"Ecological Footprint" - What's Yours?

Treehugger is a great environmental site that provides lots of useful information, including an article about Ecological Footprinting and a new calculator for it, presented by the UK group Bioregional, which says that they are an “entrepreneurial charity with the aim of leading the way to sustainable living through practical demonstration.” The One Planet Living calculator was developed in response to the knowledge that green living isn’t just about reducing your carbon footprint. The calculator, with data analysis by Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), asks several questions to determine a person’s impact on the environment through how much biologically productive land and water is consumed to support them and to absorb the waste generated by them. Using this methodology, they calculate that the global per capita target should be 1.8 global hectares of biologically productive land (biological poductive land divided by population). Bioregional’s research indicates that the average person in the UK has an ecological footprint of around 5.4 gha (global hectares) or 3 times the global per capita target, meaning that if everyone on the planet consumed and produced waste at the same rate as the average UK resident, world population would require two other planets just to support them! The Test The One Planet Living calculator allows you the choice of a short or long test. I took the short test and answered predictable questions such as the type of car driven and how many miles and somewhat unpredictable questions like whether or not I went to a museum or took a class in the last 12 months. At the end of the quiz, though I recycle everything I can and am not a frequent driver, my ecological footprint was rated at 5.8, or even above that of the average UK resident. Note that the calculator doesn’t take into account factors that are beyond your control, like the insulation the owner of your apartment building puts in or that your apartment refrigerator is an older model and therefore less energy efficient. In the view of Bioregional, whether or not you control these factors is irrelevant; you consume in that space, so your control or lack of it doesn’t affect the end result of that consumption. Very humbling. The Guidelines After the calculation, you’ll find 10 guidelines for sustainable living:

• Sustainable wat
• Zero carbon
• Zero waste
• Sustainable transport
• Local and sustainable food
• Sustainable water
• Natural habitats and wildlife
• Culture and heritage
• Equity and fair trade
• Health and happiness

Each section provides suggestions based on your quiz answers. In mine, for example, I indicated that I prefer showers and under “sustainable water” there was the comment, “Well done. Standard showers use less water than baths.”

Take a look at the One Planet Living Calculator and take the test to see how much of an impact you’re having. Even if you’ve done a good job reducing your carbon footprint, you may find – as I did - there is still a lot of room for improvement. And, as always, consider reducing your impact on the roadway by using public transport, cycling or walking, or ridesharing.