignments:
Transportation-“Mobility Footprint”- I created a lesson in which the students calculate how many miles they
travel in a typical week and how much pollution is created from their local transportation. Air travel was not
included because it was not applicable for my student population.
Goods-“Landfill Lunch”- The students in my class did a waste audit and found that food packaging was the
primary source of non-recyclable trash in the school. I designed an activity in which the students examined
their typical lunches for the amount of waste created and then tried to design an eco-lunch that created the least
amount of trash and used the least amount of resources and energy.
Shelter-“Water Use Calculator”- Although water use is not included in the EF quiz, I let them include it in
their report because it was an important topic that we covered in class. It is also something they can implement
easily and immediately to make a big impact on their overall environmental footprint.
The students can go to the website http://www.tampagov.net/dept_water/conservation_education/ and click on
Usage Calculator to get an estimate of their water use.
“Power Calculator”-The students estimate their electricity use in their household and are encouraged to bring
in electric bills from home. They also do research online to find ways to reduce their electricity use.
Students can use the website http://www.consumerspower.org/home_energy/billestimator.php.
Food-“Conventional vs. Locally grown, organic potato”, “Hamburgers, Fries, and a Cola” – The students
in my class go over all the resources involved in creating a fast food meal. They read the article “America’s
Favorite Meal” (an excerpt from “The Secret Lives of Everyday Things”) and discuss all the resources involved
in creating it. They compare the resources needed for a conventionally grown potato and a locally, grown
organic potato. The students then go work in the organic community garden we have in our school and I
encourage them to start gardens in their own homes and communities.
REDUCE MY FOOTPRINT FINAL PROJECT OUTLINE
TOTAL FOOTPRINT:
 Describe your total footprint, and how many planets we would need
 List what your footprint was for each category. Explain what your biggest category was and why you think
that was the biggest
 What is your overall goal to reduce your footprint to (in acres or number of planets)? How did you come up
with that number?
FOOD: Write a paragraph that describes your food footprint and the areas you need to improve the most in.
Here are some topics you can address, but you must give at least 4 detailed examples of what exactly you
would do to reduce your footprint in this area.
 How often you eat animal products
 What do you with food waste
 How much the food is processed and packaged
 How far away the food travels to get to you or where the food comes from
 What chemicals are used on the food or in the soil
 How often you throw away uneaten food
TRANSPORTATION/MOBILITY: Write a paragraph that describes your transportation (or mobility)
footprint and the areas you need to improve the most in. Here are some topics you can address, but you must
give at least 4 detailed examples of what exactly you would do to reduce your footprint in this area.
 Number of miles you ride in a car per week
 Number of miles you ride in a bus per week
 Amount of gas used per week
 Amount of air pollution created from transportation per week
 How many people ride in your car
 How fuel efficient your car is
 How far and how often you ride in a plane
SHELTER/ENERGY USE: Write a paragraph that describes your shelter footprint and what areas you need to
improve the most in. Here are some topics you can address, but you must give at least 4 detailed examples of
what exactly you would. Use ideas from Eco-Home and from the California ScienCenter exhibits
 The energy efficiency of house
 How many people live in the house
 What kind and how many appliances and electronics you have
 How often you use appliances and electronics
 How your house is heated, cooled, and insulated
 What type of lighting you have and how often you use it
 What type of energy source your electricity comes from
 Water efficiency inside and outside the house
 What type of plants, lawn, and garden you have
 Water efficiency in lawn and garden
GOODS/SERVICES: Write a paragraph that describes your shelter footprint and what areas you need to
improve the most in. Here are some topics you can address, but you must give at least 4 detailed examples of
what exactly you would.
 How an item is packaged and how to dispose of packaging
 What the items are made of and how the item can be disposed of
 How many toxic materials or chemicals are in the product
 If you really need the product
 What you do with products when you are “done” with them
MOBILITY FOOTPRINT
What is the impact you make on earth from your weekly transportation needs?
1. Calculate the miles you travel by CAR each DAY. Go to www.mapquest.com. Multiply the
distance between two places by 2 to calculate the round-trip mileage.
CAR Miles/day
2.Calculate the miles you travel by CAR each WEEK.
Multiply your answer to #1 by 7.
CAR Miles/wk
3. Find out what the gas mileage is for the car that you usually drive in.
Go to www.fueleconomy.gov to look up your car.
Miles/gallon
4. Calculate how many total miles passengers get from your car trips.
Multiply your answer to #3 by the number of people that usually ride in the car. Multiply by 1 if
you ride by yourself usually.
Total Passenger
miles/gallon
5. Calculate how many gallons of gas you personally use from your weekly CAR trips.
Divide the answer #2 (car miles/wk) by the answer to #4 (passenger miles/gall).
Gallons/week by car
6. Calculate how many pounds of pollution (carbon dioxide) is put into the air from your weekly
travels. Since each gallon of gas used gives off 18 pounds of carbon dioxide, Multiply the
answer to #5 by 18.
Pounds of air
Pollution/week
CAR FOOTPRINT
BUS FOOTPRINT
1. Calculate the miles you travel by BUS each DAY. Go to www.mapquest.com. Multiply the
distance between two places by 2 to calculate the round-trip mileage.
BUS Miles/day
2.Calculate the miles you travel by BUS each WEEK.
Multiply your answer to #1 by 7.
BUS Miles/wk
3. The gas mileage for an average city bus is lower than cars, but it makes up for it by carrying
so many people. Buses average 4 miles per gallon
4
Miles/gallon
4. Calculate how many total miles passengers get from your bus trips. Since buses can fit up to
35 passengers, Multiply the bus’s gas mileage (4 mpg) by 35.
Total Passenger
miles/gallon
5. Calculate how many gallons of gas you personally use from your weekly BUS trips.
Divide the answer #2 (car miles/wk) by the answer to #4 (passenger miles/gall).
Gallons/week by bus
6. Calculate how many pounds of pollution (carbon dioxide) is put into the air from your weekly
travels. Since each gallon of gas used gives off 18 pounds of carbon dioxide, Multiply the
answer to #5 by 18.
Pounds of air
Pollution/week
WEEKLY TRANSPORTATION POLLUTION
1. Calculate the total amount of gas used per week. Add together both answers to #5
Weekly gallons used
2.Calculate the total amount of air pollution created per week from transportation.
Add together both answers to #6.
Weekly pounds of
Air pollution made
Landfill Lunch
USUAL LUNCH
Description
Points
LUNCH
CONTAINER
How much waste does your
lunch create?
DIRECTIONS: In our school,
food packaging creates more
than half of all trash. You can
help reduce the total trash
created at our school by
reducing the trash in your own
lunch.
MAIN MEAL
SIDE DISH
DRINK
In the first chart describe your
usual or typical lunch. Describe
the container that you would use
or the trash involved for each
part of your lunch.
NAPKINS,
SILVERWARE,
CONDIMENTS
TOTAL POINTS
ECO-LUNCH

Description
LUNCH
CONTAINER
MAIN MEAL
SIDE DISH
DRINK
NAPKINS,
SILVERWARE,
CONDIMENTS
TOTAL POINTS

5 points: REDUCE (no container or material used)
4 points: LONG REUSE (lasts more than 1 year)
3 points: SHORT REUSE & RECYCLE
2 points: SHORT REUSE (lasts less than 1 year)
1 point: RECYCLE ONLY
0 points: TRASH (goes to a landfill)
Points
In the second chart you are
going to design the most trashfree lunch you can that also uses
the least amount of energy,
resources, and trash. If you can
eliminate the container
completely, that earns the most
points. The more you can reuse
the container, the more points
you earn. Only recycling earns
very few points, and trash earns
no points.
The student that earns the most
points and can create the most ecofriendly lunch will get rewarded!!
WATER USE CALCULATOR
(Copied from http://www.tampagov.net/dept_water/conservation_education/)
GENERAL QUESTIONS
1. Total number of people in your household. (Required)
INDOOR WATER USE
BATHROOM
1. How many showers are taken each day in your household?
2. What is the average length (in minutes) of each shower. Enter 6.3 if you are unsure.
3. What is the flow rate (gallons per minute) of your showerhead? Enter 5 for standard showerhead; 2 for low flow.
4. Total number of baths taken each week by members of your household.
TOILETS
1. Average number of times each person flushes a toilet in your house per day. Enter 4 if you are unsure.
2. How many gallons does your toilet use per flush? Enter 5 if you have a standard toilet; 1.6 if you have a low volume toilet.
FAUCETS
1. How many times each day does each household member use faucets to shave, brush teeth, wash hands and face?
2. How many minutes does the water run during each use?
WASHING DISHES
1. How many times are dishes washed by hand each day?
2. How many minutes does the water run during each wash?
3. If you have a dishwasher, how many times is it used each week?
4. The average dishwasher uses 15 gallons of water per load, change this if yours is different.
LAUNDRY
1. How many loads of laundry are done by members of your household each week.
2. The average washing machine uses 55 gallons of water per load, change this number if yours is different.
OUTDOOR WATER USE
LAWN WATERING & OTHER USES
1. How many times is your lawn watered each week?
2. How many minutes is the lawn watered per watering?
3. Water is also used outdoors to wash cars, fill pools, rinse outdoor furniture and clean equipment. Estimate the average number of
minutes water is used outdoors for purposes other than watering each week.
Press the Calculate button to compute your overall water use.
RESULTS
PER CAPITA DAILY WATER USE IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD (gallons)
INDOOR WATER USE OUTDOOR WATER USE
Bathroom
Lawn Watering
Toilets
Other Outdoor Uses
Faucets
GENERAL WATER USE
Laundry
Dishwasher
Hand Washing Dishes
Click one of the categories above to learn how to reduce your water usage.
COMPARISON BETWEEN YOUR HOUSEHOLD AND
THE TAMPA AVERAGE* HOUSEHOLD
Your House
Tampa
Average
Interior per capita gallons per day
64
Exterior per capita gallons per day
40
Total Per Capita Gallons of Water Used in the House
Per Day
Per Month
Per Year
Your Household
Tampa Average
Comments:
*Based on Tampa Water Department data.
POWER CALCULATOR
(Copied from http://www.consumerspower.org/home_energy/billestimator.php)
To calculate an estimated monthly electrical bill for your home, please select a QUANTITY in the applicable
Electrically Powered Items field. Once you've filled out the fields that are relevant to your home, click the
"Calculate" button at the bottom of this form. This will give you both an estimated monthly KWh usage and bill
for your home (for an average family of four).
KITCHEN
Electrically Powered Items
Quantity
Average monthly KWh
KWh/month
$/month
Refrigerator
182
Freezer
190
Dishwasher
60
Range / Oven
104
Microwave
16
Hot Water Dispenser 49
Coffee Maker
19
ENTERTAINMENT
Electrically Powered Items
Quantity
Average monthly KWh
Stereo
5
TV 19"
18
TV 25"
26.6
TV 35"
39.4
LAUNDRY
Electrically Powered Items
loads/week
KWh/load
Dryer
Washing cold / cold
Washing warm / cold
Washing hot / cold
Washing warm / warm
Washing hot / warm
KWh/month
$/month
KWh/month
3.12
0.33
3.0
5.0
6.0
7.0
$/month
KWh/month
$/month
LIGHTING
Electrically Powered Items
Quantity
Average monthly KWh
Lighting # of Rooms 10
Outdoor Light 175 w 60
Outdoor Light 250 w 87
MISC. EQUIPMENT
Electrically Powered Items
Quantity
Average monthly KWh
Hot Tub
Window Air Conditioner
Ceiling Fan
Electric Blanket
24" Box Fan
Computer
Water Bed Heater
# of Water Heaters
Water Heater (# of People)
KWh/month
600
134
85
22
30.6
17.5
175
220
110
$/month
Estimated monthly household* usage: kWh;
Estimated monthly household* bill:
Estimated monthly heating usage: kWh
Estimated monthly heating bill: $
ESTIMATED MONTHLY KWh USAGE
ESTIMATED MONTHLY BILL*
$
* Monthly bill includes basic service charge and tiered usage discounts, where applicable. Estimates are based
on national average.