No, this does not mean at all that we paint ourselves green and go on with our lives. By living green we mean making our life choices sustainable, sustainable in terms of what we eat, what we wear, what we buy in the market, how we travel, what we do in our workplaces, the structures in which that we live and many similar things. aspects. ‘Green’ is a trendy and buzz word. The decisions we make in our lives determine the sustainability of our planet.
Ecological footprint
Each person on this planet consumes their share of the total resources. This is calculated by measuring the total consumption of the individual or more scientifically. An ecological footprint is defined as the impact of an individual or community on the natural environment. This is usually expressed as the amount of land needed to support the use of natural resources. We need land to grow the food we eat, to dump the trash we create, and to endanger natural resources. By measuring the ecological footprint, we decide if our planet Earth is big enough to sustain our demands, the eternal demands of humanity.
Sides of Ecological Footprint Accounting
There are two sides to ecological footprint accounting. The asset side represents the biocapacity of biologically productive areas of land, preferably forests, croplands, pastures, and fisheries. Biocapacity is actually the availability of land and water resources on earth. If these lands are left unharvested, they tend to absorb waste and toxicities, especially the carbon emissions we generate. This biocapacity is then compared to our demands on nature, on the other side of the balance. We demand energy, food that also includes shellfish and fiber, settlement land, timber and paper. We can measure both ecological footprint and biocapacity in global hectares (gha). 1gha gives the productivity of one hectare of land compared to the average productivity of the world.
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, it takes the earth 1.5 years to regenerate what we use in just one year. This is a surplus, surprisingly maintained by liquidating the resources on earth. Put another way, we all need 1.5 planets to support our activities today.. Of course, this excess is an underestimated threat to humanity: it is not good for our social, mental and physical health and, of course, for the Earth. This explains why it is essential to measure our own ecological footprint as individuals, organizations, households, communities and nations, in order to assess the pressure we have exerted on our planet. This is a serious problem that has not been adequately addressed. In fact, many of us don’t even know it. But if you are aware of this and want to contribute to the preservation of the planet, you can do the following:
Food: Try to buy locally grown and organic food on a regular basis, as it requires less fuel for transportation. Also, buy those foods that use fewer pesticides and petrochemical fertilizers. This way you can stay fit and healthy.
Estate: Try to be a ‘green consumer’. Evaluate each and every good and service in terms of its impact on the environment and not just in terms of its usefulness to your life. Support reusable or recyclable products so you don’t collect trash for your planet. Be well informed about the ingredients used in each product (food, cosmetics, and drugs, to name a few) that you use.
Accommodation: Try to save light, water and other energy by changing your clothes. Use energy efficient lights. Turn off your laptops, televisions, air conditioners, and other electronic devices when not in use. Use green landscaping if you have a yard, ‘green your home’ by using plants for decoration, and opt for in-home kitchen waste management.
Transport: Carpooling and the use of public transport are smart measures. Explore the use of more alternative fuels. Instill the habit of walking manageable distances.
Waste: Sort your waste into biodegradable (wood and paper) and non-biodegradable (plastic) items.
This is how one can contribute to the planet. If I say that it is the need of the moment, it may sound cliché… but yes. is the need of the hour. There are several online ecological footprint calculators readily available to you. So, try to find out how big your footprint is!
