The Footprints of Humanity

This article is divided up into 5 parts to lay the basis for a case study activity where students examine the issue of sustainability; they calculate their ecological footprints based on per... See More

This article is divided up into 5 parts to lay the basis for a case study activity where students examine the issue of sustainability; they calculate their ecological footprints based on personal consumptions of resources. The author, Philip Camill, asks us to look into the future, and what he shows us is very unsettling and disquieting. Even if you do not remember Biosphere I and II, you will appreciate what he has to say. Every decision we make will impact how many people planet Earth will be able to sustain in the future. Do we want parking lots or parks? Meat to eat or bean sprouts? Cotton clothes or polyester? (That last question was easy for me to answer.) This is an important article to read. It not only raises great questions to argue in the classroom, it provides a means to engage students in a real-life issue where they can collect and analyze data to inform their daily practices. They see that their individual actions can and do make a difference in and to the world. The activity is appropriate for students in high school through college.

Logical way to introduce Environmental Footprint

This article provides some interesting information concerning how the concept of Environmental Footprint were developed and how and why Biosphere II collapsed. I saw a lot of information and... See More

This article provides some interesting information concerning how the concept of Environmental Footprint were developed and how and why Biosphere II collapsed. I saw a lot of information and links that tie the two concepts together in a logical and clever way. I would not present this lesson in this manner but I do like the overall set up and would use this in my APES class to generate discussion on sustainability, as the author suggests.