Sustainability Design

WEEK 2: ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT

Ecological Footprint: Measure of the area of land and ocean needed to support the consumption of food, goods, services, housing and energy of a population and absorb their waste (Wackernagel, M and Rees, W, 1995).

The population is currently using 50% more natural resources than the earth can support (WWF Australia, 2010)

Figure 2. Personal Ecological Footprint improvements

After this calculation I selected a few choices that I thought would be simple yet effective ways to minimize my ecological footprint (Figure 2). These include:

* Having more energy-efficient appliances, for example switching appliances that are not in use to energy saving modes or completely switching them off. Appliances on standby mode can still use 10% of your consumption (Green Beings Australia, 2011), therefore if not in use, switch off at the power point.

* Using public transport one more day a week instead of driving, living on a very central public transport route in terms of buses and trains I should utilize this more.

* Taking more local holidays rather than flying, which should not be too difficult for me as I rarely fly as is.

I also used a footprint calculator from a different source to compare results and hopefully gain a more accurate result (Figure 3). This calculaor focused mainly on land use, and that mostly of your school or college., I found the first Footprint calculator I used (Figure 1) better suited to my lifstyle and gave a greater, multi faceted result.

Figure 3. Personal Land Use Footprint (http://ecotude.powerhousemuseum.com/calc.asp)

Suncoat Water-based Nail Polish Footprint

The footprint for Suncoat Water-based nail polish is far smaller than that of its conventional counterparts. These polishes are made up of large amounts (approx. 70%) of solvents such as Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Formaldehyde, Toluene and Alcohol (Ross, R, 2004). When this nail polish is used these chemicals evaporate into the...