How Much "Stuff" Do I Have?

I never realized the severity of my impact on Earth.  When making a list of all of the things I needed to survive, I found myself trying to live with a lot of things that I didn't need.  My list of things turned out to be comprised of 50 items: from toothbrushes to socks to pants.  For some reason, this number seemed very high to me.  I thought 50 items was a lot.  


I thought 50 was a lot, that is, until I counted the actual number of items I actually own.  After about 30 minutes of counting all of the "stuff" in my room, my tally was off the charts.  I was extremely embarrassed and really shocked to how much stuff I had.  Shirts alone, I had about 150, and which I really only wear 15 or so.  I have 7 jeans in which only 3 are used by me.  I was just really shocked by the amount of clothes I have.  And actually, as a matter of fact, my mom and I went through a lot of my clothes and took out about 20 shirts that don't fit me that we will be donating.  And there are still tons more to go.  Altogether, I had well over 400 items in my bedroom.  


This number really brings to fruition the impact on Earth that I have.  In GT, we looked deeper into how products are made.  On the box of a toy, it may say "Made in China" but where did those plastics come from?  Where did the ink come from?  Andrew and I looked at the impact that an iPhone 3GS had on the Earth and the effects are astounding.  Apple is one of the more environmentally conscience companies out there but the process of their products takes its toll on the environment.  For example, stainless steel is used to make an iPhone 3GS.  Stainless steel is an iron-containing alloy—a substance made up of two or more chemical elements—used in a wide range of applications.  Stainless steels are made of some of the basic elements found in the earth: iron ore, chromium, silicon, nickel, carbon, nitrogen, and manganese.  But where do these items come from?  Iron ore may be mined from Brazil, silicon may be mined from India, the nickel may be mined from Australia, and all of these items are shipped to somewhere else.  During this process, many greenhouse gases are being released into the air.  Looking at this, it makes one look at the bigger picture and not just the finished product.  Because where does the product go after it is thrown in the trash?

We took an Ecological footprint on this site here.  It determined, after a short multiple choice test, that stated

"If everyone on the planet lived my lifestyle, we would need 5.40 Earths"

Just the way it was worded, made me feel horrible.  That is just awful.  This makes me want to make a big difference in my life and try to make a difference in others as well.

This is a screenshot of my Ecological Footprint Quiz Results.