Ever wondered how much "nature" your lifestyle requires? You're about to find out.

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 given your habits. It looks at the natural resources (or raw materials) that are needed to meet your needs and wants. Everyone has some kind of footprint on the earth. As you'll see, some people's ecological footprints are bigger than others.

It is important to be aware of how you are impacting the world around you, and one way to do this is to take answer some questions to determine the size of your ecological footprint. The purpose of these "quizzes" is for you to get an idea of what choices you have to make a difference. Each of the following Ecological Footprint Quizzes estimates how much productive land and water you need to support what you use and what you discard. If we are to continue to have good living conditions, we must make sure that we're not using up all of what nature has to offer more quickly than it is being produced!

 

Ecological Footprints Quiz This is the one we're going to do in class today. It was designed for people your age. You will print out your results, glue them into your Ecology Lab Book, and answer some questions on what the results tell you and how you feel about those results!

 

Ecological Footprints Quiz for Kids This quiz is really designed for younger kids, although you're welcome to give it a try at home. Maybe you know a younger kid (sister, brother, cousin, neighbor) who you could do it with!

 

Advanced Ecological Footprints Quiz If you decide to try this quiz at home, be sure you have a parent around to help you answer some of the questions.