It is no secret that the environment is facing some serious issues due to overconsumption of resources. To account for this, scientists have created a way to represent the amount of resources used by a person or population. An Ecological Footprint is the total area of biologically productive land and water to produce the resources and absorb the waste of a given person or population. The footprint can be calculated by answering questions regarding lifestyle and consumerism (www.footprintnetwork.org).

Currently, the world is using more than 2.7 ha/person (hectare/person). Meaning, currently, humanity is using resources 50% more than what is being replenished. For our 7 billion populations, humanity is using 1.5 planets to support itself. The 1.5 planets calculation can be expected to grow over the course of the years. Currently, the United States’ ecological footprint is 7.19 ha/person, which is around 18 acres. That means that we are using more than 2 earths to sustain us. If we don’t take action towards more sustainable ways, it will not be long before the world is unable to support the lifestyle we are living now. That may lead to repeat of Easter Island. The Europeans reached Easter Island in 1722. They arrived at a barren landscape with less than 2000 people who were living a marginal existence in caves. Relics of the past showed evidence of a former sophisticated civilization. Scientific research proved that Easter Island once was lushly forested and supported a prosperous society of 6,000 to 3,000 people. However, the overuse of the island’s finite resources led to population collapse and environment destruction.

Therefore, we should look into living a more sustainable lifestyle in order to decrease our ecological footprint. We could support the construction of Green buildings that are built from sustainable building materials and are designed to reduce pollution, use renewable energy and encourage efficiency in energy and water use. We could put more effort in reducing food waste, looking for sustainable transportation alternatives, having sustainable decisions while purchasing (i.e recycled paper, certified sustainable wood, nontoxic cleaning product, etc), restoring native plants, habitats, and landscapes, as well as becoming energy efficient. These are some of the many ways we can work towards a sustainable future and a smaller ecological footprint. After all, the Foot of a Giant is Too Large for this World.


<Ji Hyun Park Crean Lutheran High School 11th Grade>