ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT

Are we getting too big for our house?

Who is getting what? Global equity

What about land for other species? People vs. nature ?

How big is a hectare? One hectare

Bioproductive Segments 67% Low-Productivity Ocean Bioproductive Segments Bioproductive segments 22% 4% Biologically Productive Ocean 11% Deserts, Ice Caps and Barren Land 18% Biologically Productive Land

Personal planetoid Global average availability of bioproductive Land + Sea = ~1.9 global hectares/person

Fossil Fuel Build-up Waste Food Fibres Footprint components Fossil Fuel Build-up Waste Food Fibres

If everyone lived like us we would need……

Discussion All organisms on Earth use resources from the planet. (There are approximately 30 million species on the Earth) What natural resources do we require for our needs? Are these resources equally distributed around the World?

Only 25% of our planet is deemed productive. According to you, what do you think is meant by an ecological footprint?

Ecological Footprint (EF) It’s the portion of the planet (area) that we need for continuing our existence. (For example: food, clothing, energy, lodging, etc.) We can calculate our EF based on an individual, family, city or country.

Video – Ecological Footprint

Calculate your Ecological Footprint You are looking for an estimation of the “portion of the Planet” that you use to meet your needs. It’s simply a tool that lets you look objectively at how much of the Earth’s resources you are using.

Calculate Sheet – What is your Ecological Footprint?

Table Number of hectares you need to sustain your personal life: Number of Students From 12 to 14 ha From 10 to 12 ha From 8 to 10 ha From 6 to 8 ha From 4 to 6 ha From 2 to 4 ha Number of hectares you need to sustain your personal life:

Graph Complete a bar graph of the students in your class to show the area of land needed for their Ecological Footprint.

Average Ecological Footprint The Average Canadian Ecological Footprint is about 8.8 hectares.

Video – “How to reduce your Ecological Footprint”

Think about it… Complete Part 4: Find 10 ways that you can reduce your Ecological Footprint Hint: Think about aspects that you lost the most points on during the calculation of your EF.

Questions Complete Parts 5 and 6!

Quote “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” (Margaret Mead) Never doubt the wisdom of youth and their power to make a difference!

Video – Let’s reduce our Ecological Footprints

Video – National Geographic – The Human Footprint (part 1) Video - National Geographic – The Human Footprint (parts 2-10)