Our carbon footprint

So the assignment was to find out which type of cup (ceramic or styrofoam) and bag (plastic, paper, or cloth) was the best for the environment, or had the smallest carbon footprint. When we say "smallest" we realize that they all actually produce a carbon footprint because they are mass produced and take machines and factories and so much more that emit tons of terrible "stuff" and/or greenhouse gases all the time - I mean even if you wanted to make your own cloth bag - the cloth, thread, and needles would have all been made in factories that emit the stuff just the same.

So the real question to answer is which one will, by it's nature, be produced less and less, therefore having a smaller net carbon footprint - obviously it would be the ceramic reusable cup and the reusable cloth bag. Not only are these things made to not be thrown away - just see the price tag - but they're also less harmful to the environment if they happen to be thrown away. The chemicals used to make styrofoam are horrible for the environment and will take at least 500 years to biodegrade, the plastic products taking twice that time, and even when they do they'll leave toxins in the soil - if they even get that far, it's more likely that an animal will eat them before then (if the plastic bag or soda can rings don't wrap around their necks first).

But if we only buy these things with good intentions and never really use them, but instead continue to use paper (which is somewhat better for the environment - but still unnecessary since it does kill trees and uses factories to produce), plastic, styrofoam, and all their other man made, chemically coated, siblings, then there's no point. We must put the behavior behind our money, put our money where our actions are!