Assignment Task: Humans depend on the Earth to provide basic services: water, air, heat, shelter, and waste removal. In this sense, the ways we use the planet and its resources can be defined within a biological context. The ecological footprint (EF) was developed as an approach to quantify the impact of human consumption and waste. EF measures natural capital supply and demand. The "supply" of natural capital is what the planet can provide for our basic needs. The "demand" side is based on what we use. The EF concept is scalable for use with the entire globe, regions, nations, communities, and individuals (Inkpen, 2009; Ponthiere, 2009; Wackernagel et al., 2005).
Instructions:
In this activity, you will calculate your own Ecological Footprint and post your results:.
Begin by using one or two of the many online EF calculators to get an estimate of your personal EF. For example, you could use any of the following:
Global Footprint Network: Footprint Calculator
Island Wood
Also, feel free to use other online calculators that you find.
Use the following questions to do a reflection on EF in your online discussion post:
Q1. Which calculator did you use? What was your EF? Did you think that the calculator(s) provided a reasonable estimate of your EF? Why or why not?
Q2. What do you think you would need to do to decrease your footprint by 25%?
Q3. What are some activities that would help protect the environment if a lot of people did them?
Q4. If humans had a smaller ecological footprint, do you think that would enable other creatures to sustain themselves because they would have more resources? Or are the impacts that humans make on the natural world too dramatic for other creatures to support themselves?