lOMoAR cPSD| 9291605
Ecological Footprint
The Ecological Footprint is a measure of how much of the world’s area is needed to produce
resources needed by and absorb wastes produced by a country, city, or individual. Today you will
be using information from the Global Footprint Network to calculate ecological footprints your
Ecological Footprint and compare the United States to other countries.
PROCEDURE
Part 1: Background Information
1. Log on to http://www.footprintnetwork.org/our-work/ecological-footprint/ and use the
introductory information to answer the questions 1-3 on the data and observation worksheet.
PART 2. Your Ecological Footprint.
1. Go to www.footprintcalculator.org and calculate your Ecological Footprint. You will need to enter
you e-mail address to use the calculator. Record the number of plants needed to support everyone in
the world if everyone lived the way you did in the table below. Click See Details to get your
footprint and record it in Table 1 on the data and observation worksheet.
2. Re-take the quiz changing variables one at a time to determine which life style changes would
make the most difference in your ecological footprint. Record the results in Table 1 on the data
and observation worksheet.
3. Answer questions 1 and 2 on the data and observation worksheet.
PART 3. Country Ecological Footprint.
It is now time to compare the United States with other countries in the world.
1. Complete Table 2 on the data and observation worksheet.
2. Answer questions 1-3 on the data and observation worksheet.
lOMoAR cPSD| 9291605
Ecological Footprint
Data, Observation, and Analysis
Name
Part 1: Background Information
1. When, where, and by who was the idea of the Ecological Footprint developed?
2. What is an ecological deficit?
3.
What is world overshoot day? When is world overshoot day?
PART 2. Your Ecological Footprint.
1. Which change(s) reduced your footprint the most? Not eating animal based products, being
more energy efficient, and reducing trash.
2. Which change(s) would be the easiest for you to make? How much would these changes reduce your
footprint?
3. What does your carbon footprint say about your CO2 emissions per year? What percentage of your
carbon footprint makes up your total footprint, and how can this be reduced?
4. Based on your “By Land Type” pie chart, how does it correlate to the different land usage?
5. How can lowering your ecological footprint help the environmental problem of sustainability?
First Quiz
Ecological Footprint
Parameters
Overall Ecological Footprint
Change in
Animal Based
Products
Change in
Housing
Change in
Transportation
Food
Shelter
Mobility
Goods
Services
By Land Type Guide
Built – Up Land
Forest Products
Crop Land
Grazing Land
Fishing Grounds
Carbon Footprint
First Test
Change in
Animal Based
Products
Change in
Housing
Change in
Transportation
lOMoAR cP
PART 3. Country Ecological Footprint.
Table 2. Ecological Footprint by Country.
Country
Ecological footprint
(hectares per person)
Proportion relative to
world average
footprint
Proportion relative to
world area available
Afghanistan
Bangladesh
India
Japan
Mexico
Nigeria
Thailand
United States
World Average
Data Source: © 2017 Global Footprint Network. National Footprint Accounts, 2017 Edition.
Please contact Global Footprint Network at data@footprintnetwork.org for more information.
1. Why is the ecological footprint for people in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and India so low?
2.
Why is it so high in the United States? (Include why you think it is high even relative to other
developed countries such as Japan.)
3. The population of the United States is expected to grow from roughly 317 million today to about
360 million by 2030. What impact if any do you think this growth will have on the average global
ecological footprint? I think our ecological footprint date will become much smaller unless we make
changes now to accommodate. As we evolve our footprint date keeps getting smaller and smaller as
we consume more.