Ecological Footprint Assignment - Juliette Russell PDF

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Ecological Footprint Assignment #1

Class: SOS 111- Sustainable Cities Section: Summer B – Online – Hagen By: Juliette Russell

Arizona State University

1 ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINTS ASSIGNMENT

1. What is an Ecological Footprint?

Each year human beings consume different quantities of food, shelter, mobility, and goods/services. The amount of land and water (Built-up Land, Carbo foot print, Crop land, Grazing land, Forest Land, fishing ground) that is used in order to produce and dispose of the resources required for this consumption is known as an ecological foot print. (PIJAWKA , 2017, p. 11) and (ecological foot print website). An ecological footprint assists in tracking the amount of resources developing and undeveloped countries are consuming. It allows us to see if they are using too little or to many resources which creates either an ecological deficit or reserve.(Website) In addition it allows us to see if the countries of the world are surpassing the earths carrying capacity (PIJAWKA , 2017, p. 12).

2.

What were the results of your test and what, if anything, did you find surprising or noteworthy?

According to the global footprint network I produce an Ecological Footprint of 4.6 hectares, a carbon footprint of 8.5 tons of C02 emission each year, and 64% of my ecological footprint comes from my carbon foot print. Previous to taking the test I had not realized that my car would have the largest impact on my ecological footprint. A car is something each human could easily go without, if the proper amount of public

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2 ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINTS ASSIGNMENT transportation was implemented by the government. The amount of croplands needed to supply my food consumption also came as a surprise to me.

In the recent months, I have moved from Montreal, Quebec, Canada , a urban area, to Naples, Florida, a suburban area. I thought it would be interesting to see the change in my lifestyles so I took the initiative to enter the details of my two different lifestyles into the ecological footprint calculator. I was in disbelief when I saw the drastic increase in my consumption of resources from my lifestyle change. My ecological foot print had increased by 1.3 hectares and my C02 emissions increased by 3.3 tons per year.

The drastic difference between my two ecological footprints makes perfects sense. In Montreal I used my bicycle daily or used public transportation, as it was easily accessible; composting/recycling/reusing was a part of my daily routine/habits and most of my grocery shopping was completed at locally sourced markets/Co-ops. The vast amount of bike paths, locally sourced markets/food Co-ops, public transportation, and recycling/composting services encouraged by the city of Montreal made these behaviors easy . It would be very difficult to live the same way in Naples, Florida; as the city of Naples does not provide these sustainable amenities. (Below are the two different test results)

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3 ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINTS ASSIGNMENT

Suburban Living: Naples, Florida, USA

VS.

Urban Living: Montreal, Quebec, Canada

3. What changes can you make in your life to reduce your Ecological Footprint?

In my present daily life, my mobility and food consumption contribute a great deal to my Ecological footprint. I could reduce my consumption in two areas. Currently I drive 300 miles per week in my car. If I used my bicycle to commute approximately 50 miles per week to the grocery store, local cafés and areas near my home; if I also use public transportation for about 100 miles a week to commute to and from work and the gym. I could decrease my Ecological Footprint from 4.6 global hectares to 3.7 global hectares. In addition if I bring my chicken, pork, and dairy consumption down to 1 or 2 times per week by focusing on a plant base diet, I would see my ecological footprint have an overall decrease to 3.4 global hectares.

4. If everyone lived like you do, how many earths would be needed to sustain the population, and what does that mean? (Why can’t we continue consuming resources at the current rate? What would happen if nothing were done?) If everyone live like me we would mean we are using 3.3 times earth to provide for the amount the entire population consumes, which is not sustainable way to continue. If we continue on this we exceed the amount we can regenerate for the year by April 21 st. (PIJAWKA , 2017, p. 11) (overshootday) Arizona State University

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5. What changes would you suggest to others to reduce their Ecological Footprint

According to the global foot print network a change in 4 categories that can influence a reduction in one’s Ecological Footprint (Cities, Energy, Food, Population)(Website). I would suggest to others to encourage their governments to provide cheap and safe public transportation, encourage the development of sustainable cities and use smart city planning (website) and be aware of the sustainability policies of the city where they reside. In regards to energy I would encourage others to take their bicycle more or carpool on their way to work, implement sustainable practices throughout their home like using energy efficient appliances or solar panels. In regards to food, others should try to eat mainly plant based 4 out of 7 days of the week or as much as possible and reduce their amount of food waste by cooking smaller portions. Through controlling the population we could also reduce our ecological footprint, This can be accomplish through reducing family size or instead adopting children(W)

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5 ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINTS ASSIGNMENT 6. What is the relationship between changes in your consumption level and your Ecological Footprint? (What happens to your Ecological Footprint as your consumption level changes?) Why is this significant?

When my consumption levels decrease, my ecological footprint decreases. This is significant because it shows us that in order to create a more sustainable earth, it is crucial we decrease our consumption.

7. What are the two most significant categories of your Ecological Footprint and why?

Mobility and services are my two largest categories. Mobility is my largest category of my Ecological footprint; my carbon foot prints consists of 64% of this. Due to the fact that I live in a suburban area and my commute to work is at least 30 miles a day I spend a lot of time in my car. This is an area where I could focus heavily on the reduce its impact lower my overall Ecological Footprint.

8. What adjustment would you make to these two categories to significantly reduce their environmental impact?

In regards to Mobility, I could significantly reduce my environmental impact by getting an energy efficient car, like a tesla or a smart car, which are electric or try to take a bicycle out more often. To reduce the my ecological footprint causes by services I could try to fly less each year and by energy efficient products in my home to lower the amount of electricity and air conditioning I use.

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6 ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINTS ASSIGNMENT 9. What have you learned from working through this process? Throughout this process I have analyzed the overall areas of my life that I can reduce to live a more sustainable lifestyle. I have come to the conclusion in order to take a step toward a more sustainable lifestyle I will need to figure out an alternate way of transportation, and implement a new diet.

and It has encouraged me to take steps towards being more conscious of my

consumption that leads to the depletion of the worlds resources.

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7 ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINTS ASSIGNMENT

Bibliography

About Earth Overshoot Day. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.overshootday.org/about-earthovershoot-day/

Energy. (n.d.). Retrieved July 14, 2019, from https://www.overshootday.org/solutions/energy/

How many planets does it take to sustain your lifestyle? (n.d.). Retrieved July 14, 2019, from http://www.footprintcalculator.org/result1

PIJAWKA, D. (2018). SUSTAINABILITY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY: Pathways programs and policies. Place of publication not identified: KENDALL HUNT.

Reduce Your Ecological Footprint: Climate Protection. (n.d.). Retrieved July 14, 2019, from https://en.reset.org/act/reduce-your-ecological-footprint-0

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