CATEGORY-------------GLOBAL ACRES
FOOD.............................4.9
MOBILITY......................0.2
SHELTER......................4.2
GOODS/SERVICES..........3
TOTAL FOOTPRINT 12
IN COMPARISON, THE AVERAGE ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT IN YOUR COUNTRY IS 24 GLOBAL ACRES PER PERSON.
WORLDWIDE, THERE EXISTS 4.5 BIOLOGICALLY PRODUCTIVE GLOBAL ACRES PER PERSON.
IF EVERYONE LIVED LIKE YOU, WE WOULD NEED 2.8 PLANETS.
Take the quiz yourself.
One way for me to look at these ecological footprint results is "I'm using up Earth's resources THREE TIMES faster than what is a sustainable rate. I need to do better! I need to cut my usage of resources by ONE THIRD to do any benefit at all. Theoretically, to balance out fellow Americans' consumption, I need to cut my consumption to 90% or more of the average!" If that was the case, I'd be hopeless and discouraged. Another way to look at it is, "I'm doing great! My ecological footprint is HALF of the average American's! I'm saving the planet TWICE as much as my neighbors! Hooray!" but we know the dangers of comparing ourselves to others... so I just take the results as encouragement and a challenge. I'm doing pretty good, but I can improve. I'm not there yet.
How are you doing? What's your footprint?
4 comments:
If everyone lived like me, we would need 3.1 planets.
What they fail to take into consideration is that if everyone really lived like me, we'd all live together in huge dormitories that had board game rooms in the basements, cafeterias that served cereal all day long, and there would be no need to manufacture suits, hair products, or most sports equipment. It would be quite a different planet. Possibly for the better.
My footprint is 16. We'd need 3.7 planets.
Matt- If everyone lived the way you want to live, it'd be that way. As it is, you don't live in a dormitory and eat cereal all day long. But you're right, the arrangement could help the planet. Someone should do a study or something.
Ashley- your walking to work is certainly helping make your footprint smaller. You're doing great!
I scored a rockin' 11.
I think I'll check out the more detailed, complete spreadsheet. I'm sure they made A LOT of assumptions. That is, if your house is so big and you have so many people living there, you probably use a certain amount of water. There a many more variables...bathing habits, where you set your thermostat, etc.
I'd just be interested in a more accurate representation. And I'd like to compare different situations. For instance, is my footprint really smaller if I ride my bike to work if I have to shower twice as often, do more laundry, and eat another 500 calories?
None of that really changes my pursuit of 2.5 planets. Anyone want to go halfsies?
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