Ever wondered if the lifestyle of the society you live in is truly sustainable? Whether it's a small community, a bustling city, or an entire country, the key to answering this question lies in determining the ecological footprint.
What is an Ecological Footprint?
The concept of the ecological footprint was developed by scientists Mathis Wackernagel and William Rees in the early 1990s. They introduced this idea in their 1996 book, Our Ecological Footprint: Reducing Human Impact on the Earth. But what exactly is an ecological footprint?
At its core, the ecological footprint measures the supply of and demand on nature. The supply side refers to the biocapacity of a place, which includes all biologically productive land areas like forests, pastures, cropland, and fisheries. These areas are crucial because they can absorb much of the waste we generate, particularly carbon emissions, besides being biologically productive.
On the demand side, the ecological footprint represents the productive land required to provide the renewable resources humanity uses and to absorb the wastes generated by the average global citizen. This calculation also includes the land occupied by human infrastructure, as built-up land is not available for resource regeneration.
The Astonishing Results
When scientists first calculated the ecological footprint of each country, they were shocked by the results. We are using the Earth's resources at such an unreasonable and irresponsible rate that we are heading towards ecological disaster. The purpose of measuring the ecological footprint is to quantify sustainability in environmental, social, and economic terms, showing how devastating our behavior is. The hope is to encourage people to take action and change their habits.
Calculating the Ecological Footprint
The ecological footprint of a society can be calculated by considering all the biological materials consumed and all the carbon dioxide emissions generated by that society each year. This footprint can be calculated for an individual, a family, a community, a city, a country, or the entire world. It underscores that all forms of consumption depend on the biosphere's capacity, and thus, humanity's existence hinges on its condition.
For instance, the average ecological footprint for one person is 2.7 acres, which is 2.5 times more than in 1961. In 2015, Earth had about 11.2 billion acres of biologically active soil and sea and a population of 7.3 billion people, meaning there were 1.53 acres available per person. However, today's consumption patterns are so resource-intensive that we would need two Earths to meet our current demands. If everyone lived like the average Hungarian citizen, we would need three planets to sustain that lifestyle.
Eco-Villages: A Path to Sustainability
If we're to find solutions and create sustainable communities, eco-villages offer a promising example. Recent studies show that residents of eco-villages, like Krishna Valley ICCOF in Hungary, have a significantly smaller ecological footprint than the average Hungarian. Living sustainably means aligning our lifestyles with what our environment can support.
Measuring Your Own Ecological Footprint
Calculating your ecological footprint with scientific precision can be complex, requiring detailed analysis of the resources used by a community, village, town, or country. However, there are simpler methods to get a rough estimate. For instance, you can take an ecological footprint quiz online. These tests can provide insights into the size of your own ecological footprint and highlight areas where you can make more sustainable choices.
Final Thoughts
Understanding and reducing our ecological footprint is crucial for a sustainable future. By being mindful of our resource consumption and making conscious efforts to reduce waste, we can all contribute to a healthier planet. So, why not take a moment to measure your ecological footprint and start making small changes today? Your actions can make a big difference in creating a more sustainable world.
Measuring Your Own Ecological Footprint
Measuring one’s footprint with scientific elaboration accurately is quite an elaborate process. It can be done so with a deep analysis of the used resources by a certain community, village, town or country. However, there are simpler measuring methods, for instance by the following test. Completing this you will learn more about the size of your own ecological footprint. Take action, fill in the test now, and measure your ecological footprint.
Category | Points |
I. YOUR HOME | |
a.) Where do you live? | |
Flat | 20 |
House | 40 |
b.) How many people live in the household? | |
1 | 30 |
2 | 25 |
3 | 20 |
4 | 15 |
5+ | 10 |
c.) What form of heating do you use? | |
Gas, central heating | 30 |
Electricity | 40 |
Oil | 50 |
Renewable energy | 0 |
d.) How many taps are there in the home (kitchen, bathroom, toilet, garden, etc.)? | |
Less than 3 | 5 |
3-5 | 10 |
6-8 | 15 |
8-10 | 20 |
More than 10 | 25 |
Category | Points |
II. EATING | |
a.) How many times a week do you eat meat or fish? | |
0 | 0 |
1-3 | 10 |
4-6 | 20 |
7-10 | 35 |
10+ | 50 |
b.) How many times a week do you eat homemade food (including lunch that you take to work)? | |
Less than 10 times | 25 |
10-14 | 20 |
14-18 | 15 |
More than 18 times | 10 |
c.) Do you try to buy your country’s and local products? | |
Yes | 25 |
No | 125 |
Sometimes | 50 |
Rarely | 100 |
I don’t know | 75 |
Category | Points |
III. TRANSPORT | |
a.) What vehicle do you use regularly? | |
Motorbike | 15 |
Car (small) | 35 |
Car (medium) | 60 |
Car (big) | 75 |
Sports car or van | 100 |
Truck | 130 |
b.) How do you usually go to work? | |
By car | 50 |
By public transport | 25 |
By school or company bus | 20 |
On foot; by bike/roller-skate | 0 |
c.) How many times a week do you use public transport instead of a car? (If you don’t use any of them, it’s 0 point.) | |
0 times | 50 |
1-5 | 40 |
6-10 | 30 |
11-15 | 20 |
more than 15 times | 10 |
d.) Did you travel last year? | |
No | 0 |
In my own country | 10 |
In Europe | 20 |
Outside Europe | 30 |
On the other side of the world | 40 |
Category | Points |
IV. SHOPPING | |
a.) Last year, how many large investments did you make in your household (buying a television, video, computer, furniture, car, fridge, stove, etc.)? | |
None | 0 |
1-3 | 15 |
4-6 | 30 |
More | 45 |
b.) Have you chosen energy saving equipment? | |
Yes | 0 |
No | 25 |
Category | Points |
V. WASTE, GARBAGE | |
a.) Are you trying to reduce waste in the household (by shopping in big scale, rejecting flyers, etc.)? | |
Always | 0 |
Sometimes | 10 |
Rarely | 20 |
Never | 30 |
b.) Do you compost household waste? | |
Yes, always | 0 |
Sometimes | 10 |
Rarely | 15 |
Never | 20 |
c.) Do you recycle newspaper, boxes, plastic and glass bottles and other forms of waste? | |
Yes, always | 0 |
Sometimes | 10 |
Rarely | 15 |
Never | 20 |
d.) How many litres of waste do you produce weekly? | |
0 | 0 |
30 | 5 |
60 | 10 |
120 | 20 |
More than 120 | 30 |
Evaluation
Points | Ecological Footprints |
Less than 150 | Under 2 acres. Congratulations! This is the ecologically sustainable category. |
150-350 | 2 acres. With some reduction you can attain an ecologically sustainable footprint. |
351-550 | 3-4 acres. You would need two Earth planets! You have to reduce waste. |
551-750 | 4-5 acres. With this footprint size, you would need more than two Earth planets! You have to reduce waste. |
More than 750 | More than 5 acres. If everyone had an ecological footprint of this size, mankind would ruin the planet in 40 years. |
Thanks for the great blogpost!