How to calculate your own ecological footprint

Lab 13: Follow the instructions and complete the assignment below. Submit your answers through the Lab 13 Assignment on Blackboard.

Lab 13 1

Lab 13. Ecological footprint

We will finish our last lab in this class learning learn more about (and calculating our own) ecological footprint. I hope that with this final lab, we will also reflect on how we all fit into this dynamic and delicate planet. Note: our classroom (digital or face to face) represents a safe judgment-free place. This exercise is NOT intended to make anyone feel bad, or guilty; this is not the intention of the Global Footprint Network either. The goal of this lab (as with all parts of all labs) is to apply what we’ve learned in class to our everyday lives. Please do not take offense or infer judgement based on results from this (or any) exercise. A. Click the link below to explore the Global Footprint Network website, a great resource that

provides tons of background information and any kind of data you could ask for regarding the environment, sustainability, and ecological footprints: https://www.footprintnetwork.org/

B. Below, you fill find a few specific things to read up on/check out. As you are reading be sure to:

o Take notes o Consider how this applies (supports/conflicts) to what you learned in class this

week o Pay close attention to data, figures, and graphs. o Save your results (from the calculator quiz)

 World Footprint and Earth Overshoot Day: to learn about worldwide demands on resources and expected resource renewal.

 Ecological Footprint Explorer: to see current world-wide data, organized by country on things like ecological deficit/reserves, biocapacity, and ecological footprints.

 Ecological Footprint: to learn more about what the footprint is, what it means, and how it’s calculated.

“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

https://www.footprintnetwork.org/
Lab 13: Follow the instructions and complete the assignment below. Submit your answers through the Lab 13 Assignment on Blackboard.

Lab 13 2

 Footprint Calculator: to calculate your personal footprint and find out your specific “Overshoot Day”. Here you will also be provided with some information as to how you can personally decrease your footprint. While viewing your results,

o click on the little information icons (orange i’s) to learn what your results mean. o click “see details” on the results page to get a full breakdown of your results o click Explore solutions to get feedback on what you can do to lower your

personal footprint.

 Climate Change and Carbon Footprint: to learn about how years of date are being applied to study the effect of carbon concentrations on biocapacity.

 Sustainability: to learn about efforts to develop, improve quality of life, and not degrade the environment. Watch the animation that presents ecological footprint data as a function of development.

 Footprint and Biodiversity: to learn what the footprint can tell us about biodiversity. C. It may be also helpful/interesting for you to watch this short video of Mathis Wackernagel,

president of the Global Footprint Network, explaining the main principles of the Footprint Network, including the economic implications the consumption. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M29BY86bP4&t=10s

When you are finished, answer the following questions: 1. Throughout the website, the Global Footprint Network repeatedly presents data visually, in figures, tables, and graphs. Choose 1 visual data display on the website and analyze it. Explain and analyze the image in your answer, including: what data are being presented, how are they being presented, is anything missing…). Take a screenshot and include it with your answer. 2. Discuss your “earth usage” footprint calculator results (the 1st results page you were presented with). According to the calculator, what is your personal Earth Overshoot Day, and what does this mean? If everyone lived like you, how many planets would we need (I know this language is harsh, I wish the website could phrase this one a little “nicer”)? What does this mean? How do you feel about these results?

3. Discuss your carbon and footprint calculator results. According to the calculator, what is your ecological footprint (in global hectares)? What is your carbon footprint, in CO2 emissions tons per year, and also in % of your total ecological footprint? What do these values mean? How do you feel about that?

4. Discuss the breakdown of your footprint calculator results. According to the calculator, how do your footprint results break down in terms of land type? How do your footprint results break down in terms of consumption? In your answer, list your resource consumption categories from highest consumption to lowest. What do these mean? How do you feel about that? 5. Consider and discuss what changes could you reasonably (and sustainably for you!) to decrease your footprint? These can be suggestions from the ecological footprint calculator or

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M29BY86bP4&t=10s
Lab 13: Follow the instructions and complete the assignment below. Submit your answers through the Lab 13 Assignment on Blackboard.

Lab 13 3

based on your own personal response to this activity. 6. Discuss what you learned on the Global Footprint Network website about biocapacity. Include each of the following in your answer. How is biocapacity defined on this website? How is the distribution of biocapacity (highest and lowest countries) different when the population of countries is considered? What does this data implicate in regards to Earths population?

7. Discuss what you learned on the Global Footprint Network website about ecological deficit/reserve. What is meant by these terms; what do they mean in the context of global biocapacity? Name 2 countries that are currently in an ecological deficit and 2 countries that are currently in an ecological reserve. Speculate as to why you think this might be (provide reasons why these countries are in their respective category, versus the other category). 8. You may have noticed that the Global Footprint Network website’s slogan reads: “Advancing the Science of Sustainability”. Use your scientific literacy skills to evaluate this claim; after reviewing website, are you able to agree with that statement? Are the resources and information presented here “advancing sustainability”? Are they scientifically supported? Explain your answer, providing at least 2 pieces of evidence to support your conclusion. 9. What can the ecological footprint tell us about biodiversity? Relate what the Global Footprint Network discusses in terms of Biodiversity to what we discussed in lecture (is it consistent?). Explain your answer, including specific examples. 10. How does development impact ecological footprint? How does the website define sustainable, in the context of development? What are the criteria that must be met in order for development to be considered sustainable? 11. What does “carbon footprint” mean (different from ecological footprint) and what does it have to do with climate change? Relate what the Global Footprint Network discusses in terms of Carbon Footprint/Climate Change to what we discussed in lecture (is it consistent?). Explain your answer, including specific examples. 12. Which 3 countries currently rank highest in terms of ecological footprint? Name 3 countries that currently rank lowest in terms of ecological footprint. Discuss why you think this might be (why do you think the higher countries are higher, and lower countries are lower)? Would it be accurate to say that these 6 countries “balance” out in terms of global footprint contributions? Why/why not? 13. You may have noticed that the Global Footprint Network home page reads: “You can’t manage what you can’t measure”. Relate this statement to what we learned about the process of and limitations of science earlier this semester; is this true? Why/why not.