My first assignment for Environmental Science was to calculate my ecological footprint on the world. In doing this assignment we were to go to http://www.footprintnetwork.org/calculator. On this website you are asked simple questions regarding the way you live your life and your usage and consumption of things such as: services, electricity, transportation, diet, etc. After you are given your results in which they somehow calculate how many earths we would need if everyone lived the way you do, and which aspects of your life have the biggest effect on your ecological footprint.
According to my ecological footprint, if everyone on earth lived the way that I do, we would need 5.2 earths!! The aspects of my life that account for the largest part of my ecological footprint is mobility, and services which is not much of a surprise. To support my lifestyle alone it would take 21.1 global acres of the earths reproductive area which is very interesting. After your ecological footprint is calculated you are able to explore scenarios that can eventually lessen your footprint on the earth. If I simply got most of my electricity from solar panels the earths needed for me would drop to 4.9.
Its shocking to see how much a single human can consume, and sad to see no changes are made.
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