writing assignment

Ecological Footprint

The videos and readings this week focused on the environment, the growing human population, and the impact that our population has on the environment. With those topics, questions about over population, global warming, energy consumption and sources, and sustainability naturally arise. Each of these issues can force us to examine our own individual lives and consumption habits more carefully, with an eye towards looking at the bigger picture of how our society as a whole continues to affect our ecosystem (either positively or negatively). 

With that, this week’s lab is called the Ecological Footprint Quiz and is a tool that measures how much land and water we need in order to produce the resources we consume and to absorb the waste we make. You can then compare your Ecological Footprint with the biological capacity that exists globally. To best assist you as you prepare to complete this lab I would encourage you to watch this short video about natural resources and ecological footprints. 

Once you have reviewed the above information you can begin the quiz at https://www.footprintcalculator.org. You do not have to "DONATE" to use this tool, simply enter your email and hit “submit”. Please be sure to answer each of the questions in a much detail and as accurately and honestly as possible (see the “Add Details To Improve Accuracy” link below the questions). You may need to use other resources to help you find some of the answers, such as http://www.census.gov. Along the way, please be sure to record ALL of your answers as well as ALL of your results at the end of the quiz (The quiz may not save them for you!).  

When you have completed the quiz please create a document with your quiz questions and answers and the results. Additionally, after that section please also include the answers to the questions below: 

1) Is your footprint higher or lower than you expected and how does it compare to our country's average? 

2) What factors do you believe are the largest contributors to your ecological footprint? 

3) What changes/adjustments in your lifestyle would it take to decrease the size of your  footprint?

4) Do you feel this is a fair measure of your personal impact on the planet's resources? 

Why? Why Not? 

5) How does technology play a role in your consumption habits and those of society at large?

6) What did taking this quiz teach you and/or mean to you?