Ecological Footprint
(in-class activity)
Remember we are we are merely looking at how we use our resources. We are not saying that choices individuals make are "right" or "wrong"! It is not a competition.
An Ecological Footprint is a measurement of our demands on nature. The more of Earth's resources we consume (use), the bigger our Ecological Footprint. We are going to calculate our ecological footprint in class using a basic calculator.
The footprint you calculate will tell you how many "Earths" are needed to support the way you use resources; the number of planets that would be needed if everyone in the world used resources the same way as you.
A score below 1 says
that you are living
within the planets means
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A score above 1 means that if everyone in the world answered the questions
the same way you did, we would be living beyond the Earth's means and
damaging the planet.
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What’s Your Ecological Footprint?
Open the following site: http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/calculators/
1. Select the “button” for USA – you can always try other countries later.
2. Click the “get started” button – do not log in.
3. Randomly generate an avatar or QUICKLY create your own and click OK to continue.
4. Answer the questions posed in the top half of the survey above the green line. You can sit with someone at home to do the more detailed survey later.
5. When you have finished answering the questions you will see the number of earth’s needed to support your lifestyle if everyone on earth lived like you do.
How many Earths is your own, personal footprint?
Now, explore a bit.
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In the bottom right of the box on your screen you have some options. If you click ”explore scenarios” you may change some of your choices and see how it affects your footprint. What sort of changes can alter your footprint?
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Take the quiz again, but this time make choices that will increase your ecological footprint or decrease it. By making different choices how did you affect your footprint?
More games and activities:
Here are a couple of other ecological footprint calculators.
The one is below is a very simple calculator, but lets you change answers and recalculate so you can see what small changes to your
lifestyle/resource use do to your ecological footprint.
http://islandwood.org/kids/impact/footprint/footprint.php
These will require assistance from a parent as you will have to know the size of your house, the miles per gallon that
the car you travel in most often gets, and also some information about your average electricity and gas bill. It's really worth trying
with a grown up as it gives you a much more detailed footprint assessment.
http://sustainability.publicradio.org/consumerconsequences/consumerConsequences.html
http://www.myfootprint.org/en/visitor_information/
Here are some games which also provide tips if you'd like to try to reduce your footprint:
The Trash-Free lunch game http://www.fergusonfoundation.org/hbf/nature_recycles/applets/lunchgame.html
http://www.fergusonfoundation.org/lunchranking.html
What items can be recycled? http://www.fergusonfoundation.org/hbf/nature_recycles/applets/trashsorting/trashsortingintro.html
What can they be recycled (or up-cycled) into? http://www.fergusonfoundation.org/recycle_quiz/recycle_quiz.html
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