The

Ecological Footprint
Dilemma

By
Bruno Borsari
Winona State University 1
How sustainable is your present life style?

You visited: http://www.myfootprint.org

to find out!

Get your data out now. Calculate means for

your group, and bring the means to the front
desk.

2
 Ecological Footprint Table (Means are in Hectares)
Category Food Mobility Shelter Goods & Total
Services (Hectares)
Group 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18 3
Total per
Take a look at the table of data all of
your groups generated. What are the
main trends you see?

What does this mean in terms of how

we live our lives and resulting impacts
on the environment?

4
Did you know that the ecological
footprint in the U.S. is about
9.7 hectares per
person, whereas
the planet has a
capacity of only
1.8 hectares per
person?

5
CQ#1: What is sustainability?
A. The achievement of the best possible quality
of life for me.
B. A reconciliation between resource use and
distribution.
C. The eradication of poverty and disease.
D. Human society functioning in a way that is
socially just and living within the limits of
natural systems.

6
 What is sustainability?
sustainable: in the human scale of time, is able to
endure, thrive, and regenerate without
overburdening the living systems of the earth.

sustainable society: one that satisfies its needs

without jeopardizing opportunities for future
generations.

7
 What is sustainability? Social
acceptability

What is social acceptability?

Economic Environmental
What is economic viability? viability suitability

What is environmental suitability?

As a group, define these concepts.

8
CQ#2: Are our present lifestyles
sustainable?

A. Yes
B. To some extent
C. Probably not
D. No

9
Population, Resources, and the
Environment
The contrast between less developed and
highly developed countries is overwhelming.
Population size versus Affluence
I=P*A*T
Through this model, examine per capita oil
consumption and CO2 emissions between
China and the USA.

10
Population, Resources, and the
Environment
The contrast between less developed
and highly developed countries is
overwhelming.

AFFLUENCE.what is it?

http://www.storyofstuff.com/
11
WORLD SCIENTISTS WARNING TO
HUMANITY (1992)
from102 Nobel laureates and1600 other scientists

We are on a collision course with the regenerative

capabilities of the ecosphere.
Human society may be unable to sustain life as
we know it.
Fundamental changes are urgent.

12
Read Part I of the Case

13
 Momodu and Ahmed
Momodu Turay had just arrived from Sierra Leone a
few days before the start of the fall semester to study
Environmental Education. Ahmed was a graduate
student mentor from Senegal, and Momodu had
been assigned to him by the International Students
Office to ease his transition to the new cultural
context and learning environment. The two students
quickly became friends.

14
 The Invitation
Getting involved in extracurricular activities is an
excellent way to experience the new American culture in
which we live, meet people, and also relax a bit from the
daily study schedule, Ahmed told Momodu as the two
were eating dinner at the cafeteria. Ive been involved
with the Environmental Club for the past two years and
since last year I have been serving as vice-president.
We have a meeting tonight at 6:30 and I want you to
come along. You may join the Club later on if you wish
but, most importantly, you will meet a diverse group of
students interested in a variety of environmental issues
who are working to making our campus more
sustainable. 15
 The Meeting
The meeting room in the basement of the Student Union was
filled to capacity. Ron Smith, President of the Student
Government Association, had asked to present the SGAs plan
to increase the number of parking spaces on campus. The
universitys Vice President of Students Affairs was eager to
report students opinions to the administration as there were
plans to demolish old Hamlin Hall and eventually convert that
area into a parking lot. Jane McDermott, President of the
Environmental Club, called the meeting to order and, after
approval of the past meeting minutes, invited Ron to make his
case. The meeting lasted longer than usual as the audience
was evenly split in support of the idea of building a new
parking lot versus developing a community garden for all
students in order to make the campus greener.
16
CQ#3. If this issue were discussed at
your college campus, what position
would you take?

A. I would be in favor of the parking lot.

B. I would be in favor of the community garden.
C. I do not know.
D. I think that students should not even be
involved in making these decisions.

17
 Select One of the Questions Below
and Discuss it with Your Group

A. How do parking and food production

relate to sustainability?
B. What challenges are there with either
option?
C. Think of another plan to utilize the
available space in a way that will be
sustainable.

18
CQ#4: All of these natural
resources BUT one are renewable.
Which is not renewable?

A. Forest trees
B. Fertile soil
C. Minerals
D. Solar energy

19
Natural Resource Non-renewable:
Base Minerals
Fossil fuels (oil, gas,
coal)

Natural
Resources

Renewable:
energy: solar, wind, tides
flowing water, geothermal,
clean air, fertile soil, fresh water,
biodiversity. 20
(Petroleum Equities Inc., adapted from Campbell et al., 1997)
21
CQ#5: If we are headed toward a
trajectory of falling oil availability, what
options are feasible for using this
available open space on campus?
A. Parking lot
B. Community garden
C. Reconstruct a natural habitat (e.g., a prairie, a
pond, or a forest)
D. I do not know
E. The university president should make this
decision
22
CQ#6: Where does most of the energy
needed to produce food in modern, large
scale agriculture come from?

A. The sun
B. The soil
C. Oil
D. Wind power
E. There is no need for energy when growing food

23
An example of the oil problem: modern
agricultural systems use a lot of energy!

About 66% of conventional corn soybean energy

input is for nitrogen fertilizer.
About 10% is for herbicide.
In contrast, about 75% of organic energy inputs
are for seed.

24
 Human Environmental Impacts

The concentration of lights visible from space indicates high human population density

Photo: NASA
25
Whole systems of humanity and nature are synthesized to better understand limits
to external, extractive economies and the role of local production.

KEY: NR = Natural Resources SOURCE: Doherty et al., 2004 26

 Major Threats of Expanding
Farming Systems
Habitat destruction (complete elimination of
habitat).
Habitat alteration (altered disturbance
regimens, habitat fragmentation, grazing,
over-harvesting, global warming, pollution,
development, introducing alien species).

27
CQ#7: Is sustainability just a matter of
RESOURCE use and allocation?

A. Yes
B. No
C. I do not know

28
CQ#8: Could other attributes (beside
those listed below) help to better define
sustainability?

A. Yes
Social
B. No acceptability
C. I do not know

Economic Environmental
viability suitability

29
 Read Part II of the Case

Momodu remained convinced that both plans were

legitimate at fulfilling specific campus needs, whereas
Ahmed was adamantly in favor of the community
garden. Either plan has inevitable advantages and
disadvantages, said Momodu the next day when he
met Ahmed for breakfast at the cafeteria. What
should we know in order to make a sound decision? I
believe this is a critical question that should be
brought up at the next meeting. Its answer will be
vitally important if we are going to resolve this issue.
30
Concept Interactions for the Achievement of Sustainability
Ecology

Conservation Community

EDUCATION

Ethics Evolution

Energy 31
 Ecosystem Integrity
The capacity to support and maintain a balanced, integrated, adaptive
community of organisms having species composition, diversity and
functional organization comparable to the habitat of the region.

Ecosystem Function
The specific contribution of an ecosystem component to
maintaining the ecosystem.

Adapted from: Doherty, 2001. 32

CQ #9: After discussing and learning about
sustainability, what decision would you make
if you were a student at the same university
where Momodu and Ahmed are enrolled?

A. I would want the parking lot.

B. I would want the community garden.
C. I would favor a decision to develop both parking lot
and garden.
D. I would let the president of the university make that
decision.
E. I would want the town mayor and residents to
become involved in this decision as well.

33
 Epilogue
The discussions about parking lot vs. garden carried over into
the spring semester. At the end, a consensus was reached.
One acre was devoted to extending the parking lot and two
acres were developed into a community garden. Momodu
was instrumental in achieving this decision through his
facilitation of the discussions that followed the meeting
between the SGA and the Environmental Club members.

34
 Slide Credits
Slide 1, Slide 5
Description: Illustration of ecological footprint.
Author: Wayne Ruston.
Clearance: Licensed, royalty free, Wayne Ruston|Fotolia.com.

Slide 8, Slide 29
Description: Common model of sustainability.
Author: Bruno Borsari, Biology Department, Winona State University.
Clearance: Used with permission.

Slide 9
Description: Illustration of question mark over globe.
Author: Futook.
Clearance: Licensed, royalty free, Futook|Fotolia.com.

Slide 20
Description: Relationship between renewable and non-renewable resources.
Author: Bruno Borsari, Biology Department, Winona State University.
Clearance: Used with permission.
Slide 21
Description: Graph illustrating the decline of oil production and reserves.
Author: Dr. E. Hunter Herron of Petroleum Equities Inc. Adapted from data in C.J.
Campbell, Depletion Patterns Show Change Due for Production of Conventional Oil,
Oil & Gas Journal, December 29, 1997.
Clearance: Used with permission.

Slide 23
Description: Basket of tomatoes and bell peppers.
Author: Bruno Borsari, Biology Department, Winona State University.
Clearance: Used with permission.

Slide 24
Description: Cows on a pasture.
Author: Bruno Borsari, Biology Department, Winona State University.
Clearance: Used with permission.

Slide 25
Description: Night world map showing major areas of human habitation
Author: NASA, http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/image/earth_night.jpg.
Clearance: Believed to be public domain as a work of the United States Federal
Government under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code.

Slide 26
Description: Graph comparing the role of sustainable production based upon then
utilization of renewable resources versus local and imported inputs.
Source: Doherty et al., 2004.
Clearance: Used with permisson.
Slide 31
Description: Theoretical model that illustrates how education can serve as the vehicle to
achieve sustainability.
Author: Bruno Borsari, Biology Department, Winona State University.
Clearance: Used with permission.

Slide 32
Description: Relationship between ecosystem integrity and ecosystem function.
Source: Doherty, 2001.
Clearance: Used with permission.

Slide 34
Description: New parking lot at Winona State University (Winona, MN) and students
organic garden at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania.
Author: Bruno Borsari, Biology Department, Winona State University.
Clearance: Used with permission.