Biology Discussion 8

Like all animals, humans require a certain amount of space to support their needs.  We can think of the space that provides these materials as an individual's ‘ecological footprint.’  Not all humans have the same ecological footprint, as the way we live our lives—our lifestyles—determines the impact we have on the environment.

Visit the link below and calculate your ecological footprint by taking the “ecological footprint quiz.”

Ecological Footprint Calculator

Once the page loads, scroll down a little and you will see 4 tabs - the 3rd tab says "FOOTPRINT".  Select that tab and click to begin the calculator.  Select the location that is closest to where you live NOW.  Record and share your results from the quiz in the format below.:

Quiz Results:

Category and Percentage

Food

Mobility

Shelter

Goods

Services

If everyone lived like you do, we would need ______ planets to support human populations.

To support my lifestyle, it takes _____ global acres of the Earth's productive area.

Are you suprised?  Do you think you leave too big of a footprint? Or was it smaller than you thought it would be?