How many Earths do you need?

[Cron]

Fun, quick quiz that will tell you how many Earths would be needed if everyone lived your lifestyle:

Earth Day Footprint Quiz

[Shaden]

I'm a little worried... I thought I wasn't too bad.

2.4 planets

[Cron]

That is the point of the quiz.

Everyone believes over population is an issue for the third world, but over population is about more than numbers. It is about resource use and pollution.

I've read and this quiz shows that even concientious Americans use more and pollute more than people in the third world. We can't help it, it is built into the way we live.

For example, having to drive to work drove my score up.

We need to have smaller families unless somebody can IM and make a new planet appear

[Shaden]

I totally agree with you Cron. And when I manage to get a place of my own, i.e. get away from my family to university, I'm almost certainly going to pursue the goal of vegetarianism and environmentalism. At the moment though it's just a little inconvenient and unfair for both myself and my family.

[Cron]

I hope you didn't misunderstand me as meaning any offense.

I sucking down 4 planets myself and I am a vegan. It is the driving thing that is killing me. I can reduce, but it isn't easily done away with.

You see lists of "100 things you can do to save the Earth".

IMHO, as with any to-do list priorities, doing FIRST, what gets you the most bang for the buck, matters.

From what I have read, I *think* the 4 most powerful things you can do to help the Earth are:

1. Have a smaller family
2. Eat fewer foods derived from animals
3. Reduce your automotive footprint ( drive less, drive a smaller car etc )
4. Get in the habit of turning things off when you are not using them.

[gberardi]

Originally Posted by Cron

From what I have read, I *think* the 4 most powerful things you can do to help the Earth are:

1. Have a smaller family

Lucy, Sam...I'm glad you can make it to this important family meeting. Due to environmental concerns, we're going to have to let one of you go.

Oh, and a population of Me apparently would use up 4.5 Earths.

[Leandro Leme]

A population of me would use 1.2 Earths.

[Jm4362]

3.1 Earths!

[RT Wolf]

Is it possible to have less than 1 earth? Don't get my wrong, but it looks like if you're using electricity or running water, you're gonna need more than 1 earth if everyone lived like you.

Interesting food for thought though, and a very novel way of putting it.

[aelle]

Originally Posted by RT Wolf

Don't get my wrong, but it looks like if you're using electricity or running water, you're gonna need more than 1 earth if everyone lived like you.

They explain in the FAQ that they take in account some data from your country of origin. For example if you say you produce an average amount of watse, that won't be the same in the US, in Western Europe or in South East Asia. The climate also plays a role : if you live in very cold or very hot zones you'll consume more energy through heating or air con - they take average values for these.

Cron, it is very true that your environment influences a LOT on your ecological footprint. I took the test twice : with my habits at home (France) I have a footprint of 1.2 earths, here in Kuala Lumpur it's 2.9

At home I walk or take the subway all the time (don't even have a driving licence), buy local food from open air markets, etc. Here I have no choice but to take a taxi twice a day, my schedule doesn't allow me to shop on markets and most supermarket foods come from Australia, China, Japan..., my appartment is larger and with less people in it, I run the air con 1 hour per day (which I never do at home)... Even though I try to be ecologically conscious in both cases, the results are very different.

[WanderingOak]

According to the survey, I need 6.6 planets to continue my lifestyle, which means that my 100 mile daily commute is not only bad for my mental health, but insanely destructive to the environment as well. Then again, I can't afford to live near where I work in the city, where crime and rent/real-estate prices are even more insane, and I can't work closer in town, because there are no jobs where you don't say 'Do you want fries with that?'. I do buy half of my food locally when it is in season, and would buy more if I knew where to get grains, beans, and other staples that were grown locally. Agriculture in Northern Virginia is quickly dying. Since it is winter now, I just about have to buy imported food this time of year (as far as distances go Cali/Florida may as well be different countries), unless I set up a canning kitchen every summer. Once I sell my house, relocate and get my business up and running, I will change my 'footprint' drasticly.

I remember taking the same test multiple times a few years ago, filling out the questionaire exactly the same, only for a different contry each time. Apparently, Americans are wasteful, no matter what our individual habits are, because my score as an American was worse than as a Dane or a Canadian...

[Shaden]

3. Reduce your automotive footprint ( drive less, drive a smaller car etc )

I think a good answer to that is too run a business from home. Just get a high-speed internet connection and start leveraging emerging technology.

[Tasaio]

1.1 Earths here.

I'm sure that's because I live in Canada. With that logic, we should annex the US as the next Canadian province -- then the US' environmental problems will vanish.

[Nala]

7.2 planets. I think it was the square footage of my house and eating chicken frequently that shot my score up.

[escapee]

1.5 planets, I probably need to blow off a portion of my house and cut off the electricity to reach 1.0 planet.

Yep, we are basically the parasite of the earth. We are going to swarm every corner of the earth until we're "balanced off" by the power of nature through multiple catastrophic disaster. I believe even Steve would not be able to change that ( A challenge to Steve ). It's sad.

I let pessimism runs my head today .

[Stu]

2.7 planets. I got 1.5 on the food, I'm addicted to cheese so my meat eating score was high, what can I say.