Ecological footprint. How to measure and reduce it.

Ecological footprint measures humans' consumption of natural resources

against the Earth’s ecological capacity (or biocapacity) to regenerate them. It can
be measured at the individual level or for a nation or for the entire planet as a
whole.
According to the Global Footprint Network, we currently consume more
resources per year than our planet can produce in the same timeframe. Their
calculations show that it takes the planet 18 months to regenerate everything that
we use in a 12-month period.
The units for ecological footprint are global hectares (gha), which measure
the amount of biologically productive land with a productivity equal to the world
average.
There are many simple things we can do to reduce our ecological footprint.
First of all, we can use cleaner transportation.
Our ecological footprint is higher if we travel a lot by planes and use cars
even for small distances. We can reduce it by using public transportation, and
using bicycles if we are not traveling long distances. Thereby our carbon footprint
will be low, and we will do less damage to the environment.
Secondly, we can add energy-saving features to our home and cultivate
Energy-Saving Habits
For example, we can choose furnishings that are second-hand, recycled, or
sustainably produced.
We have to switch off the electrical and electronic appliances if we are not
using them. Also we can use LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) /ˈdaɪ.əʊdz/ instead of
the conventional tube lights or the bulbs that use filaments. By doing these things
we use less energy, and thereby we reduce our ecological footprint.
Thirdly, the simple way to reduce our ecological footprint is to reduce
our foods and goods footprint.
We have to shop at our local farmer's market, look for local, in-season foods
that haven't travelled long distances to reach us.
Besides, we have to choose foods with less packaging to reduce waste.
Recycling plastics and tin cans also reduces our ecological footprint. Instead
of plastic bags we have to use paper bags which we can recycle very easily.
If you live in a country house, you can plant a garden. Growing our own
fruit and vegetables reduces all the energy and waste which normally goes into
getting food from the field to our plates – such as transport, refrigeration and
packaging. In your garden you can compost /ˈkɒm.pɒst/ food waste as well.
Going meatless for just one meal a week can make a difference. The
livestock industry contributes more greenhouse gas emissions globally /ˈɡləʊ.bəl.i/
than the transport sector and the ecological footprint of vegetarians /ˌvedʒ.ɪ
ˈteə.ri.ən/ is estimated to be around half that of meat eaters.
We can also try out easy ways to save water
For example, take shorter, less frequent showers - this saves water and the
energy necessary to heat it. Run the dishwasher and the washing machine only
when full. Plant drought-tolerant plants in your garden and yard.
 I also want to mention the ecological footprint of pets. It is called
pawprint.
Pets can have a large ecological footprint, and their food is a big
contributing factor. A medium-size dog could have a similar footprint to a large
vehicle.
It’s all about the meat. Making pet food takes a lot of animal protein
/ˈprəʊ.tiːn/, and the current trend is to feed our pets high-meat diets. Meat-based
diets have much larger ecological footprint than plant-based diets, because /bɪˈkəz/
it takes lots of land, water and food to feed pigs, cows, sheep, poultry /ˈpəʊl.tri/
and farmed fish. The best way to feed our pets meat-based diets with minimal
footprints is to use every part of the animals including organs. These ingredients
often collectively termed “by-products,” can be very good-quality sources of
nutrients /ˈnjuː.tri.ənts/ that pets enjoy.

Ecological footprint relates with a lot of things, such as farming, food

production, building construction, etc. Almost everything is related to the
ecological footprint and that is why everyone should calculate his/her own
ecological footprint and make changes due to the results. In this way we can
decrease the damage we do to the environment.