Grade 7 Ecological Footprint Assignment

My Ecological Footprint

Your personal ecological footprint is how much land and resources it takes to maintain your lifestyle. For example; how much area of the planet you need to produce the resources you consume and to contain the waste you throw out. The less land and resources you use, the better it is for ecosystems.

In this activity, you will use an online ecological footprint calculator to determine how much land and resources you are using to maintain your personal lifestyle. The goal of this activity is to find ways to act more sustainably to help reduce your ecological footprint. In other words; how can you change your actions to help make ecosystems healthier?

Begin by reading about ecological footprints by following the link below:

http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/basics_introduction/

The Task

PART A

1. Follow the link below to complete your ecological footprint

http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/calculators

2. Select “Calgary” from the virtual map; unfortunately “Toronto” cannot be selected

3. Select “Kids Version”

4. Select “Detailed Version”

5. Build your “avatar” to represent you during the game

6. Answer the questions in the quiz as accurately as possible

7. Read through your results and print a copy to submit with this assignment.

PART B

Write a ONE PAGE response based on the results of your ecological footprint calculation. Your response should answer the following question:

What actions can you take to help reduce your ecological footprint and live in a more sustainable way?

Begin your research by reviewing sections 3.2 and 3.3 (pages 68-81) in your Science textbook.

The following links may also help guide your response.

http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/explore/reduce/

http://www.davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/reduce-your-carbon-footprint/four-places-to-cut-your-carbon/

Please review the success criteria below to help you write your response.

Response Success Criteria

Criteria	Details
Organization and communication	No more and no less than one page in length Written in 12 point font ONLY Written in an easy to read font Text is not bolded Written in proper paragraph form There is no extra space between paragraphs
Content	A minimum of five different strategies to reduce an ecological footprint are included Research into the sustainable strategies is evident Each strategy is clearly explained how it will reduce an ecological footprint A copy of the printed results of the ecological footprint online activity is included
Thinking	The strategies outlined in the response demonstrate a strong understanding of how to act more sustainably
Application	The results of the student’s ecological footprint have been used to guide the response Researched strategies have been described in the response

This assignment is due on Monday November 19^th 2012