Reducing Your Carbon Footprint and How the Stages of Change Model Can Help

Prochaska and DiClemente(1984)  deals with intentional behavioural change and views change as a process rather than an event.The change process is characterised by six stages of change.These include the precontemplation,contemplation,preparation,action,maintenance and relapse which can occur at any stage in any part of the cycle.

understand that modern lifestyle could be improved by other means then harming the environment or

In this part of my assignment I will describe 2 different theories of behaviour change in relation to health.

Have you ever thought about how your actions or opinions affected the environment around you? We’re constantly unaware of what we do that impacts the environment’s condition. One author named Wendell Berry blames the public in his article regarding the way society and the industry has treated the environment and its natural resources. This raises concerns whether we should be putting more importance on the economy or the land that we live in for the sake of our future survival. While I agree with most of Berry’s points and perspectives I slightly disagree with a few of his opinions, but nonetheless he brings up a great matter in today’s modern society.

How much should a person truly value his or her health? According to Michael Pollan’s views, people should take what they put into their body serious because diet is the main difference between life and death. Michael Pollan, who has written multiple books about food and eating, focuses on the Western diet in his essay, “Escape from the Western Diet.” In the essay, he argues that people need to stop eating a Western diet because it leads to health complications, such as chronic disease. The standard way of thinking about health has it that the Western diet is an acceptable lifestyle choice; however, Pollan argues that escaping the Western diet is the best lifestyle choice because the diet promotes disease. On one hand, I agree with Pollan; on the other hand, I believe that consuming organic food is key to improving health as well as the environment rather than just escaping the Western diet.

As The World Burns: 50 Simple Things You Can Do To Stay In Denial, by Derrick Jensen and Stephanie McMillan, is a graphic novel about the state of our environment. They use cartoons and abundant sarcasm to convey the message that the attempts people are making to save the environment are not enough to do any real good. Their message challenges both those of Edward O. Wilson and the University of Connecticut in that Jensen and McMillan’s ideas are much more radical and suggest that the ideas posed by Wilson and UConn, such as the importance of recycling and sustainability efforts, are ineffective at saving the environment. We must resolve the challenges posed by Jensen and McMillan so that all of the ideas put forth in the sources may work together rather than against each other. In order to do this we must accept that some of the ideas given by Jensen and McMillan may be too extreme to do any real good and that the ideas suggested by Wilson and UConn, though slightly ineffective, are nonetheless important steps in saving the environment. Taken alone, none of their ideas will save the environment; instead it is necessary to combine the ideas of Wilson, UConn, and Jensen and McMillan in order to create a more realistic plan to save the planet.

used to encourage people to change their habits. The first step that needs to be done is to:

In reading Garrett Hardin’s “The Tragedy of the Commons,” and through my participation in the Kivulini Simulation lab completed in class, my knowledge and understanding of the psychological factors that contribute to the logic behind the decisions made by humans that negatively impact the planet we inhabit have significantly expanded. Many of these decisions are made out of ignorance, while others are made despite knowledge of the harm that results from them. There are some ways that I can apply this knowledge to my life in order to contribute to the effort to preserve this planet in the hopes of allowing it to sustain future generations.

The book Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard, by Chip Heath & Dan Heath is a book that has inspired it’s readers to become activists in their own lives, by showing them that it is possible to change if they do not want to live in their current situation. It gives readers methods and approaches about the best way to be activists, not only in their own lives, but also in the lives of the individuals around them. In writing this book, the author is trying to convey the message that we do have a say in our lives and change is up to us, regardless of the situation. It is giving readers both perspectives about how change can be hard and unsettling, but that it is still possible. The book was made to create as much “real” change to lifestyles as possible and is made for readers who are seeking to improve their lives by pursuing change.

The ladder begins with elementary environmental topics that rope in those with little prior knowledge of the issues. Next, they incorporate stories of real-life changes people have made to improve our environment. Then, they escalate to “personal calls of action” that put the reader to the test. Finally, they create broad calls to enact policy change. To measure the impact of these levels, they look for four key results: reach, engagement, individual behavior change and societal change (Kanter). Giller adds that around 65 percent of their quarterly survey respondents say that Grist has influenced them to “take action, change behavior, and participate in policy discussions” (qtd. in Kanter).

Most people agree that climate change and environmental sustainability are important issues, but not many take action to mitigate the increasing flow of greenhouse gasses and other environmental problems (CITATION290). This publication explores why. Structural barriers that are beyond an individual’s reasonable control are part of the answer, but psychological barriers also hinder behavioral choices that would facilitate mitigation, adaptation and environmental sustainability (CITATION290).

The author published this article with hopes to motivate current and future psychologists to become more active is seeking strategies encouraging sustainable behavior. Psychology is a diverse field that uniquely integrates with other disciplines, making it paramount that it helps resolve the wicked problem of climate change. Wicked problems are complex, extensive, abstract, and have cascading effects. Additionally, they are not quickly or easily fixed, requiring continuous creative attention to elude. Numerous solutions have been proposed to resolve some of these wicked problems; however, psychologists are needed to discover ways of fostering the behaviors required for the implementation of these solutions. Changing human behavior is unfortunately

The last point about mindfulness’s impact on environmental issues is a special one, for it focus on how mindfulness can facilitate the work of environmental activists. Hanh once said that “The best way to take care of the environment is to take care of the environmentalist” (Hanh, DR:87), and mindfulness can help us to achieve that from the following ways.

Because carbon footprints are such hot topics in the news these days, it's an ideal topic for this particular paper. As concerns about global warming and potential climate change have continued to evolve the term "carbon footprint" has become ingrained in many people's consciousness. Though the large Fortune 500 companies focus on reduction of their own carbon footprints, individuals can help in their own small way as well.

These feelings lead to a lack of responsibility, similar to helplessness; in the thinking of how much of a difference can one person make, and “if my neighbor is not doing it why should I?” Skeptical thinking dismisses the thought that there is a problem at all; indifference may recognize the problem, but does nothing about it. These mindsets or feelings are destructive and ultimately contribute to the decline of the environmental sustainability.