Calculating Your Ecological Footprint Sustainability, Part 2


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Calculating Your Ecological Footprint
Sustainability Part 2
Presenter Name Ph.D. Presenter Title Arizona
State University Last updated 082207
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By the end of this activity you will be able to

• define the concept of an ecological footprint.
• list those things in your daily life that
  contribute the most to the size of your footprint.

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What do people need?

• All humans need basic things for their material
  and physical wellbeing
• Air
• Food
• Water
• Shelter

Adapted from http//www.rprogress.org/
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How do people meet these needs?

• In general we produce these necessities from
  resources that are extracted from the earth
• In the process we create waste streams that
  flow back into our environment.

http//www.epa.vic.gov.au/ecologicalfootprint/defa
ult.asp
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Products and the Environment

• At first glance the relationship between
  products and the environment may seem clear BUT.

http//www.epa.vic.gov.au/ecologicalfootprint/defa
ult.asp
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Lets consider a simple french fry.

• What impact does it have?

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How did the fry get to Bobs Burger Shop?
http//www.rprogress.org/
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What impact did its journey have?
http//www.rprogress.org/
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What impact did these impacts have?
http//www.rprogress.org/
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How might all of this affect the earths systems?
http//www.rprogress.org/
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And that was just the potato

• Consider all the other parts of your meal
• the other foods
• the utensils
• the napkins
• the condiments
• the drinks
• There are multiple environmental impacts involved
  in these as well.

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There are social impacts too.

• Who did the work that brought the food to your
  table?
• Under what conditions did they work?

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Every choice we make has an impact on the planet.

• An ecological footprint is a tool to measure our
  environmental impact.
• It tracks how much individuals organizations
  cities regions or nations as a whole consume
  and compares this amount to the resources nature
  can provide.

http//www.footprintnetwork.org
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How big is your footprint?

• There are currently about 6.7 billion people on
  the earth.
• Do you believe that the planet has the capability
  to support your lifestyle for everyone?

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Lets find out
Click here to begin.

• In the following activity you will be guided
  through a series of questions that will be used
  to estimate your ecological footprint.
• After you have completed the Quiz you will
  record the result and then take the quiz twice
  more making modifications as directed.

Select the link above to take the quiz. When
youre done close the popup window and return
to this website
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Results Your Current Lifestyle

• According to this website if everyone lived like
  me we would need _________ planets to support
  humanity.

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What if you made some simple changes?
Click here to begin.

• Repeat the survey but this time answer the
  questions hypothetically based on modifications
  that you could easily make in your current
  lifestyle to reduce your ecological footprint.

Select the link above to take the quiz a second
time. When youre done close the popup window
and return to this website
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Results With Simple Changes

• According to this website if If I attempted to
  reduce my ecological footprint by making a few
  easy changes in my lifestyle we would need
  _________ planets to support humanity.

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What if you made some difficult changes?
Click here to begin.

• Repeat the survey one last time based on
  modifications that you could theoretically make
  but that would be very difficult for you or
  would represent a substantial change from the way
  you live now.

Select the link above to take the quiz a final
time. When youre done close the popup window
and return to this website
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Results With Difficult Changes

• According to this website if If I attempted to
  reduce my ecological footprint by making
  substantial changes in my lifestyle we would
  need _________ planets to support humanity.

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How you compare
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Reflection

• What about your current lifestyle do you believe
  causes the greatest impact?
• Are you likely to make changes in your lifestyle
  in order to reduce your ecological footprint?
• Why or why not?

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Remember

• There are many different types of ecological
  footprint surveys.
• Some are based upon very detailed information
  while some are calculated using just a few
  specific pieces of information.
• Ecological footprints can be used to describe the
  entire human population an individual or any
  sized entity in between.

http//www.allspecies.org/neigh/nbrfootp.htm
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• One criticism of footprints is that different
  groups define and measure footprints differently
  making it difficult to make comparisons across
  regions or nations.
• The Global Footprint Network is an organization
  whose mission is to calculate footprints to
  provide information about resource use to
  decisionmakers.
• They use and advocate strict standards to assure
  the scientific integrity of the measurements used
  to calculate footprints.
• To learn more see
• http//www.footprintnetwork.org/
• http//www.footprintnetwork.org/gfn_sub.php?conten
  tstandards

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Links for Further Information

• The Global Footprint Network
• http//www.footprintnetwork.org/
• Sustainable UK Lifestyle Assessment
• Includes a downloadable excel spreadsheet to
  calculate the sustainability of your lifestyle on
  a variety of dimensions
• http//www.susuk.com/individuals/
• The Nature Conservancys Climate Change
  Calculator
• http//www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/ca
  lculator/
• The University Of British Columbias
  Sustainability Survey and EcoFootprint
  Calculator
• http//www.sustain.ubc.ca/ecosurvey/
• Calculator for Kids
• http//www.islandwood.org/kids/impact/footprint/in
  dex.php

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• You have completed Part 2 of the sustainability
  component of ASU 101.
• See you in class