What is your ecological footprint ?

[PyrrhusofEpirus]

A few ambigous questions in there.

My mobility has certainly increased since getting a station wagon a couple of weeks ago compared with just using public transport. But when I did the questionaire a second time my mobility while using public transport only dropped to 1.2 compared with 1.3???

Also it begs the question. Should I limit my consumption because of another nations lack of contraception?

Given that Australia has the same landmass of Europe, but only 1/20th of the population.

Mind you that is deceptive given the lack of water in Aus.

I think the quiz has take into account Aus. conditions, approximately at least. I take the quiz again, supposing that I'm living in Aus.

FOOD 2.6
MOBILITY 0.3
SHELTER 0.4
GOODS/SERVICES 0.7
TOTAL FOOTPRINT 4

IN COMPARISON, THE AVERAGE ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT IN YOUR COUNTRY IS 7.6 GLOBAL HECTARES PER PERSON.

WORLDWIDE, THERE EXIST 1.8 BIOLOGICALLY PRODUCTIVE GLOBAL HECTARES PER PERSON.

IF EVERYONE LIVED LIKE YOU, WE WOULD NEED 2.2 PLANETS.

Compare this with my actual score: total footprint 2.4/1.3 planets

[Aurelian]

CATEGORY ACRES
FOOD 5.4
MOBILITY 0.7
SHELTER 6.4
GOODS/SERVICES 6.4
TOTAL FOOTPRINT 19

IN COMPARISON, THE AVERAGE ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT IN YOUR COUNTRY IS 24 ACRES PER PERSON.

WORLDWIDE, THERE EXIST 4.5 BIOLOGICALLY PRODUCTIVE ACRES PER PERSON.

Interesting exercise. I'd like to see the assumptions they used too, though I think I can pretty much figure it out based on my results.

My food was relatively high because I probably eat some kind of meat daily, and most of my food is shipped in from elsewhere.

My mobility was pretty good because I use the metro or walk most of the time. The car is usually reserved for weekends or evening grocery runs just down the street.

I'm surprised my shelter was so high... but there are only 2 of us living in a 1000-1500 foot apartment. Still, I would have thought that being in a big apartment building was a plus.

The goods and services number is probably pretty average for my area.

So I end up at 19 - under the national average at 24. Booyah.

Kanamori's 41 in Wisconsin probably reflects the joys of non-stop driving that one has to do in the midwest. I originally come from Michigan and there is a lot of driving, and a lot of eating that goes on. Plus the heating. I'm sure I use a lot fewer resources in DC than I did in Michigan.

A few years ago I explained this concept to a couple of girls doing "development" studies. I think I depressed them by pointing out that it was impossible to bring all the Third Worlders up to US/European consumption levels if you were looking at this kind of accounting.

One of the reasons why China industrializing is a big problem.


Oh, bonus. Here's a link to the Methodology page on their website.