, SUS1501 Assignment 7
Semester 2 2025(590462)
DUE 30 September 2025
Use this document as a guide and for references to answer your assignment
My Ecological Footprint: Reflection and Ethical Analysis
Part A – Interpreting My Footprint and Emotional Response
After completing the ecological footprint calculator, I was presented with a
sobering picture of how my lifestyle interacts with the Earth’s ecosystems.
According to the results, if everyone in the world lived the way I currently do,
humanity would need approximately X Earths to sustain itself. The calculator also
translated this into a personal Earth Overshoot Day — the date on which my
resource consumption would theoretically exceed the planet’s capacity to
regenerate for that year. My overshoot date fell sometime in the first half of the
calendar year, meaning that for the remaining months, I would essentially be
borrowing from the future.
The categories that contributed most to my footprint were diet and transportation. I
tend to eat a mix of plant-based and animal-based foods, but my reliance on dairy,
imported produce, and occasional meat still weighs heavily in terms of emissions
and land use. Additionally, while I do not drive long distances daily, I occasionally
rely on flights, which drastically increase my footprint. My housing also consumes
significant energy, especially during colder months when heating is necessary.
Even though I try to turn off lights, recycle, and avoid unnecessary consumption,
these smaller actions are outweighed by the structural impacts of diet, travel, and
energy use.
Emotionally, the result was uncomfortable. I have always considered myself
someone who cares about the environment. I support conservation charities, I shop
with reusable bags, and I attempt to limit waste. Yet the calculator revealed a
contradiction: while my intentions may be good, the measurable outcomes of my
lifestyle are still unsustainable. Reading the ―Sustainability?‖ section before taking
the test helped me frame this result. Sustainability, in its essence, is about living in
such a way that our present needs are met without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet theirs.
Semester 2 2025(590462)
DUE 30 September 2025
Use this document as a guide and for references to answer your assignment
My Ecological Footprint: Reflection and Ethical Analysis
Part A – Interpreting My Footprint and Emotional Response
After completing the ecological footprint calculator, I was presented with a
sobering picture of how my lifestyle interacts with the Earth’s ecosystems.
According to the results, if everyone in the world lived the way I currently do,
humanity would need approximately X Earths to sustain itself. The calculator also
translated this into a personal Earth Overshoot Day — the date on which my
resource consumption would theoretically exceed the planet’s capacity to
regenerate for that year. My overshoot date fell sometime in the first half of the
calendar year, meaning that for the remaining months, I would essentially be
borrowing from the future.
The categories that contributed most to my footprint were diet and transportation. I
tend to eat a mix of plant-based and animal-based foods, but my reliance on dairy,
imported produce, and occasional meat still weighs heavily in terms of emissions
and land use. Additionally, while I do not drive long distances daily, I occasionally
rely on flights, which drastically increase my footprint. My housing also consumes
significant energy, especially during colder months when heating is necessary.
Even though I try to turn off lights, recycle, and avoid unnecessary consumption,
these smaller actions are outweighed by the structural impacts of diet, travel, and
energy use.
Emotionally, the result was uncomfortable. I have always considered myself
someone who cares about the environment. I support conservation charities, I shop
with reusable bags, and I attempt to limit waste. Yet the calculator revealed a
contradiction: while my intentions may be good, the measurable outcomes of my
lifestyle are still unsustainable. Reading the ―Sustainability?‖ section before taking
the test helped me frame this result. Sustainability, in its essence, is about living in
such a way that our present needs are met without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet theirs.
