Handprints, Not Footprints

After rummaging through a stack of my dad's old magazines, I stumbled upon a Time issue named "10 Ideas That Are Changing Your Life." I know this is irrelevant to any assignments we have done in class and on our own time, but this article sincerely inspired me to think, and considering that we have emphasized a reflection of our journey throughout these last four years of high school, I think this is very appropriate.

It's about this guy named Gregory Norris.  He developed this system "to conceptualize our [personal] impact" on the environment by evaluating and summing the positive impacts we have personally made on our precious habitat.  These are called handprints, clearly a pun on the environmental term footprint which sums the impact that humans have on the natural world, often the negative ones.  We usually analyze our impact in any situation in a "footprint" type of way, the ways in which we have forced an inconvenience or affliction upon a situation; seldom do we analyze the way we benefit something.  Norris wanted to do just that, however.  He believes that "While our footprints are a significant measure we've all been getting used to, they do not tell the whole story. We don't just trample the planet; we also sometimes leave a positive impression."  He includes a few interesting examples of ways to boost one's handprint: 1. Buying a plane ticket that pays for a carbon offset, planting trees in a deforested region 2. Inflating tires to the correct air pressure, thus increasing fuel efficiency 3. Advertising on Facebook about pledging and documenting one's positive, environmental actions, persuading others to join on this "Green Movement".  In fact, many of the things we do in our everyday actions accomplish these handprint tasks, yet many of us would think about incorporating it into our carbon footprint.

So at this point in the post, you are probably wondering why this is significant to us as we near graduation and look forward to college.  Well, we've been challenged many times in this class to reflect upon our journey throughout high school.  Personally, this article had a large impact on the way I now view my experience as a whole.  Instead of thinking about moments I would not be necessarily too proud of, such as poor grades on tests or unfortunate endings of relationships, I think about my achievements and the way I've positively contributed to the lives of those who are around me and those who look forward to graduation in the near future.  Whether it's encouragement through a pat on the back or advice through long conversations at Starbucks, I have made an impact on those around me. And, to be perfectly honest, I believe that my "handprint" on Los Osos High School nearly equates to my "footprint" on the school.  And furthermore, my impact is microscopic in the scope of the graduating class.  Everybody has their own unique handprint on their own environment, and I challenge all of us, as we soon divide and attend our own respective colleges, to not only analyze the burdens we have brought, but also to broaden our perspective to consider these positive impacts we make every single day.

-Christopher Lee