ECOLOGICAL ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINTFOOTPRINT

Wednesday March 3, 2010

What is it?…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 FootprintEcological 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 Why is Canada’s average footprint so big?footprint so big?

We require …..

•0.2 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?Do we see a Pattern?

Country Population Footprint (ha/cap)

Available capacity (ha/cap)

Bangladesh 125,898,000 0.5 0.3

United States

268,189,000 10.3 6.7

China 1,247,315,000

1.2 0.8

Canada 30,101,000 8.6 9.6

Japan 125,672,000 4.3 0.9

India 970,230,000 0.8 0.5

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 How can we reduce our footprints?footprints?

THE POWER OF ONEFoodBuy more locally grown foodBuy more unpackaged/ unprocessed foodsEat vegetarianGarden

HousingHang clothes to dry; limit dryer useReduce use of air conditionerInstall water-saving devices

MobilityLive close to where you workDrive car less, carpoolHybrid carsPublic transit, bicycle, walk

ACTIVITYACTIVITY