5.4 Earths!? Environmental footprint calculator results

[kib]

I have been somewhat crazy radical in the past, not so much any more. What I've always objected to in this calculator is that it starts out by asking where you live, and then you become responsible for a certain amount of footprint you have absolutely no control over. So if you live in Burkina Faso and behave like a radical lunatic you can get by with one earth, but if you live in Cleveland, according to this calculator, you're physically incapable of it. Try the calculator you brought up - apparently nothing you do short of dying will accomplish one-earth living if you choose this particular corner of earth. To me, whether I'm using up two earths or seven makes no difference, so I'm never motivated by this quiz.

[Rogar]

It's a tough quiz to win at. If you and a partner live in a smaller free standing house with running water and electricity, but answered the least impact for every other category, you're still at 3.6 planets. I was 4.3 planets.

[kib]

If you tried to answer every question with the "best" answer possible, you still wind up with 2.3 earths as long as you live in the US. If you live in India, .3 earths.

[Ultralight]

I am shocked the way you describe your lifestyle. I only require 4 earths. It would be interesting to share our detailed answers for understanding. I know if I would quit the "meat with legs" mine would be lower but I have some every day and occasionally twice. I know that takes a ton of earth and water.

But even the detailed answers are hugely varied. Car mileage 15-30 range? Well hell, that's half the mileage and that could be ginormously different carbon for folks who drive far regularly.

I think it's more a relative barometer for awareness and mindful choices rather than a valuable resource.

Up until this month, when I started biking all distances of 8 miles or less round trip I had been driving more than 1360 miles per month. I think that did it. I also do not recycle at all.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Well I got 5.1. I kind of expected it to get on me for commuting to work (yes I know .... ).

But nonetheless the biggest category wasn't transportation but services (I'm like wtf is services is that the buying books thing even though I seldom buy *new* books? no it was living in the u.s.). And the next category was food maybe for eating some dairy most meals (cheese on salad etc.) and beef or lamb once a week.

[JaneV2.0]

I won't go there. We've got population, pollution, and waste issues that need to be dealt with, but I feel no guilt about the relatively modest life I lead. Sorry, not sorry.

[bae]

I live in a house made of local wood, in a low-population density area, I heat with wood from my own land, most of my food comes from within an easy bicycle ride, I drive about 3000 miles a year, when I fly it's usually in a small Cessna for 30 minutes, my electricity come from renewable sources, and I still got 3+ ish Earths...

I filled out the numbers for my completely-off-the-grid friend who almost never leaves his very small island, and got about the same.

So, I don't see much to improve there, other than throwing ourselves on the compost pile and having our belongings recycled.

[JaneV2.0]

I'll be compost soon enough. Doing my part!

[ApatheticNoMore]

Most of the questions could be answered multiple ways and you will answer them one way if you are interested in getting a good score. For instance do you buy new furniture question? It will be answered probably based on what you bought last year. So furniture no, and not even trying to buy *new* furniture (half of what I have in my 1 bedroom apartment came from thrifts anyway), but some bedding yes as last year or two for the first time in my entire existence (I mean I took bedding with me when I moved out of my parents house) I bought some new sheets and blankets. And in the last several years for the first time in my life I bought a bed. For 30+ years before then I had the same bed although a new mattress was added when I was a child, it was older than me, and may have been the bed I was conceived on for all I know.

But really who is trying to get a good score, to seem this or that or the other thing, when the point is day to day being. Some of the advice on reducing carbon usage may have been useful but the raw score itself = NOT useful. Some people like to answer tests to get good scores. But I pick the middle answer. I like potato chips, uh you shouldn't have asked me last week, twice I hit the vending machine and it was for ding ding ding potato chips! So yes I do suppose I eat some processed foods though I try to resist them.

[creaker]

There's another knob you can turn. Population level/density....

Reduce the number of consumers? I don't think our current economic system could handle that.

Then again, a huge economic crash would do a lot to reduce our total footprint.