What Is Your Ecological Footprint?
Thursday, August 7th, 2008
I’m really embarrassed right now. I just took the Ecological Footprint Quiz designed by Redefining Progress, and my results stunned me. The bottom line: If everyone on the planet lived my lifestyle, we would need 3.14 Earths! My monstrous footprint requires 121.91 acres when I am ostensibly trying to survive on just one-fifth. Ugh.
The good news, I guess, is that the average in this country is 246.41 acres so I am doing much better than most, but, still, 121.91 acres! You have got to be kidding me! How can this be? As you might imagine I have an incredibly small housing footprint but my carbon footprint is through the roof. Why? Mostly because of air travel. If you take even a couple flights each year, you’re basically offsetting all the good you might be doing by biking to work and eating from your garden. Air travel as we know it is unsustainable, and I foresee it becoming a luxury in the very near future in the same way taking a cruise across the Atlantic was at the turn of the last century.
Despite my horrific score, I’m glad I took the quiz because now I know exactly what I should be working on around here. I challenge you to do the same. It takes less than five minutes and only stings a little bit.