Here's a concept that's at the heart of Eco Loco's concerns, and one that needs to be understood by everyone: the ecological footprint. Whether we're talking about a zero-waste lifestyle, responsible consumption, sustainable development or eco-responsibility, we're all referring to the ecological footprint.
What is the ecological footprint?
Developed in the early 2000s, the Ecological Footprint is a tool created by the Global Footprint Network to measure human pressure on the environment. In other words, the ecological footprint is a way of quantifying the bioproductive land surface required to produce what we consume (goods and services) and absorb the waste we produce.
From an individual point of view, this means: how much bioproductive surface area (land, air and sea) do I need to sustain my consumption? This surface area represents the individual's ecological footprint for a given period.
From a collective point of view, like the world's population, it's the sum of all individual ecological footprints that represents the total human ecological footprint for a given time. This can also apply to a company, a region, a country, a continent...
We intuitively understand that if our collective way of life puts too much pressure on the Earth, that if the collective ecological footprint is greater than what the Earth has to offer, that our survival could be compromised in the more or less long term.
Calculate your ecological footprint
The ecological footprint calculation is based on your lifestyle and consumption habits. It takes into account the diversity of our actions. It's surprising how much is included in the calculation. Many everyday gestures are included, reinforcing the fact that every action counts.
For example, the following elements are included in the calculation:
- Transportation: type of vehicle, distance traveled, frequency of travel, etc.
- Energy consumption: amount consumed and type of energy (hydro-electricity, natural gas, propane, gasoline, etc.).
- Technological use: cell phone, computer, tablet, etc.).
- Food: meat, eggs and dairy products, frozen meals andcereals.
The Global Footprint Network provides us with a great tool for calculating our footprint. This tool is Tvery interesting because it allows us to know in which spheres of your life our footprint is high, and thus help us to target our actions.
Of course, we'll be back with another article on reducing your ecological footprint. We already have many articles on different topics related to the ecological footprint. We invite you to browse through our blog. But as you may have guessed, they range from transportation to food, energy and the waste you generate. For the latter, we also offer a range of articles to help you make the ecological transition.
Ecologically yours,
