PRESS RELEASE: 08/20/2005
How Big is Your Environmental Footprint? (byline article)
BYLINE ARTICLE
What Size is Your Ecological Footprint?
An assessment and confession from an Ideal Bite co-founder.
by Jennifer Boulden
Bring it on. I don't eat meat, I recycle, I drive a 35 mpg Honda Civic only when absolutely necessary, I don't even have to chose between paper or plastic because I bring my own (hemp!) bag to the supermarket. I welcomed the opportunity to assess my ecological footprint (how much productive land and water I need to support what I use and what I discard). Finally, verification that I am living within the earth's abilities to support me!
I went to the source: The Ecological Footprint Quiz, designed by the Oakland, CA group Redefining Progress. (www.myfootprint.org).
So after taking the 14 question online test twice, I got the same results....
(Keep in mind that with 6.2 billion people in the world, there exists 4.5 biologically productive acres per person.)
FOOD - I need 2.2 acres! So although I try to eat no-animal products/bi-products, organic, local and nonpackaged, I still need 2.2 acres, just for my food habits.
MOBILITY - 2 acres - even with taking the metro and barely driving a tiny car?!? I guess those plane flights added up, but still.. a girl's gotta get around somehow!
SHELTER - a whopping 7.2 acres needed, and I certainly don't live in a McMansion. I rent, and therefore can't do low-flow this and Energy Star that. But my place is small and stacked (one apartment on top of the other.) This score makes me realize how important 'green building' is to a sustainable future.
GOODS/SERVICES - 6.2 - although I consume and throw away less than the average American, I guess acres were automatically added in just for the pure fact that I am American. And it is true - I went to Target today to return something and I left $90 later with non-essential but desired items. (Sidebar: Lord help us when Target SuperLand and Wal-Mart Mega Mart hit India and China.)
GRAND TOTAL FOOTPRINT = 18. I am 13.5 acres over the sustainable level!
Here's another kicker: if everyone in the world lived like me, we would need 3.9 planets to support our collective habits!
I found a shallow 'victory' for at least coming in below the average ecological footprint in the US: 24 acres per person.
But what about the fact that my company works with nonprofit and green start up businesses that what to save the world? And the fact that I am an opportunistic activist? Doesn't that count? I guess it does... to people like my mom.
This online tool, although harsh, is constructive in that it shows how your footprint will change by adjusting certain habits... eating more organic food, taking the bus instead of driving, etc. If you click on the "take action" button at the end of your quiz, you will find this functionality.
I found out that by upping my local food purchases from 20% to 50% I reduce a lot of acreage consumption. That makes sense. Did you know that the average fork full travels 2,000 miles before it reaches your mouth? Think of all that goes into that. First, they have to genetically engineer produce that can withstand the travel (heirloom tomatoes do NOT have thick skin), then transport it via a stinky diesel truck - which needs a whole lot of non-permeable pavement to drive on - and that leaves it motor running all night because IdleAire has yet to reach the heartland, and then the little red buddies go to a warehouse where they sit refrigerated and then finally go out to local distribution via another, albeit smaller, truck.
the Meatrix - a Flash animation that spoofs the popular Matrix movies. But instead of Keanu Reaves, the Meatrix stars a young pig, Leo, and hero cow, Moofius. The web film simply and palpably illustrates the problems with factory farming, and offers a solution - the final page directs viewers to the 'Eat Well Guide,' a national online directory of sustainably-raised meat.
A final musing: choices people make are important, but there are also institutions that dictate the kind of house we can live in, how far we drive to work, how far our food has to travel to get to us. Governments choose whether to fund transportation or more roads, whether to revitalize their downtowns or sprawl into the countryside. Car manufacturers decide which models to put on the market (and of course join forces with the oil companies to help keep CAF� standards nice and high). Demanding laws and technology advances is as important as living your values at home.
Humanity's combined footprint represents an overuse of the earth's natural resources by 15%. And population is growing at an exponential rate. Only low level math is needed to see that the world's wealthiest nations are mortgaging the future at the expense of today's children, the poor, and the long-term health of the Earth. Makes me want to dust of my 1980's relic bumper sticker: "Think Global, Act Local. Oh, with an addendum: "Keep it real, and really fun" - because that is where environmentalists have been remiss... it is not about saving the trees, it is about saving people and enhancing their lives.