ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT Wednesday March 3, 2010

What is it?… Ecological Footprint: Ecological Footprints are: 1. a measure of human impact on the Earth. 2. The footprint equals the Earth’s cost to sustain one person. 3. It’s measured in hectares The ecological footprint is a measure of human demand on the Earth's ecosystems. It compares human demand with planet Earth’s ecological capacity to regenerate.

Ecological Footprint World Average – 2.2 hectares Biggest Footprint – United States – 9.6 hectares Smallest Footprint – Bangladesh – 0.5 hectares Average Canadian Footprint – 8.6 hectares – Canada has the 3rd highest footprint in the world!

Why is Canada’s average footprint so big? We require … hectares of land for water (to drink & provide seafood) 0.3 hectares of land for grazing land for meat and dairy 1.4 hectares of land for timber wood and paper products 1.6 hectares of land for farmland to grow the food we eat 4.7 hectares of land and needed to absorb the greenhouse gases produced by driving around town, through the running of air conditioners and the import of exotic goods and foods Total: 8.6 Hectares!

Do we see a Pattern? CountryPopulationFootprint (ha/cap) Available capacity (ha/cap) Bangladesh125,898, United States268,189, China1,247,315, Canada30,101, Japan125,672, India970,230,

The map on the following slide shows various countries and regions of the world proportionate to their production and consumption of commercially traded fuels.

World Consumption Cartogram

How can we reduce our footprints? THE POWER OF ONE Food Buy more locally grown food Buy more unpackaged/ unprocessed foods Eat vegetarian Garden Housing Hang clothes to dry; limit dryer use Reduce use of air conditioner Install water-saving devices Mobility Live close to where you work Drive car less, carpool Hybrid cars Public transit, bicycle, walk

ACTIVITY