To calculate your impact on the planet online, go to.
Questionnaire
If you want to find out what your personal ecological footprint is, take the quiz.
In order to calculate your ecological footprint, you need to select the statement that corresponds to your lifestyle and add/subtract the number of points indicated on the right. By adding up the points you get your ecological footprint.
1. Housing
1.1. The area of your home allows you to keep a cat, but a normal-sized dog would be a bit cramped +7
1.2. Large, spacious apartment +12
1.3. Cottage for two families +23
Divide the points received for the first question by the number of people who live in your apartment or in your house.
2. Energy use
2.1. Oil, natural gas or coal +45 is used to heat your home
2.2. To heat your home, water, solar or wind energy is used +2
2.3. Most of us get our electricity from fossil fuels, so give yourself +75
2.4 The heating of your home is designed so that you can regulate it depending on the weather -10
2.5. At home you are dressed warmly, and at night you cover yourself with two blankets -5
2.6. When leaving a room, you always turn off the light -10
2.7. You always turn off your household appliances without leaving them in standby mode -10
3. Transport
3.1. Go to work by public transport +25
3.2. Do you walk to work or take the e +3
3.3. You drive a regular car +45
3.4. You are using a large and powerful vehicle with all-wheel drive +75
3.5. On your last vacation you flew by plane +85
3.6. You went on vacation by train, and the journey took up to 12 hours +10
3.7. You went on vacation by train, and the journey took more than 12 hours +20
4. Food
4.1. In a grocery store or market, you buy mostly locally produced fresh products (bread, fruits, vegetables, fish, meat), from which you prepare your own lunch +2
4.2. You prefer already processed foods, semi-finished products, freshly frozen ready-made meals that only need to be heated, as well as canned food, and do not look at where they are produced +14
4.3. You mostly buy ready-to-eat or almost ready-to-eat foods, but try to ensure that they are produced closer to home +5
4.4. You eat meat 2-3 times a week +50
4.5. You eat meat three times a day +85
4.6. Prefer vegetarian food +30
5. Use of water and paper
5.1. You take a bath daily +14
5.2. You take a bath once or twice a week +2
5.3. Instead of a bath, you take a shower every day +4
5.4. From time to time you water your garden plot or wash your car with a hose +4
5.6. Sometimes you borrow books from the library or borrow from friends -1
5.7. After reading a newspaper, you throw it away +10
5 8 The newspapers you subscribe to or buy are read by someone else after you +5
6. Household waste
6.1. We all create a lot of waste and rubbish, so give yourself: +100
6.2. Have you returned -15 bottles at least once in the last month?
6.3. when throwing out garbage, you put waste paper in a separate container -17
6.4. You hand over empty drink and canned food cans -10
6.5. You throw away plastic packaging in a separate container -8
6.6. You try to buy mostly loose goods rather than packaged ones; You use the packaging received in the store on the farm -15
6.7. You make compost from household waste to fertilize your plot -5
If you live in a city with a population of half a million or more, multiply your total by 2.
Let's sum it up :
Divide the result by one hundred and you will find out how many hectares of the earth's surface are needed to satisfy all your needs, and how many planets would be needed if all people lived the same way as you!
For one planet to be enough for all of us, there should be no more than 1.8 hectares of productive land per person.
By comparison, the average US resident uses 12.2 hectares (5.3 planets!), the average European uses 5.7 hectares (2.8 planets), and the average Mozambican uses just 0.7 hectares (0.4 planets!).
The average resident of Russia uses 4.4 hectares (2.5 planets).
Greetings, dear readers and guests of my blog!
I want to devote my new article to the problem of nature conservation and tell you about such an indicator as the human ecological footprint. Do you know what it is?
What is the human ecological footprint
The ecological footprint of a person is the size of the natural territory (area) that is required to reproduce all the resources consumed by humans and absorb the waste produced.
Over the past 50 years, people have consumed far more natural resources than the planet can replace. Today we consume 50% more than our biosphere is able to replenish!
In order to meet all our annual needs, now it takes 1.5 planet Earth, and if our appetites continue to grow, then by 2050 we will need 3 such planet Earth! Moreover, if every inhabitant of the planet lives like the average Russian, then 3.3 planets will already be needed!
In addition to the fact that our appetites are growing, the number of people on the planet is also growing! If in 1800 the number of inhabitants was approximately one billion, then by 2015 the number reached 7.5 billion. According to UN forecasts, by 2050 there will be about 10 billion people on Earth. And we spend the resources that the planet provided us with for the year much faster.
This phenomenon is called “Ecological Debt Day”. Now I’ll explain what it is: this is the day of the calendar when we waste all the resources given to us by the planet for the year. In 2017, this day was August 2, and in 2018 it is August 1. It turns out that since the beginning of August, having squandered all our resources, we have been living on debt on the planet!
Footprint calculations are carried out by the Global Footprint Network (GFN), a research institute with branches in North America, Europe and Asia. In Russia, the calculation is carried out jointly with WWF. On the WWF website you can go through
The unit of measurement for this indicator: “Global hectare” is a conventional unit that is equal to a hectare of natural territory with the world average reproduction capacity of natural resources.
- Arable lands, for agricultural products.
- Pastures for meat production.
- Scaffolding, for wood and paper.
- Built-up lands.
- Marine biological resources necessary for obtaining fish and seafood.
- Carbon footprint. This is the amount of land (mostly forests and oceans) needed to dissolve or sequester CO2 emissions. Today this is the main type of waste.
How we influence our ecological footprint
About 70% of the ecological footprint is the result of ordinary, everyday life of people. Not so long ago, a loincloth and a sharpened stick were enough for people, but now everything has changed very dramatically. Of course, people in different countries influence this indicator differently; the more developed the country, the higher the influence.
Here is a list of how much the average resident of a European country consumes in his entire life (for the calculation, we took the average life expectancy for this region: 78 years.) Just look at these numbers! They can't even wrap their heads around them!
| Index | Quantity |
| Milk | 9064 liters. |
| Diapers | 3800 pcs. |
| Cows | 4 things. |
| Sheep | 21 pcs. |
| Pigs | 15 pcs. |
| Chickens | 1200 pcs. (or even more) |
| Eggs | 13345 pcs. |
| Bread | 4283 loaves. |
| Apples | 5270 pcs. |
| Carrot | 10866 pcs. |
| Chocolates | 10000 pcs. |
| Toilet paper | 4230 rolls. |
| Soap | 656 pieces. |
| Shampoo | 198 bottles. |
| Deodorant | 272 pcs. |
| Toothpaste | 276 tubes. |
| Toothbrushes | 78 pcs. |
| Creams (skin care) | 411 pcs. |
| Perfume | 37 bottles. |
| Nail polish | 28 pcs. |
| Pomade | 21 pcs. |
| Tampons and pads | 11000 pcs. |
| Washing machines | 3 pcs. |
| Refrigerators | 3.4 pcs. |
| Microwaves | 3.2 pcs. |
| TVs | 4.8 pcs. |
| Computers and laptops | 15 pcs. |
In addition to the needs presented above, here is another trace a person leaves:
- 7163 washes (this is about 1 ml. liters of water)
- 8.5 tons of packaging is thrown away.
- Throws out 40 tons of waste.
- 2865 kg. excretes feces.
- 35815 l. releases gases.
- He washes his hair 11,500 times.
- Has sex 4230 times.
- Watches TV 2944 times. Imagine, this is about 8 years!
- Reads 533 books. (If, of course, he reads them, they calculated that 40% of all people do not open books at all)
- Reads 2455 newspapers.
- 24 trees go towards all the books and newspapers that a person will read.
- Drinks 74,802 cups of tea.
- Takes 30,000 tablets.
Imagine, friends, what grandiose numbers are obtained over the entire human life! This is how we act on planet Earth, this is the ecological footprint of every person and it gives nothing in return!
And behind each such figure there are very serious consequences.
For example, diapers! It's very convenient, no doubt about it! But imagine, it only lasts a few hours and then goes in the trash! A huge amount of resources are spent on their production. And the plastics used to make it can take up to 500 years to decompose! And therefore, by the age of 2.5 years, children in developed countries are more responsible for carbon dioxide emissions than, for example, a Tanzanian in their entire life!!!
And in order to produce one computer you need 240 kg. fuel, 22 kg. other chemicals and 1.5 tons of water! How many computers are there in the world now? These are just huge numbers! It's mind boggling!
And when you, for example, buy a cup of coffee on the street, be aware that it takes 200 grams to produce. drink, requires 200 liters of water! Water is necessary for the cultivation and production of coffee beans, and for the production of milk, and for the production of a cup!
Russia is one of the largest consumers of imported beef in the world, mainly imported from South America. Every day, (Can you imagine? That is, every day!!!) in Paraguay alone, 1400 hectares are destroyed. tropical forests, in order to increase the area of pastures and soybean crops for livestock feed!
Another very popular product recently is palm oil, it is used in cosmetics and food products. Malaysia and Indonesia currently produce 87% of all palm oil, the remaining 13% are from African countries. Tropical deforestation on the island of Borneo (Malaysia's largest island) is happening just to expand oil palm plantations.
But the rain forests of the island of Borneo contain the largest number of animal and plant species on Earth. And if deforestation continues to the same extent as now, then in 10 years these forests will be completely destroyed. It's sad, isn't it?
About 68% of Russia's ecological footprint comes from CO 2 emissions. Imagine! Just one passenger on a Moscow-New York flight produces so much CO 2 that 4 trees will have to compensate for the damage caused to nature for a hundred years!
How to reduce your ecological footprint
Consuming resources responsibly can help reduce our footprint and preserve our planet.
Here are some principles that will help reduce our impact on nature:
- Try to travel by train instead of flying.
- Use public transport, bike or walk instead of driving a personal car.
- Give preference to local and seasonal products. Products brought from afar, due to long transportation, also cause damage to the environment.
- Make a shopping list in advance and buy only the products you need, 1/3 of all products in the world are simply thrown away! This is while 800 million people on the planet are chronically undernourished.
- Don't throw away good things, even if you don't need them, most likely someone else will find them very useful. Give them away, donate them, sell them.
- Save water and electricity, it will benefit not only the environment, but also your wallet! Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth and take a shower rather than a bath. Turn off all devices, do not leave them in standby mode!
- Choose products with minimal packaging.
- Save paper. Print only what is necessary.
- Use a bag instead of disposable bags.
These, friends, are simple principles, but they can greatly improve the situation on the planet.
We have changed the planet a lot, maybe it's time to change ourselves? At least there's something left of her!
On the eve of the New Year, many take stock of what was done good and bad, what they achieved and what they lost, where they were and what they saw. We propose to sum up the environmental results of this year. This is very easy to do - we will calculate our “ecological footprint”
First, let's get acquainted with this concept:
| The “Ecological Footprint” allows us to calculate and compare how many resources the planet (or the territory of our country, the city where we live) can give us, preserving its natural resources, and how many resources we actually take for our needs. Weighing these two values, we can say how wisely we use the riches of our land: how much of the territory is occupied by housing, industry, waste dumps, parks and forests.
Our planet is very rich and fertile; it has accumulated its natural capital over millions of years. 
In an ideal world, we would take from nature as much as it could later regenerate without causing any harm to it. Unfortunately, we are taking more from nature than it can replenish, and its wealth is becoming less and less. This happens for two reasons:
| 1. There are a lot of people on the planet.
2. Some people want too much. They consume resources as if we had not one planet, but at least two or three.
In this case, can there be enough natural resources for everyone?
Let's think of resource consumption as the process of dividing a pie. One pie - only one planet. But how many pieces and what sizes each person gets allows us to calculate the ecological footprint.
Life on the planet is everywhere, but it is concentrated on about a quarter of the Earth's surface, i.e. suitable for us are only 4% ocean and 18% land area. Let's add this up and get 22% - the surface of the planet is rich in natural resources and is used by humanity for its needs. On this territory we build factories and pave roads, grow grain and graze livestock, here are also places for recreation and garbage dumps.
| If the entire population is located on these lands, then each person will have 1.8 hectares of fertile land.
This is exactly how much the planet can allocate today to meet the needs of one person. This is the maximum figure, which does not take into account that other types of living beings also need natural resources. We are not the only ones living on earth, it is also home to thousands of species of plants and animals. How many resources are we willing to give them? If we do not leave protected lands and turn everything into cities, arable lands, factories, we will destroy the global order that has been formed over many years million years.
The Ecological Footprint shows that the main problem- overconsumption, and this is precisely the problem he is working on. Simply put - we see how our daily habits, our choices, our behavior affect the environment. The ecological footprint is calculated in conventional units of measurement - a global hectare.
You can calculate it on the websiteby clicking on the Planet button labeled “Calculate your ecological footprint.” There you can also find useful tips on reducing your eco-footprint.After calculation you will get this result:
For those who want to practice their English, the test can be taken on the website. Here the test is divided into several parts - carbon footprint, food footprint, housing footprint and footprint of goods and services. The results will be more clear:
If we wish for a new planet for the New Year, our wish will not come true. But we can make sure that we don’t need a new planet – we just need to start appreciating its natural resources and living in harmony with the world around us.
Anastasia Morozova
Global climate change, air pollution, poor quality water, dangerous geological processes. These and many other problems of our time have arisen due to a significant increase in the so-called “ecological footprint”. This concept is arbitrary and, unfortunately, is not known to every inhabitant of our planet. The term was coined in 1992 by scientist William Rees. Ecological Footprint shows degree of human impact on the environment. The concept allows us to calculate the size of the territory required for our production of biological resources and waste storage. Scientists have calculated that over the past decades, the global “ecological footprint” of all humanity is 30% greater than the planet’s ability to reproduce resources. On top of everything else, this figure continues to grow inexorably. Among the leaders with a high “ecological footprint” indicator: China, UAE and. The least harm to nature is caused by third world countries such as Mongolia, Bangladesh, Namibia and others. Our country is somewhere in the middle. Of course, the degree of “ecological footprint” of a particular state depends on the number of plants and factories, as well as on the developed industry. But let's not forget that these indicators are taken separately.
Finding out what your personal “ecological footprint” is is not difficult at all. Calculators for calculating this indicator have long been popular in the West. If you haven't heard of them, check out their website World Wildlife Fund (WWF)– or just type into a search engine “how to calculate your ecological footprint” and use the resources offered. With the help of simple calculations you will understand how you are greatly overusing the resources of our planet. To reduce your “ecological footprint”, it is worth remembering
HOUSING:
- insulate your home;
- defrost the refrigerator regularly;
- install meters in your apartment for hot and cold water, as well as a more economical electricity tariff;
- install heat regulators for batteries;
- create a “green corner” at home or in your country house, thereby you will help nature quickly reproduce the resources we need so much.
ENERGY:
- keep your windows clean and;
- keep heating radiators clean and do not clutter them with furniture and curtains;
- use only energy-saving light bulbs;
- always turn off televisions, computers and other devices that consume energy even in sleep mode;
- do not leave chargers turned on after using them;
- If possible, use the economy mode when washing - this can reduce energy consumption by 80%;
- control the amount of water used to cook vegetables and eggs;
- Do not turn on the stove in advance.
TRANSPORT:
- buy passes for trolleybuses, trams and metro. This will save you money and help preserve the forest;
- occasionally refuse to drive a car;
- walk more often;
- give preference to small cars;
- turn off the car engine even during short stops;
- travel by trains rather than planes;
- try to spend it closer to home.
NUTRITION:
- give preference to seasonal products;
- give up meat at least one day a week;
- Minimize food waste. Buy as much food as you can eat;
- give up processed foods;
- adjust the temperature in the refrigerator depending on how full it is;
- use ecological bags when going to the store;
WATER:
- instead of frequent baths, limit yourself to quick showers;
- boil as much water as you need at the moment;
- boil water in an electric kettle, not on the stove;
- remember the rational use of hot and cold water;
- Avoid bottled water. Install a stationary filter next to the sink;
- When washing your car, use a bucket, not a hose;
- For irrigation purposes, use rainwater.
WASTE:
- do not throw large debris into sinks and toilets;
- make it a rule to sort household waste;
- Do not throw away batteries and accumulators. Hand them over to special points;
- do not throw away worn-out items - give them to orphanages and other people in need;
- collect used paper and recycle it;
- buy products made from recycled materials.
Surely, you will not be able to complete all of the above points at once. But this does not mean that they are not necessary to comply with. Remember that if humanity's global ecological footprint continues to grow at the same rate, we will need another planet in 20-30 years.
Very soon we may need another planet
In ecology, the concept of “environmental impact” is well known as any change in the environment, which may be fully or partially the result of economic or other activities. Environmental impact assessment involves analyzing an activity in terms of its associated environmental consequences.
In education for sustainable development, thanks to scientists and teachers from the UK, the concept of “ecological footprint” appeared (ecological footprint on Earth, ecological footprint from energy, ecological footprint from transport, etc.).
“Ecological Footprint” is a new indicator that allows you to present the load on the environment exerted by an individual, a large settlement, for example, a city or an entire state.
The ecological footprint shows how much biologically productive land, as well as water surface, is needed to maintain the standard of living of a particular person or state and is used for the production of resources: food, paper, clothing, building materials, energy and other goods, products, products (including including clean water and clean air), as well as for the disposal of waste generated in the process of production and consumption.
The ecological footprint is measured in units called global hectares.
1 global hectare is an area of 100 x 100 meters with average biological productivity for the Earth and the ability to absorb carbon dioxide.
1 hectare of forest = 1.7 global hectares .
The greatest biological productivity is typical for areas covered with evergreen tropical forests. The lowest biological productivity is for areas covered with tundra and dry deserts. Temperate forests, common in Russia, have average productivity.
Target:
Target: Using testing, determine your own environmental footprint and the area of activity that causes the greatest damage to the environment.
To calculate your ecological footprint, you need to select the statement that corresponds to your lifestyle and add/subtract the number of points indicated on the right. By adding up the points you get your ecological footprint.
1.1 The area of your home allows you to keep a cat, but a normal-sized dog would be a bit cramped +7
1.2 Large, spacious apartment + 12
1.3 Cottage for 2 families +23
Divide the points received for answering the question about housing by the number of people living in it.
2.1. Oil, natural gas or coal +45 is used to heat your home
2.2. To heat your home, water, solar or wind energy is used +2
2.3 Most of us get our electricity from fossil fuels, so give yourself +75
2.4. The heating of your home is designed so that you can regulate it depending on the weather -10
2.5. During the cold season at home you are dressed warmly, and at night you cover yourself with two blankets -5
2.6. When leaving a room, you always turn off the light -10
2.7. You always turn off your household appliances without leaving them in standby mode -10
3.1. You go to work by public transport +25
3.2. You walk or ride a bike to work +3
3.3.You drive a regular car +45
3.4.You are using a large and powerful car with all-wheel drive +75
3.5.On your last vacation you flew by plane +85
3.6. You went on vacation by train, and the journey took up to 12 hours +10
3.7.You went on vacation by train, and the journey took more than 12 hours +20
4.1.In a grocery store or market, you buy mostly locally produced fresh products (bread, fruits, vegetables, fish, meat), from which you prepare lunch yourself +2
4.2. You prefer already processed foods, semi-finished products, freshly frozen ready-made meals that only need to be heated, as well as canned food, and do not look at where they are produced +14
4.3. You mostly buy ready-to-eat or almost ready-to-eat foods, but try to ensure that they are produced closer to home +5
4.4. You eat meat 2-3 times a week +50
4.5. You eat meat 3 times a day +85
4.6. Prefer vegetarian food +30
5.1. You take a bath daily +14
5.2. You take a bath 1-2 times a week +2
5.3. Instead of a bath, you take a shower every day +4
5.4. From time to time you water your garden plot or wash your car with a hose +4
5.5. If you want to read a book, you always buy it +2
5.6. Sometimes you borrow books from the library or borrow from friends -1
5.7. After reading a newspaper, you throw it away +10
5.8. The newspapers you subscribe to or buy are read by someone else after you -5
6.1.We all create a lot of waste and garbage, so give yourself +100
6.2. Have you returned -15 bottles at least once in the last month?
6.3. When throwing out garbage, you put waste paper in a separate container -17
6.4. You hand over empty drink and canned food cans -10
6.5. You throw away plastic packaging in a separate container -8
6.6. You try to buy mostly loose goods rather than packaged ones; You use the packaging received in the store on the farm -15
6.7. You make compost from household waste to fertilize your plot -5
If you live in a city with a population of half a million or more, multiply your total by 2.
Divide the result by 100, and you will find out how many hectares of the earth's surface would be needed to satisfy all your needs, and how many planets would be needed if all people lived the same way as you!
Ecological Footprint Necessary of Planet Earth
1.8 hectares *
3.6 hectares * *
5.4 hectares * * *
7.2 hectares * * * *
9.0 ha * * * * *
10.8 hectares * * * * * *
the average US resident uses 12.2 hectares (5.3 planets!),
average European – 5.1 hectares (2.8 planets),
the average resident of Mozambique is only 0.7 hectares (0.4 planets),
The average resident of Russia uses 4.4 hectares (2.5 planets).
If you want to reduce your environmental footprint, a questionnaire will help you see which areas of your life contribute the most to your footprint. You can also think and decide which areas of your life you are ready to change. Maybe you have long dreamed of changing your lifestyle - getting on a bike, switching to healthier food, optimizing your home or country house - the ecological footprint will not only make your dreams come true, but also help the planet.
The laptop is connected to the projector when accessing the site http://www.earthday.net/Footprint/index.asp Everyone fills out the test together, explaining each stage - the questions are answered in a circle to get the average result for the group. The results are discussed (how they compare with the average results for the Russian Federation and the world).
