Connecting the Dots
Backstory: An ecological footprint measures the resources used by an individual as represented by the land area required to generate those resources. The quantity of carbon (as carbon dioxide) generated by an individual can also be calculated. In other words, a rough idea of the amount of timber-based products (wood, paper) you use in your footprint can be illustrated by the amount of actual wood or trees required to generate those products. This is not to say that the individual is located on that parcel of land, but rather that amount of land is needed to support the individual’s needs. While you may live in the Midwest, your needs may be indirectly impacting fisheries in the Atlantic Ocean. While it is easy to say one person can’t make a difference, the consequences of our personal consumption can indeed affect the entire globe. But we must first connect the dots.
Activity: In this activity you will use many of the concepts and topics covered in this chapter to identify your own personal short- and long-term impacts on resource availability and sustainability. First calculate your own carbon and ecological footprint. There are many excellent websites that can be used free of charge (such as http://ecologicalfootprint.com/) to determine the measures relative to the amount of land needed to supply each resource used. Your footprint should give a rough idea of the amount of land needed (in acres or hectares) for your resource usage, how many Earths it would take to supply the resources if everyone lived as you do, and the amount (in tons or metric tonnes) of carbon you generate annually by resource usage. Fill in the first table below for each measure listed while identifying the resource itself; that is, paper from forests, food from local fisheries and nearby agriculture, power plants for carbon produced, etc. If the website calculator further breaks down your carbon production (in CO2) into percentages relative to each resource used, fill in the second column as well.
| Measures | Resource Used | Percentage Used |
|---|---|---|
| CARBON (in CO2 produced) | bfeBwc7Idk/0FwzUfWCRWV5mKY0= | vHZC5gYKfJQhLpv4 |
| CROPLAND | bfeBwc7Idk/0FwzUfWCRWV5mKY0= | vHZC5gYKfJQhLpv4 |
| GRAZING LAND | bfeBwc7Idk/0FwzUfWCRWV5mKY0= | vHZC5gYKfJQhLpv4 |
| FOREST | bfeBwc7Idk/0FwzUfWCRWV5mKY0= | vHZC5gYKfJQhLpv4 |
| FISHERIES | bfeBwc7Idk/0FwzUfWCRWV5mKY0= | vHZC5gYKfJQhLpv4 |
| DEVELOPED LANDS | bfeBwc7Idk/0FwzUfWCRWV5mKY0= | vHZC5gYKfJQhLpv4 |
| LAND REQUIRED (in acres or hectares) | bfeBwc7Idk/0FwzUfWCRWV5mKY0= | vHZC5gYKfJQhLpv4 |
| EARTHS NEEDED | bfeBwc7Idk/0FwzUfWCRWV5mKY0= | vHZC5gYKfJQhLpv4 |
Next, identify as many as you can of the above measures in the community, county or city in which you reside (you may not find all the measures listed in the table because some may be located farther away from your immediate location). Now connect the dots. Using the information compiled above, along with your knowledge of environmental science, address the following:
Activity results are being submitted...