The Ecological Footprint Project

An "Ecological Footprint" is a measure of the "load" imposed on the natural environment by a given population and represents the land area necessary to sustain current levels of resource consumption and waste discharge by the population. Key questions that this project poses are: "How much space is required for us to live the way we choose to live?" "If everyone lived this way, what would our world look like?" "How can we take care of our needs and also take care of the earth?" Through participation in this project students and teachers (and even parents and community members) will become involved in a study of the impact of their lifestyles and their dreams on ecological systems (and by extension our health and well being). Participants will then devise practical strategies to reduce those impacts and to work for justice and sustainability. Mathis Wackernagel, one of the developers of the ecological footprint, will be guiding this project and will interact directly with participants. A brief project description -- not the project's website! -- can be found at:  http://www.sustainabilityed.org

Ages: 12 years - adult.

Dates: September 2000 - July 2001

Language(s): English -- maximum support. Carmela Federico, project facilitator, can participate in Spanish and English discussions.

Contact: For more information about participating in this or other iEARN projects, write to iearn@iearn.org