Ecological Footprint Calculator

The Ecological Footprint Calculater is a part of the Earth Day website.

How Would I Use This Website?
Curriculum Connections:
Grade: Seven
Subject: Social Studies
Unit: Resources

As a part of the unit on Resources, students will have the opportunity to consider the distribution and use of resources around the world. As a lead-in activity to this study, students will visit the Earth Day website and complete the Footprint Quiz. This quiz asks students about their lifestyle and their use of resources by asking about their housing, food, transportation, etc. After students answer all of the questions, the footprint calculator tells students how big their ecological footprint is - that is, how many hectares of land does it take for that student to live. In addition, the website compares each student's ecological footprint with the average for the country that they live in. Perhaps the neatest thing of all is that the website tells students how many 'earths' there would need to be if everyone lived the way that they do. Following this activity, students will participate in a large class discussion in which they identify how different people around the world live compared to Canadians. Students will then consider and create a personal action plan outlining what they plan to do to reduce their ecological footprints.

Benefits for Students:
By using this website, students will be able to see their own personal impact on the environment. Often, it is difficult to see the big picture when talking about things like recycling, saving energy, etc. This website, however, shows students how the way they live directly impacts the earth. I think some of the statistics might be quite shocking for students, perhaps motivating them to change certain aspects of their lifestlyes. Overall, I think this interactive activity could have a big impact on students because they have the opportunity to look outside their own "bubble" and consider the greater impact that humans have on the environment. I think this activity would produce some excellent discussion and possibly some great action from students.