FOOTPRINTS

Ecological Footprints and Foodprints

The impact of human activities on the environment can be quantified by an ecological footprint, a single complex consumption indicator which combines several environmental factors. An ecological footprint which is associated with dietary behavior, or a foodprint, refers to the resource and environmental impact correlated with one’s eating habits and choices. Foodprints vary from person to person because factors such as diet composition, shopping venue, type of food purchased, quantity of food consumed, caloric needs, quantity of food wasted, food availability, and food access require different amounts of resources. An individual’s efforts to diminish their total footprint, or even just their foodprint, can lessen the pressure on global resources that are already under extreme stress due to climate change. 

There are many factors to take into account when analyzing an ecological footprint. For the sake of simplicity, I chose to focus on two related factors: carbon and water footprints.