Calculate your ecofootprint at: http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/calculators/. How did you fare? Click the explore scenarios button. What behaviors could you modify (be reasonable now!) to reduce your footprint? What is the resulting value? Assume the average American ecofootprint is 4.6 (earths). If everyone lived like you do, what is the maximum population that earth could sustain (according to this calculator)?
After calculating my ecofootprint, I fared at 4.7 Earths. When I first saw my results, I was shocked. I didn't think that I lived such a wasteful lifestyle. Unfortunately, this is close to the norm for most people. We only have one Earth, and if everyone lived as I did, we would need to start looking for other planets to call home base. This calculation really put me to thinking. If I recycled more, bought fewer books and turned to e-books, and borrowing books from others, bought a car with greater mileage, and own a house that is eco-friendly, I was able to lower my footprint to 4.3. I won’t be able to purchase the new car and house now, but for the future, I know what the most environmental investment will be, and therefore further lower my ecofootprint, in the long run.
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