What is your ecological footprint?

[Grog]

Even if they're important things to do, high-efficiency appliances, bulbs, etc., being careful with electricity and hot water, etc., having a high-efficiency car, etc. are marginal when compared to the ENORMOUS amount of resources we use by just living in big houses and apartments (compared to the rest of the world at least), heating them up (or cooling them down, or both), owning a car (even the most efficient ones have to be constructed, which requires a HUGE amount of energy and resources), eating food that comes from faraway, buying all that stuff (clothes, toys, electronics, furniture, and so much more) that we own (worst illustration of it might be the dollar store phenomena), etc.

The actual sacrifices we have to do if we want to live sustainably are MUCH bigger than the ones we make on a daily basis. It would indeed include, for example, foresaking family visits... or forsaking the reason why we live far from our family to begin with.

Clearly, we're not anywhere near that. However frugal I try to be (I'm down to 2.4 planets according to that web site), I still am extremely far from a sustainable lifestyle. It haunts me so much at times it prevents me from sleeping. This just can't work out. And I know that if only a significant portion of the population started living a simpler lifestyle tomorrow, then it would mean a catastrophy for the economy, and lots of people among the poorer in our societies would suffer from it.

I'm sorry I have no solution right now. I hope nobody gets discouraged from doing small things because of the size of their footprint, thinking nothing can be done about it. But I find it a good wake-up call that, hello, we'll have to be a little more serious about changing our lifestyle if we want positive changes to happen on this planet.

[Kitsune06]

The simple fact of the matter is that we are looking at this all wrong. There is a point where we must consider not whether we can sustain life, but what quality of life there will be for the survivors. We could all theoretically exist in closet-sized Japanese apartments, eating very small meals and moving very little to reduce caloric expenditure, etc etc and just keep having children etc etc who will grow up to live in smaller boxes and eating less...

There is going to be a point at which we realize it's not how sustainably we live, not how much we give up, not now conscious we are, but a matter of how *many* of us there are. A single locust does not eat much, but a swarm will desolate an entire valley.

If something were to happen (think Peak Oil etc) we would all be proper f*cked. Especially those of us in the cities. We have hardly got the means to produce enough food from our apartments. Millions would starve and die. ...that's nature's counterbalance. Like a cold winter, it will cull the excess of our population and those who do remain will have greater hope for the resources available. It's harsh, and it's tragic, but it's natural and the reverse swing of the pendulum.

It just p*sses me off and sickens me to occasionally see Hotmail or CNN headlines that say something like "Germany going extinct?" when population growth dips into the negatives for once. As if people need encouragement.

[emily_in_nc]

The FAQ: http://www.rprogress.org/newprojects...html#accuracy1

This actually tells you a lot about the assumptions made in the footprint, and explains that some is based upon your area, not your habits.

CA

That was interesting, thanks. I think our house size (which is actually smaller than our two previous houses; we keep downsizing!) and having only a two-person family hurt us as much as my long commute to work (and the fact that I drive a Honda Element - to tote bikes and kayaks! - instead of a Prius). But they don't ask or know that we heat primarily with wood from our own land, so that our heating bill is extremely low, and we keep the thermostat at 80 degrees during the summer instead of 72 or 76 like most people I know, so the A/C rarely comes on. We also compost and recycle EXTENSIVELY so that we only have a couple bags of actual trash per month to take to the dump (no trash pickup out here in the boonies).

We do the best we can for now, but definitely want to do better in the future!

Emily

[Trekhawk]

A great book to read that will boggle your mind with ugly facts is Affluenza by John De Graaf, David Wann and Thomas H. Naylor.

Read it if you get the chance - you wont be disappointed. It really made me take a good look at my life and the way I live.

Here is part of the blurb off the back
"Now revised and expanded, this bestselling classic shows how problems ranging from loneliness, longer working hours and family conflict to rising debt, environmental pollution, and rampant commercialism are all symptoms of the disease affluenza".

[MomOnBike]

Category Acres

Food 5.9

Mobility 0.2

Shelter 8.6

Goods/services 5.9

Total Footprint 21



In Comparison, The Average Ecological Footprint In Your Country Is 24 Acres Per Person.

Worldwide, There Exist 4.5 Biologically Productive Acres Per Person.


If Everyone Lived Like You, We Would Need 4.7 Planets.

````````````

We can't win for losing. The food is killing us, not only do we eat meat and dairy, but most of our food is from far away. We've got to work on that.

And yes, now that the girls are gone, we really should be looking into a smaller, more efficient house. I wish that they had asked thermometer settings, summer and winter. We'd have scored better.

I'm proud of my transportation footprint, however.

[Pax]

We can't win for losing. The food is killing us, not only do we eat meat and dairy, but most of our food is from far away. We've got to work on that.

And yes, now that the girls are gone, we really should be looking into a smaller, more efficient house. I wish that they had asked thermometer settings, summer and winter. We'd have scored better.

I'm proud of my transportation footprint, however.

Peoples perceptions of the size house you "need" are mind boggling. My co-workers keep telling me that I'm out of my mind if I consider any house with less than 1400 square feet. We currently live in a 950 sq ft condo...there's only two adults in our household what on earth would we do with 1400 sq ft??

[Kitsune06]

My appt is 690 sq feet and it actually seems really big for me. I feel like I rattle around in it... then again my first 'place' was 20x10, a shop made for drying flowers, refurnished (by me) to be a small studio. It had about everything I needed, 'cept a bathroom, but that was shared. I actually really liked the place.

[Blueberry]

Peoples perceptions of the size house you "need" are mind boggling. My co-workers keep telling me that I'm out of my mind if I consider any house with less than 1400 square feet. We currently live in a 950 sq ft condo...there's only two adults in our household what on earth would we do with 1400 sq ft??

We've been trying to buy a smaller place (mostly because there would be less to clean). Long story (and bad seller's agent), but we didn't get the one we wanted. Smaller houses in nice neighborhoods around here are hard to find. The one we wanted was 1250 square feet. The folks at work thought I was certifiable.....

Disease affluenza indeed - I can relate

[emily_in_nc]

I wonder why the quiz doesn't give credit for not having any children? Without children, we generate less trash, use less energy, and consume less food and all sorts of goods. I can't take credit for making a decision not to have children for ecological reasons -- we were infertile. It's just a bit surprising that that fact doesn't lower our "footprint".

Emily

[Grog]

I wonder why the quiz doesn't give credit for not having any children? Without children, we generate less trash, use less energy, and consume less food and all sorts of goods. I can't take credit for making a decision not to have children for ecological reasons -- we were infertile. It's just a bit surprising that that fact doesn't lower our "footprint".

Kids have their own footprint.

The calculation is just for yourself (ex: if there's four people in your household, then each has its own footprint).

[emily_in_nc]

Kids have their own footprint.

The calculation is just for yourself (ex: if there's four people in your household, then each has its own footprint).

Ah, I see. So even though my individual footprint is high, my DH's would be lower (since he's retired and rarely drives), and since we have no children, our total "household footprint" could be lower than a larger family's.

I feel a tiny bit better now.

Emily

[mimitabby]

CATEGORY ACRES
FOOD 4.9
MOBILITY 0.7
SHELTER 5.7
GOODS/SERVICES 4.4
TOTAL FOOTPRINT 16



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

we'd need 3. some planets if everyone lived like me!!!

I've been avoiding this thread because I know i could do better.

[mimitabby]

Ah, I see. So even though my individual footprint is high, my DH's would be lower (since he's retired and rarely drives), and since we have no children, our total "household footprint" could be lower than a larger family's.

I feel a tiny bit better now.

Emily

no, Emily the more people per house the better.
so you need to have 8 kids.

[lph]

My appt is 690 sq feet and it actually seems really big for me. I feel like I rattle around in it... then again my first 'place' was 20x10

We (2 adults and one child) live in a 2 story apartment ("chained" house?) about 70 sq metres, which I guess is about 750 sq feet. It's plenty large enough for us. We could always USE more space, but we don't NEED it. Sure my bike would like to spend the night indoors, but she gets to perch in the hall if it's really cold

We're moving now, up the hill to get a better view and more sun - to an identical apartment. Everyone thinks we're out of our mind for not "upgrading"...

We're planning on exchanging bedrooms, so that our soon 10 yr-old will get a bedroom with room for a sofa. It means that my bf and I will be crammed into an itsy-bitsy tiny bedroom with juuuust room enough to squeeze past our (king-size, I insist) bed... Ok, so we are slightly nuts...

My point being - it's not that hard to take a little less space, but it takes a little motivation. I would have more trouble not using a car for vacations and weekend trips, not going on plane trips, and not buying the vegetables I want even though they come from the other side of the globe.

[IFjane]

CATEGORY ACRES
FOOD 4.2
MOBILITY 2
SHELTER 6.9
GOODS/SERVICES 8.2
TOTAL FOOTPRINT 21

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

WORLDWIDE, THERE EXIST 4.5 BIOLOGICALLY PRODUCTIVE ACRES PER PERSON.

IF EVERYONE LIVED LIKE YOU, WE WOULD NEED 4.8 PLANETS.


I agree with Emily - there is nothing that takes into account how we heat or cool our houses. I got nailed (as I'm sure you did, too, Emily) for not using public transportation - it's REALLY hard to use public transportation when it doesn't exist out in the sticks! We don't use our air conditioning in the summer unless it gets really really really hot - and our temps and humidity are like NC - but it's just the two of us and we are outside most of the time anyway - so why waste that energy....yet no way to get credit for that. Our house is smallish as well (1200 sq. ft.)... oh well...