Ecological Footprint Calculator
Hello simple sapiens! I wanted to share two interesting tools I found recently online. They are ecological footprint calculators. Most of you have probably stumbled upon these on the web or been sent a link from one of your friends. They are nothing new or amazing, but if you haven’t tried one out, I encourage you to do so!
What Is An Ecological Footprint?
Wikipedia describes your ecological footprint as “a measure of human demand on the Earth’s ecosystems. It compares human demand with planet Earth’s ecological capacity to regenerate it… Using this assessment, it is possible to estimate how many planet Earths it would take to support humanity if everybody lived a given lifestyle.“
Ok, so the ecological footprint calculator basically tells you how many planet Earths it would take to sustain the entire human population, if every single person lived the way you do. I took the test on two different sites and got two different results. I am not sure which one is more accurate. Even if they aren’t incredibly precise, it is fun to get a rough idea of your ecological footprint. They ask you questions about your home, energy use, eating habits, and transportation.
My Ecological Footprint
Ecological Footprint Calculator #1
This one is a visually appealing calculator from Earthday.net. It has a visual and sound corresponding to all your answers. Here are my results:
Eek, 3.4 planets. Looks like I need to simplify even more!
Ecological Footprint Calculator #2
This calculator is from MyFootPrint.org. It looks more like a standard online survey, but is also very professional and visually appealing. You can see your score as you go along in real time for each category. Here are my results:
Wow. 5.21 planets. Even worse than the previous results. I should rethink my lifestyle!
Your Ecological Footprint
One of the great things about living simple is your reduced effect on the environment. We should all strive to sustain our resources and leave this planet in good shape for future generations. It is easy to get motivated to do this simply by imagining how the world would be if we continue our wasteful ways. Imagine that it is happening to you right now.
Imagine that our parents and their parents lived their lives completely in opposition of the environment. They consumed like there was no tomorrow. As a result there is no fresh water. No food. Pollution. No diversity in nature. Global warming. Increased natural disasters. No oil. No crops. No animals.
Imagining that should push you to make more environmentally sustainable decisions.
So, how big of an effect do you have on the environment? Take the ecological footprint test and let us know! Post your results in the comments section.
Photo By James Jordan
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Wow, cool tool! My total was 24.35… I had 1000% of my country’s average carbon footprint!
Lucass last blog post..Question and Answer Time (10 Sep 2008) – Answers
@ Lucas – Ha! That is pretty high. Well perhaps maybe you can learn something from my blog and I can learn something from yours
Thanks for the comment!
- Jack Rugile
Simple Sapien
Those calculators are a little skewed I think. I made myself a vegan who produces no waste, lives in a tiny condo with no electricity with 3 other people and don’t fly, drive, or ride a motorcycle . . . We need 2.6 earths for everyone to live like that?! WHAT!?
The second one I filled out in my actual lifestyle. We live as a family of 4 in a modest home, reduced our meat intake, buy as little stuff as we can, recycle anything we can in our city, compost, have a garden . . . 4.4 Earths! WHAT!
Maybe I should go live in a grass hut and eat mud, it’s the only way the enviro-loons will be happy.
Here is an interesting fact. Did you know that you could fit all the people on the earth in Central America and we would be well under the population density of Tokyo? 6.6 billion people fit there at 12600 people per sq km. Did you know that Dhaka, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Seoul, and Tokyo all have higher population densities? Obviously Central America would be relatively comfortable compared to these areas. Why hasn’t it been suggested to herd everyone one the planet in to a small area with ample farm land. We wouldn’t need to ship stuff all over the planet and would be much better off . . . unless you like freedom . . . which environmentalists are against.
Good post.