I've saved 4-1/2 planets

[bigdaddy]

Just took the earthday footprint quiz: http://www.earthday.net/Footprint/index.asp#

I filled it out with my profile from a year ago, where I was driving 14-15mpg Jeep. If everyone had my lifestyle, it would take 9.9 planets to keep us going according to the quiz.

I filled it out with this year's profile, which included swapping to the Prius, and doing some minor energy conservation at the house. My results are 5.4 planets. I'm down to an "average" 24 acre footprint.

I am surprised at the sensitivity of the quiz to such a basically simple act as getting a more efficient car. Almost half of my footprint last year was attributed to an SUV.

Going to review the quiz for more "low hanging fruit" and see what lifestyle changes I can make this year....

[benighted]

mine is 14 acres.

[darelldd]

14 acres... but I'd sure like to let them know that my "better than 50mpg" is actually *inifinite miles per gallon*. And the size of my home probably tells a story about me that isn't true. I use less than half the energy than the average of my neighbors with similar-sized homes... and the lawns are mowed with solar electricity, the watering is mostly done with gray water, and of course I generate my own electricity.

[priusenvy]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bigdaddy @ Apr 30 2006, 12:24 PM) [snapback]247640[/snapback]</div>

I filled it out with this year's profile, which included swapping to the Prius, and doing some minor energy conservation at the house. My results are 5.4 planets. I'm down to an "average" 24 acre footprint.

Going to review the quiz for more "low hanging fruit" and see what lifestyle changes I can make this year....
[/b]

You could also just go kill 4.4 people (fewer if you pick victims with large footprints)

[bigdaddy]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusenvy @ May 10 2006, 08:28 PM) [snapback]253192[/snapback]</div>

You could also just go kill 4.4 people (fewer if you pick victims with large footprints)
[/b]

Yeah, I'm torn between the cannibalism and vegetarian threads going on at the moment. I think I am going to eat only people and carrots going forward....



----------
On the other hand...

Though I am at 24 acres, my esteemed and respected 14 acre colleagues above are still using more than a couple of planets, and they are really, really trying. I'm a little bummed because even though we are trying somewhat to reduce the footprint, we are still burning through more planet than we have.

And Putin just issued a issued a statement a few hours ago, calling on his country with a 10-year program to increase the birthrate in his country.

[livelychick]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bigdaddy @ May 10 2006, 08:39 PM) [snapback]253200[/snapback]</div>

Yeah, I'm torn between the cannibalism and vegetarian threads going on at the moment. I think I am going to eat only people and carrots going forward....

----------
On the other hand...

Though I am at 24 acres, my esteemed and respected 14 acre colleagues above are still using more than a couple of planets, and they are really, really trying. I'm a little bummed because even though we are trying somewhat to reduce the footprint, we are still burning through more planet than we have.

And Putin just issued a issued a statement a few hours ago, calling on his country with a 10-year program to increase the birthrate in his country.
[/b]

God, that makes me nuts. Has Putin lost his mind in the past three years or so?

World overpopulation is one of the topics that keeps me up at night. It's one of those moral dilemmas for me...the horror of natural disasters, disease, famine...and the suffering that goes with those things...then smacked with some thought that it's Mother Nature's way of cleaning house. Ugghhh.

It makes me think of Carlin...in one of his recent skits, he said he didn't understand people saying "save the earth." The earth will always be here...she's just gonna shake us all off, wipe the slate clean, and start all over again. It's the humans that need saving. Cutting back on population growth would be a great start, in my terribly humble opinion.

[Catskillguy]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(livelychick @ May 10 2006, 10:09 PM) [snapback]253246[/snapback]</div>

God, that makes me nuts. Has Putin lost his mind in the past three years or so?

World overpopulation is one of the topics that keeps me up at night. It's one of those moral dilemmas for me...the horror of natural disasters, disease, famine...and the suffering that goes with those things...then smacked with some thought that it's Mother Nature's way of cleaning house. Ugghhh.

It makes me think of Carlin...in one of his recent skits, he said he didn't understand people saying "save the earth." The earth will always be here...she's just gonna shake us all off, wipe the slate clean, and start all over again. It's the humans that need saving. Cutting back on population growth would be a great start, in my terribly humble opinion.
[/b]

Truth be told (or guessed at), I think Putin was really talking to ethnic Russians. I think he is afraid the country is becoming too non-eastern European.

[tripp]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Catskillguy @ May 10 2006, 08:54 PM) [snapback]253280[/snapback]</div>

Truth be told (or guessed at), I think Putin was really talking to ethnic Russians. I think he is afraid the country is becoming too non-eastern European.
[/b]

I bet that you're right. Most of European Europe has a negative population growth rate. Meanwhile, the folks from the middle east and Africa that have emigrated there are experiencing a population boom. I would expect that places like France and Germany could get really ugly if their relations with those immigrant regions become particularly strained by violence etc.

Now to go see how many planets I'm eating...

OK I'm back...

Hear are my stats:

CATEGORY ACRES
FOOD 5.7
MOBILITY 1
SHELTER 3.7
GOODS/SERVICES 3.2
TOTAL FOOTPRINT 14

Well, Galactus has me beat. I'm only eating 3.1 planets.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bigdaddy @ Apr 30 2006, 01:24 PM) [snapback]247640[/snapback]</div>

Just took the earthday footprint quiz: http://www.earthday.net/Footprint/index.asp#

I filled it out with my profile from a year ago, where I was driving 14-15mpg Jeep. If everyone had my lifestyle, it would take 9.9 planets to keep us going according to the quiz.

I filled it out with this year's profile, which included swapping to the Prius, and doing some minor energy conservation at the house. My results are 5.4 planets. I'm down to an "average" 24 acre footprint.

I am surprised at the sensitivity of the quiz to such a basically simple act as getting a more efficient car. Almost half of my footprint last year was attributed to an SUV.

Going to review the quiz for more "low hanging fruit" and see what lifestyle changes I can make this year....
[/b]

Low flow shower heads. If your water is heated with an electric water heater add a timer. Solar thermal water heating isn't THAT expensive and could be a way to go. I'm thinking about doing that myself, along with a PV array. All in our next house. Gonna keep the current one as a rental and continue to make efficiency improvements to it over time.

[GasGuzzler87]

my footprint is 29. If everyone lived like me we would need 6.6 planets. I guess that's why we have you prius owners. So people like me can live life more comfortably.

[tomdeimos]

Be more interesting if we could see how we're doing compared to our neighbors. Energy needs vary a lot with climate and electric rates and sources distort the results.