fill 2
Personal Ecological Footprint Rubric
Missing Unsatisfactory Developing Accomplished Average Excellent
0
points
1 points 2 points 3 points 4 points 5 points
Work is
missing
All necessary
work is not
shown or not
legible
Assignment
is 25%-
50%
complete
with all
necessary
work shown
and legible
Assignment is
50%- 75%
complete with
all necessary
work shown
and legible
Assignment
is 75%
complete
with all
necessary
work
shown and
legible
Assignment
is complete
with all
necessary
work
shown and
legible
TOTAL POINTS /5
Personal Ecological Footprint Rubric Every time I use it (40)
Sometimes (20)
3. When I brush my teeth,
I let the water run. (40)
4. Weuse watersaving toilets. (20)
5. Weuse lowflow showerheads. (20)
Water Use Subtotal:
My Score
1. Onatypical day, I eat:
Meat morethanonceper day (600)
Meat onceper day (400)
Meat a coupletimes a week(300)
Vegetarian(200)
Vegan(150)
of my foodisgrownlocally or
is organic
All (0)
Some(30)
None(60)
3I compost my fruit/vegetable
scraps andpeels.
Yes (20)
No (60)
of my foodis processed.
All (100)
Some(30)
None(0)
of my foodhas packaging.
All (100)
Some(30)
None(0)
7. Onatypical day, I waste:
Noneof my food(0)
Onefourthof my food(25)
Onethird of my food(50)
Half of my food(100)
FoodSubtotal:
Takeaction and learnmore:
www.tenpercentchallenge.org
www.climatechange.gc.ca/onetonne/english/index.asp
www.myfootprint.org/
www.rprogress.org/newpubs/2004/footprintnations2004.pdf
17 23miles/gallon(100)
Lessthan 17 miles/gallon(200)
3. The time I spend in vehiclesona
typical day is:
No time (0)
Lessthan half an hour (40)
Half anhour to 1hour (100)
Morethan1hour (200)
4. How big is thecar in which I travel ona
typical day?
No car (20)
Small (50)
Medium (100)
Large(SUV) (200)
5. Number of cars inour driveway?
No car (20)
Lessthan 1 car per driver (0)
Onecar per driver (50)
Morethan1car per driver (100)
Morethan2cars per driver (200)
6. Number of flightsI take per year?
0(0)
12(200)
Morethan2 (400)
TransportationSubtotal:
Shelter My Score
1. My house is _______.
Single house onlargelot (suburbia)(50)
Single house onsmall lot (city) (0)
Townhouse/ attached house(0)
Apartment (50)
2. Divide number of roomsper person, no baths, by the
number of people living at home.
1room per personor less (50)
12roomsper person(0)
23roomsper person(100)
morethan 3 roomsper person(200)
3. Weownasecond, or vacationhomethat is oftenempty.
No (0)
Weown/useit with others. (200)
Yes (400)
Shelter Subtotal:
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
PersonalEcologicalFootprint
Institute for SustainableEnergy
www.sustainenergy.org
8604650256
Completeeach of thecategories for atypical day in your home. Addthepoints in each category to obtain a
subtotal, andtransfereach subtotal tothesummarychart. Usethegrandtotal tocalculateyour ecological footprint.
Adaptedfrom: TeachingGreen TheMiddleYears
Water Use
1. My shower (or bath) ona typical day is:
No shower / no bath (0)
Short shower 34timeaweek (25)
Short shower oncea day (50)
Long shower oncea day (70)
Morethanone shower per day (90)
2. I flushthe toilet: _______
My Score
_______
Food
_______
2. _____
_______
5. _____
_______
_______
6. _____ _______
_______
Transportation My Score
_______
1. Onatypical day, I travel to school by:
Foot or bike(0)
Public transit / school bus(30)
Privatevehicle carpool (100)
Privatevehicle 1student (200)
2. Our vehicle’sfuel efficiency is
Morethan30 miles/gallon(50)
24 30miles/gallon(50)
http://www.sustainenergy.org/
http://www.tenpercentchallenge.org/
http://www.myfootprint.org/
http://www.rprogress.org/newpubs/2004/footprintnations2004.pdf
Yes (50)
No (50)
4. Wehavea secondrefrigerator / freezer.
Yes (100)
No (0)
5. Weuse 5 or more compact fluorescent
light bulbs.
Yes (50)
No (100)
6. I turn off lights, computer, and televisionwhen
renot in use.
Yes (0)
No (50)
off, I use:
Air conditioning: car (50)
Air conditioning: home(100)
Electric fan (10)
Nothing (50)
8. My clothes washer is a ____.
Topload(100)
Front load(50)
Laundromat (25)
Energy UseSubtotal:
My Score
1. I changemy outfit every day and put it in
thelaundry. (80)
2. I am wearing clothes that havebeen mended
or fixed. (20)
3. Onefourth of my clothes are handmadeor
secondhand. (20)
4. Most of my clothes arepurchased new
eachyear. (200)
5. I givethe local thrift store clothes that
I no longer wear.
Yes (50)
No (100)
wear % of theclothes in
my closet.
Lessthan 25% (25)
50% (50)
75% (75)
Morethan75% (100)
new pairsof shoes every year.
01(0)
2to 3(20)
No (60)
6. I use rechargeablebatteries whenever I can. (30)
7. Inmy homewehave number of Electronics?
(Computer, TV, Stereo, VCR, DVD, X box, Gameboy, etc.)
05(25)
510(75)
1015(100)
morethan (200)
8. How muchequipment is needed for typical activities?
None(0)
Very little (20)
Some(60)
A lot (80)
Stuff Subtotal:
Summary
Transfer your subtotals from each sectionandadd them
together to obtainthe grandtotal. Dividethegrand total by 300.
Water Use
Food
Transportation
Shelter
Energy Use
Clothing
Stuff
GrandTotal 300 = ______
If everyonelived like I do wewould need _______Earthsto sustain the
people of the world.
Multiplying thenumber of Earths needed, by 4.7, gives the number
of acres used to support my lifestyle. acres
Worldwide there are 4.7biologically productiveacres available per
person, and thisdoesnt include all of the other plants and animals
Someaveragefootprints:
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
__ _______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
______
Energy Use
1. Incoldmonths,our house temperatureis:
Under 15oC( (59oF) (20)
indoor rack.
50)
15to 18oC (59 to 64oF ) (50)
19to 22oC (66 to 71oF ) (100)
22oC (71oF) or more (150)
2. Wedry clothes outdoorsor onan
Sometimes (20)
Never (60)
3. Weuse an energyefficient refrigerator.
they’
7. To cool
My Score
_______ Always(
Clothing
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
6. I never _____
_______
7. I buy_____ _______
4to 6(60)
7or more (90)
Clothing Subtotal:
Stuff My Score
5. I avoiddisposableitems as often as possible. _______
Yes (50)
4. I repair itemsrather than throw them out (20) _______
3. I reuseitems rather than throw them out. (20) _______
2. I recycleall my paper, cans, glassand plastic. (100)______
1. All my garbagefrom today couldfit into a: _______
Shoebox(20)
Small garbagecan (60)
Kitchen garbagecan (200)
No garbagecreatedtoday! (50)
_______ Earths
needs.
United States: 24acres
Canada: 22acres
Italy: 9acres
Pakistan: Lessthan2 acres
Completean onlineEcological Footprint calculator http://www.myfootprint.org/
Acres Calculated ________ Numberof Earths ______
How didtheonlinecalculation differfrom your paper calculation?
Which calculator doyoufeel, portrays your lifestylemoreaccurately? Why?
What items wouldyouvaluedifferently inthepapercalculator? Wouldrevaluingthosenumbersaffect
other peoples Calculation?
Make acommitment toreducingyour Ecological footprint!
http://www.myfootprint.org/
TSD19782
Stamp
TSD19782
Stamp
PersonalEcologicalFootprint
Institute for SustainableEnergy
www.sustainenergy.org
8604650256
Ifeveryonelivedlike__________________
itwouldtake______Earthstosupportthe
peopleoftheworld.
ThreethingsIcandoto
decreasemyfootprint:
__________________
____________________
_____________________
http://www.sustainenergy.org/
WhatiftheEarthwereanApple?
The Earth seems likesuch a large place, will we ever have too many people for Earth to produce thethingswe needto
survive? How abouttheplants and animalsthatlive here? Isthere enoughfor all of us? How much of theEarth isactually
available to produce the food we need and to clean upour wastes? Whatsyour guess 100% of the surface, 50%, less?
Usingan apple to representtheEarthcutthe Earth into four pieces. Now throw outthree of the piecesthatrepresentthe
oceans. Oceansmake up75% of theEarthssurface area. Slice the remaining piece of Earth in half andthrow outone piece
representing lands, such asdeserts, thatare inhospitable. Whatsleftis1/8th of the apple. Butthatsnotthe amountavailable
to us. Slice the 1/8th intofour sectionsand throwoutthree of them. These representareasthatare too cold, too steep, or too
rocky to produce food. Peel theskinoff of theremaining 1/32nd slice of the appleand throw outthe rest. Thissmall amountof
skinrepresents the Earthscrust, the area thathasenough topsoil to produce thefood onwhich we all depend. The Earths
topsoil isonly five feetdeepon average and producesa relatively fixed amountof food. Overfarming and erosion take away
billionsof tonsof topsoil each year. Each inch of topsoil takeson average 100yearsto form.
The Earth doesntseem quite asbig anymore doesit?Natural resourcesare limited and must be used wisely so thatall of us
can live on thissmall piece of Earth. Letslook and see how your daily decisionsaffectthe amountof natural resourcesyou
and your family use.
LivingSustainablyonthe Earth
A. Water
1. Take showersinstead of baths, if youalready take showersshorten them
2. Dontbrush your teeth or shave with the water running
3. If youhave a lawn, water early in the day or late in the evening if possible
B. Agriculture/Food
1. Grow some of your own food
2. Buy organically grown veggies
3. Cook atnightor outside to keephouse cool
4. Keepwater in the refrigerator so youdonthave to run the faucetfor cold water
5. Reduce your meatconsumption, substitute tofufor meat
6. Helpnon profits planttreesin developing countries
7. Support local farmers/ farm stands
8. Support /join groupsthathelprestore ecosystems
C. Transportation
1. Ride your bike or walk to work or school or the store
2. Take a bus, vanpool or carpool
3. Drive an energyefficientvehicle
4. Keepyour car tuned and tire pressure atcorrectlevels
5. Groupyour tripswith the car
D.Personal actions that support sustainability are:
1. Be frugal. Use only whatyouneed. Buy lessso thatyouproduce lesswaste
2. Be efficient. Promote energy efficiency and use resourcesin your daily life efficiently
3. Be a recycler. Recycle all wastesthatyoucan and buy products from recycled materials
4. Compost organic waste
5. Helprestore the environment, replant, and protectwetlands
6. Helpcontrol population growth
7. Printall assignments on both sidesof the paper
8. On a long triptake a train or a bus, nota jet.
E. Home
1. Plantwildlife friendly yards.
2. Discussenvironmental ethicswith your family and friends
3. Selectnontoxicalternativesfor cleaning products, pesticidesand paints
4. Dontdiscard anything down storm sewers, recycle
5. Dontuse an in sink disposal
F. Energy
1. Shutoff lights, stereo, computers, etcwhen notin use
2. Draw curtainsat night, use insulated curtains
3. Add insulation, caulk, and weather stripping
4. Use fluorescentbulbswere possible
5. Keepthermostatat 68o F in winter and 78oF in the summer, use fans
6. Dressmore warmly
7. Turn down thermostaton water heater
8. Install flow reducerson faucets and shower heads
9. Do only full loadsof laundry
10. Dry clotheson a line outside
11. Repair leaky faucets
17. Heatonly used areas
18. Install an automaticthermostat
