Personal change is something that is sometimes necessary for the everyday human being; whether it be eating healthier, exercising more, or just trying to get rid of bad habits, it is necessary for those who want to change their current way of living. My personal change goal was to stop depending on eating so much meat that was not produced locally. When we did the ecological footprint assignment that told you how many Earths would be needed to sustain our planet if everyone lived like me, I was astonished. If everyone lived the way I had, then we would need 5.3 Earths to sustain us. To me, that was a shock, and something that made me feel uncomfortable. The change that I decided to bring to my life, not only for my own benefit, but for the earth’s, was to consume less processed and shipped in meat. This change from me, if done by many, could make the world a much better place. Meat that isn’t local has to go through many processes to get to our stomachs, including excess plastic usage during packaging, and the fossil fuels needed for the transportation of it, as well as the sheer amount I (as long as many others) were consuming, made for a higher demand for processed goods in the local area. When I changed this aspect of my everyday life, I decided to take the ecological footprint test again, and I was now using 3.8 earths instead of 5.3. This still is not the best, but is definitely a major step for me towards sustainability. In my efforts to reduce my ecological footprint, I started buying more local grown and raised foods for the past week. This past week has been a triumph for me, as I like a better human being as well as feeling much healthier by eating more plant based products and less processed foods. I have been more energized and have felt an overall shift in my actions. During my journey towards ecological benefit, I have since noticed a change in my behaviors as well, like going outside and getting more exercise rather than staying in and playing video games, and have been a more overall positive person towards my peers and have been more invested in my classes. I have noticed that I have also been spending less money by cooking most of my foods rather than buying fast food and other expensive products from the grocery stores. This is a change that I definitely will stick with, not only for my own good, but the Earth’s good as well.One challenge I have encountered was the time it takes to cook and prepare my foods, but has not been that much of a shift, and has been a better use of my time rather than the past activities I was engaging in. My advice to others who would also like to embark on a personal goal of ecological sustainability and living a healthier life is to stick with it! Even though it may seem tough, it is for the benefit of everyone, and mainly yourself! By reducing the amount of processed foods, you are not only making a better and more healthy life for yourself, but you are also helping the future generations to be able to experience the beauty of the Earth, which we would most likely not have if everyone continued to live like I once did.