Sustainability - The 4Rs - Rethink
Ecological Footprint
What is an Ecological Footprint?
An ecological footprint is a measurement. It is the amount of impact (change) on the environment by people. It can be calculated for all the people in a country, a community, a household, or just one person.
The ecological footprint of a group of people (a population) is made by calculating how much land and water are needed to:
- Produce all the resources (food, energy etc) the people consume, and
- Get rid of all the waste they make.
The calculation includes:
- How much farmland (cropland) is needed to grow the crops they consume, e.g. wheat, barley, oats etc.
- How much grazing land is needed to produce the animal products they consume, e.g. cows, sheep, pigs, hens etc.
- How much forest is needed for the wood and paper they consume.
- How much of the sea is needed to produce the fish and seafood they consume.
- How much land is needed for houses and other buildings.
- How much forest is needed to absorb all the carbon dioxide emissions that happen when the people consume energy.
Many people use resources from all over the world and get rid of their waste in far-away places. When we calculate our Ecological Footprint, we find out how big our impact is on the whole planet.