Lesson 1: What's Your Footprint?
Students will participate in an exercise that represents the importance of sustainability among our global resources. They then will learn about and measure their own ecological footprint, which illustrates how many Earths it would take to support their lifestyle and choices. Finally, they will identify strategies for reducing their footprint, thereby helping to sustain resources for all.
Length of Lesson:
2-3 class sessions
Subject Area(s):
Science, Math, Language Arts, Technology
Objectives
Students will:
- Assess their personal use of the world’s resources through an ecological footprint calculation.
- Analyze and compare their ecological footprint to others in the class and the national average.
- Identify two specific strategies for reducing their ecological footprint.
Materials
Computer with Internet access, bag of popcorn, class set of index cards with blue dots on 25% of the cards.
Background Information
Every person’s choices impact Earth’s natural resources and our ability to sustain those resources for the future. The measure of that impact has been expressed as an “ecological footprint.”
An ecological footprint is the mark we leave behind by the choices we make. It measures the amount of land and water that a person or population needs to support its environmental choices. The more ecologically “friendly” a person’s choices, the smaller their “footprint.” Key categories for measuring one’s ecological footprint include energy use and conservation, transportation, food, housing and habits for use and disposal of goods.
Today’s global ecological footprint is more than 23% larger than what the planet can regenerate. (Source: Global Footprint Network) In other words, it now takes more than one year and two months for Earth to regenerate what we use in one year.
The ecological footprint calculator is a way for students to measure the impact that their personal choices have on the planet. By answering a series of questions about the resources they use, consume and discard, they learn the land and water needed to support their choices. They also measure how many Earths it would take if everyone made the same choices they do.
The goal of measuring one’s ecological footprint is to create awareness and encourage sustainability. If resources are consumed faster than they are produced or renewed, they become depleted. In a sustainable world, our demand on resources is balanced by how nature meets that demand. As citizens of the world, we all have a responsibility to contribute to that sustainability. By measuring their ecological footprint and implementing strategies to reduce that footprint, students can take the first steps toward a sustainable world.
Procedure
- Distribute one index card to each student, asking them not to look at them. (Some of the students will have dots on their cards and the others will be blank.)
- Then show students the popcorn and have them imagine that it represents the world’s resources: fresh water, clean air, food, energy, etc. As citizens of the world, they are all entitled to some of the popcorn. Discuss:
- How would they divide the bag of popcorn?
- Would they divide it equally or would certain people get more? If the latter, who would get more?
- Would they eat it all at once or would they save some for later?
- Challenge students to come up with a fair plan for dividing the popcorn.
- Then tell them to imagine that half of the popcorn is no longer usable due to the decisions of those with blue dots on their index cards. Have students reveal their cards.
- What types of decisions might those with dots have made to deplete Earth’s resources?
- Based on this new information, how would students now divide the remaining resources?
- What strategies could increase the sustainability of these resources? Students may suggest changing behaviors of those with the blue dots; determining how the popcorn could last for the longest time possible; or even figuring out a way to use the popcorn kernels to grow more popcorn.
- Ask students how this exercise compares to the current state of our environment. Possible answers include:
- Our global resources are limited.
- Resources are not distributed fairly. Some people use up more resources than others.
- The decisions of some impact the resources for all.
- We must come up with strategies to renew or sustain the resources we have while encouraging human behaviors that keep those we have.
- How did students who had the blue dots feel during the exercise? How did students with the blank cards feel about those with blue dots?
- Do students think they currently do all they can to help sustain our environmental resources? Have students justify their answers.
- Write the phrase, “ecological footprint” on the board. Ask students to break down the words to determine what this might mean. “Eco” means environment and “Ology” means the study of. When students put that together with the word “footprint,” what might be an ecological footprint?
- Read students the definition of an “ecological footprint” from the background section above. Do students predict that their personal ecological footprint is large (they are using more than their share of resources) or small (they are using less than their share of resources) or somewhere in the middle? Tell students that they are about to find out!
- Divide students into groups. Challenge each group member to create a list of all of the resources they have consumed and/or discarded in the last 24 hours. This should include the foods, liquids and related packaging they’ve consumed, recycled or thrown away; the energy they’ve used (including electricity, gas, coal or other energy); the amount of water they’ve used (including showers, flushing toilets, etc.); the other resources they’ve used (paper, etc).
- Once students have completed their lists, have them share with other group members.
- Then have students put stars by all of the resources that they really needed to use and checks next to those that they wanted to use but were not necessities.
- Have students compare their results with others in their group and the entire class. Which students used the most resources? The least? Did some students overuse resources? Were there things that were thrown away that could have been recycled?
- Ask students to come up with five resources on their list that they’d be willing to give up if asked. Have students compare answers. Did any surprise them? Can students agree on any resources they would all be willing to give up? If so, which? If not, why not? What does this exercise tell them about their ecological footprint?
- Direct students to the ecological footprint calculator at www.footprintnetwork.org. Students will be asked to identify their country, design a character to guide them, and answer a series of questions about their lifestyle and choices. At the end of the quiz, they will learn how many Earths would be needed to support these choices. They will also be given a breakdown of the global acres that their footprint is consuming and learn strategies for reducing their ecological footprint.
- Have students complete the quiz and analyze their results. Discuss:
- What did they learn about themselves?
- What most surprised them?
- What conclusions can they draw about the current choices of kids their age?
- How can knowing this information help students, their families, the local community, the nation and the world?
- Why is it important for them to make daily decisions that sustain resources?
- Have students review the list of ideas on the list about how they can reduce their ecological footprint. Then have students commit to two specific actions or daily decisions to reduce their ecological footprint.
- Have them share their strategies with others in the class and design a method for tracking each other’s progress.
Extensions
- Have students share the quiz with family members and determine strategies that could reduce the family’s ecological footprint.
- Have students research the resource consumption of other countries to see how the US compares.
- Challenge students to raise awareness and persuade others in the community to adapt simple strategies that can help reduce the community’s ecological footprint.
- Have students organize a school-wide “Footprint Day” where all students identify one strategy that can help sustain resources for all.
Related Video
- Enviro-Tacklebox: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (Module 2)
- Enviro-Tacklebox: Students Against Violating the Earth (Module 3)
Evaluation
You can evaluate your students using the following three-point rubric:
- Three points: Students drew reasonable conclusions about their ecological choices and those of kids their age; made sound connections about how reducing the ecological footprint can help the community and the greater world; identified two personal strategies to reduce their ecological footprint; and developed a method for tracking their strategies.
- Two points: Students drew somewhat reasonable conclusions about their ecological choices and those of kids their age; made adequate connections about how reducing the ecological footprint can help the community and the greater world; identified two personal strategies to reduce their ecological footprint; and developed a method for tracking their strategies.
- One point: Students were unable to draw conclusions about their ecological choices and those of kids their age; made adequate connections about how reducing the ecological footprint can help the community and the greater world; identified one personal strategy to reduce their ecological footprint; and had difficulty developing a method for tracking their strategies.
National Standards
This lesson plan may be used to address the National Science Education Standards listed below.
Grade Level: 5-8
Subject: Science as Inquiry
Standard: Understandings about Scientific Inquiry
Benchmark:
- Technology used to gather data enhances accuracy and allows scientists to analyze and quantify results of investigations.
Grade Level: 5-8
Subject: Life Science
Standard: Populations and Ecosystems
Benchmark:
- A population consists of all individuals of a species that occur together at a given place and time. All populations living together and the physical factors with which they interact compose an ecosystem.
Grade Level: 5-8
Subject: Life Science
Standard: Diversity and Adaptations of Organisms
Benchmark:
- Extinction of a species occurs when the environment changes and the adaptive characteristics of a species are insufficient to allow its survival. Fossils indicate that many organisms that lived long ago are extinct. Extinction of species is common; most of the species that have lived on the earth no longer exist.
Grade Level: 5-8
Subject: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
Standard: Populations, Resources and Environments
Benchmark:
- When an area becomes overpopulated, the environment will degrade due to the increased use of resources.
- Causes of environmental degradation and resource depletion vary from region to region and from country to country.
Grade Level: 5-8
Subject: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
Standard: Natural Hazards
Benchmark:
- Human activities also can induce hazards through resource acquisition, urban growth, land-use decisions and waste disposal. Such activities can accelerate many natural changes.
Grade Level: 5-8
Subject: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
Standard: Risks and Benefits
Benchmark:
- Risk analysis considers the type of hazard and estimates the number of people that might be exposed and the number likely to suffer consequences. The results are used to determine the options for reducing or eliminating risks.
- Important personal and social decisions are made based on perceptions of benefits and risks.
Academic Standards
This lesson plan may be used to address the academic standards listed below. These standards are drawn from Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education: 2nd Edition and have been provided courtesy of the Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning in Aurora, Colorado.
Grade Level: 6-8
Subject: Life Sciences
Standard: Understands Relationships Among Organisms and Their Physical Environment
Benchmarks:
Grade Level:
Subject: Life Sciences
Standard: Understands Relationships Among Organisms and Their Physical Environment
Benchmarks:
