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Calculating our Ecological Footprint |
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To try and gauge what our current ecological footprint is we have chosen to try two different footprint calculators. Both calculators surprisingly had similar results despite asking very different sorts of questions. The results from the ecological footprint calculators indicated that if every one lived as we do then 3-4 earths would be required to support the earths current population!!!!! The first calculator we tried was the Ecological Footprint Quiz which estimated how much productive land and water is required to support what we currently use and discard. After answering 15 easy questions (see the questions, our answers and results) the results indicated that we are currently slightly below the average for our country (Australia), which was good. However the bad news is that if everyone lived like us then we would require 3.9 planets to sustain this level of living.
The second calculator was the home Ecological Footprint Calculator which estimated how much land it takes to live in your home each year. This calculator looked at the impact of the household (not just the individual). After answering the 24 questions the results indicated that we would require 3.2 planets to sustain this level of living (our household ecological footprint is 18.3 global hectares). The results and links to the calculator can be found here.
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