What size is your Ecological Footprint?

מה גודל טביעת הרגל האקולוגית שלך?

 Do you leave all your lights on, eat at fast-food restaurants and demand the latest fashions?
or
Do you walk to school, re-use your scrap paper and grow your own vegetables?

Chances are you fall somewhere in between.
You may recycle or eat only organic vegetables, but if you're like most people, you have absolutely no idea of how your way of living is affecting the natural world.

Your ecological footprint is not the same as the one you make with your foot, it is much bigger! An ecological footprint is how much space or land you need to survive in order to provide you with your lifestyle. It looks at how what you buy, use and throw away affects the world. Everyone has some kind of footprint on the earth. Some footprints are bigger than others.

Why is our Ecological Footprint so important?

Ecological Footprints can be calculated for individuals, schools, communities, and even countries. We use natural resources when we purchase products , build roads, pollute, and discard garbage. If our Ecological Footprint indicates that we are using more natural resources than the Earth is supplying than we are not living a sustainable lifestyle. And we must ask our selves how can we reduce our Ecological Footprint so that subsequent generations living on earth are able to enjoy the world as we do today.

 Image courtesy of Best Foot Forward Ltd.