Ecological Footprint - Assignment Example

Ecological footprint Estimation of annual household income is one of the difficulties I encountered during calculation of personal ecological footprint. The fact is that, giving the right figure of annual household income is not easy because changes of jobs provide different income figures. Additionally, it is not easy to account for the number or quantity of waste products disposed every week because of changes in lifestyle or disposable income. Additionally, on my view it is not easy to determine the materials used to build houses in where I reside because I am a tenant and do not have any idea of materials used (Ecological Footprint Quiz). My ecological footprint is quite high; however, comparison with my country’s ecological footprint shows that it is a bit low. My ecological footprint is 27.5 global acres. This shows that if all the people in the planet were to live like me, there will have to be 6.2 planets to sustain them. Purchase of carbon emission offsets is important, selection of food sustainably produced is also vital to the ecosystem because it lowers ecological foot print. Use of recycled materials is quite essential to the environment as it reduces global warming. Additionally, well planned and designed buildings reduce global warming and wastage of materials. Hence sustainable development is achieved which also reduces housing footprint. The reduction of housing footprint has impact on personal footprint. Biodegradable and non-toxic products reductions have effect on house footprint that also has the same effects on personal ecological footprint. When acquiring new products, there are some features that have to be considered such as the product’s capability to be recycled, materials used to make the product and nature of the product. Based on the calculation of goods and services footprint, it is important to consider products that are made using materials that are organic, natural and recyclable. This is because they reduce goods and service footprint which at the end reduces personal ecological footprint. The above mentioned features are some of the most important factors that I learned in calculation of personal ecological footprint (Ecological Footprint Quiz). Analysis of my ecological footprint shows that it is high and the planet cannot sustain my lifestyle. However, there are several factors that I have to consider to reduce the ecological footprint. Cleaner transportation is the first case to be considered, I use a personal car and travel a lot leaving behind other means of transport available such as public vehicles, bikes and trains. In order to reduce my ecological footprint I will use public means of transport, bikes or consider taking a walk. This will reduce the carbon footprint which in turn reduces ecological foot print. Food footprint is another factor that increases my ecological footprint. Based on the calculation, organic food and less packaged food should be consumed. Food should also be obtained from local farmers rather than restaurants. I should consider all the above in order bring down ecological footprint. My housing footprint is quite high as compared to the county’s housing footprint. There are some factors that have to be considered to reduce the level of ecological footprint in relation to housing footprint. I will have to install a solar panel in my apartment, move to a house with grey water recycling system or both. House furnishing should be recyclable and its production should be sustainable. Products that I will use should be non-toxic and biodegradable (Ecological Footprint Quiz). Additionally, close to 90% waste materials will have to be compost; this means that I will be keeping a small bin in my place. Water saving patterns should be considered, I will have to achieve this by using water when the need arises, take less frequent showers and wash my car in a car wash. Application of the above noted activities will reduce my footprint significantly. However, achieving 0.8 global hectares will be difficult because some advisable activities will not be easy to achieve. For example, it is not easy to use public means of transport regularly because I am quite comfortable travelling in my car. Furthermore, some energy saving equipments are expensive to obtain hence it will take time to reduce my ecological footprint. However, I will do my best to reduce ecological footprint and live sustainably by focusing on habits that are easy to achieve such as using less amount of water or taking my car to a carwash (Ecological Footprint Quiz). Consumption of goods and services by human beings has affected the Earth significantly because their utilization comes from the ecosystem. The composition of the planet has changed drastically because of changes in economic, technological and social development brought about by increasing population. The current production of the Earth cannot sustain the demand of the population. Furthermore, the demand in the ecosystem is increasing hence it is quite clear that future demand in the ecosystem will not be sustainable. However, achievements of sustainable growth will only be realized by implementing and use of renewable resources. There are certain implications relating to sustainable development. Economic growth depends on the ecosystem’s capital stock. This means that the ecosystem will still be affected due to economic growth since it highly depends on it. However, researchers have moved further to explain and solve the problems arising if sustainable development is not achieved. Ecological footprint is one of the measures that have been evaluated to explain the disparity existing between the demands by human beings and the natural resources available (Zhao et al..449). Ecological footprint developed by Rees and Wankernagel is an area of land and sea capable of producing resources for consumption and absorb waste products generated in the utilization of resources. The concept of ecological footprint was developed with the aim of accounting for the impact by which the population, individuals or countries have on the environment. Ecological footprint is currently used extensively, for example, the concept is used to analyze the individuals, organizations and corporate environmental impacts. Additionally, ecological footprint is used to ascertain some of the products that are sustainable. Human consumption currently exceeds the available resources including the natural resources. The human consumption has serious effects on the future generation due to consumption moving beyond the limits. The population is consuming more of the earth’s ecosystem. The consumption exceeds production by the ecosystem (Zhao et al..449). Ecological footprint measures the amount that the planet produces in relation to the demand by the population to gain ecological resources needed to sustain their daily demands. Land and sea are some of the areas required for production of renewable resources. Each country has its own ecological resources and they are regarded as biocapacity or ecological assets. Ecological footprint is quite significant to any country or organization. This is because it shows the needs of the population without having to interfere with ecological assets. Ecological footprint should be less than the biocapacity or ecological assets. However, if the ecological footprint is greater than ecological assets, it is considered as ecological deficit. This means that the demand from the ecosystem is more than the regeneration from the planet. This fact can be explained from the analysis done on my ecological footprint. It is noted above that 6 more planets are needed to sustain the Earths` population demand if they maintain an ecological footprint as mine. The fact is that ecological footprint is high and one planet Earth cannot sustain it (Zhao et al..449). Works Cited “Ecological Footprint Quiz” Ecological Footprint Center for Sustainable Economy. 2014. Web. 10. April. 2014 Zhao, Sheng, Huasheng Hong, and Luoping Zhang. "Linking the Concept of Ecological Footprint and Valuation of Ecosystem Services: A Case Study of Economic Growth and Natural Carrying Capacity." International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology 15.5 (2008): 448-456. Print. Read More