Eye Opener: Ecological Footprint

An ecological footprint is a complex sustainability indicator that answers a simple question: How much of the Earth’s resources does your lifestyle require?  I found this definition at Redefining Progress: the nature of economics , and I found an additional definition at wikipedia which was: an ecological footprint is a measure of human demand on the Earth's ecosystems.  When reading these definitions I didn't really grasp what all goes into creating my ecological footprint, so when I took the following quiz to assess my footprint I was quite surprised.


I used the Earth Day Network Footprint Calculator and found that I am really harming our environment by the things that I am doing on a day to day basis.  I drive a ton, going back and forth from school to my hometown, I buy a lot of processed foods, and I'm really not sure how much of what I am buying comes from locally grown places.  I know that I waste electricity by leaving things plugged in all of the time, and that I don't walk or ride the bus to school as much as I should.  One of the most shocking things I learned from this quiz was that if everyone were to do the same things as me on a day to day basis we would need 4-7 planets to provide enough resources.  Below are two charts that show my ecological footprint.

 

This really has been "eye opening" for me, because I really didn't see myself as someone who was such a contributor to our declining environment.  I am going to be much more conscious of what I am buying from the grocery store and where my food is coming from.  I am going to walk to school as often as I can, and ride the bus, or with someone else.  I want to look into tips for people who are looking to reduce their ecological footprint, so I can learn more, and also pass advice on to others around me!