Can the planet sustain your lifestyle?

Sun Herald
Sunday 17/12/2006 Page: 49

WORKING out your eco-footprint is easy. It's also the best way to identify how sustainable your lifestyle is, and how to cut back on excess. Various online calculators identify energy-efficiency and sustainability.

Sydneysiders need an average of 6.18 global hectares (about 12 soccer fields) to sustain their lifestyle. In reality each person has just 1.8 hectares available to them, while the global average footprint is 2.2 hectares. In other words, we are collectively living beyond our means.

Many people think reducing their ecological footprint requires significant lifestyle compromises. In fact, small day-to-day changes can make significant footprint savings. They can also improve health and quality of life.

Consider rethinking your diet and select foods that require fewer resources. Fly less or offset your flights by contributing to carbon-neutralising companies that use donations to plant trees. Leave the car behind and choose public transport. Take your own bags when you go shopping and buy local fruit in season to reduce the transport distance of your food.

The questions below are taken from the Victorian Government's Environment Protection Authority website. Check out their ecological footprint calculators for individual, office, school and home at www.epa.vic.gov.au to see how many worlds are needed to support your lifestyle.

• Which capital city do you live in or nearest to?
  
• How often do you eat animal-based products? (Never, occasionally, often, almost always)
  
• How much of the food you eat is either processed, packaged or imported? (Most,three-quarters, half, one-quarter, very little)
  
• How much waste do you generate? (Less than one bin bag each week, one bin bag, more than one bin bag)
  
• How many people live in your household?
  
• What is the size of your home? (Large, average, small, apartment, studio)
  
• Which housing type best describes your home? (Freestanding, apartment building, terrace, town house)
  
• Do you use electricity from renewable sources?
  
• How far do you travel on public transport each week? (100 kilometres or more, 25 to 100 kilometres,10 to 25 kilometres, one to 10 kilometres.)
  
• Do you have a motorbike?
  
• Do you travel by car?
  
• How far do you travel by car each week? (500 kilometres or more, 300-500 kilometres,150-300 kilometres, 50-150 kilometres, 15-50 kilometres, fewer than 15 kilometres?)
  
• How much fuel does your car consume? (Hybrid, small car, family sized car, 4WD?)
  
• How often do you travel alone by car, rather than with a passenger? (Never, occasionally, often, very often, almost always?)
  
• How many hours do you spend flying each year? (100 hours or more, 25 to 100,10 to 25, three to 10, fewer than three?