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Questions

Pick the answers that best apply to you

WATER

• Have you had a bath every day this week? If yes, score 14
• If you have a bath just on Sunday night鈥攐r twice a week, score 2
• Do you shower every day rather than have a bath? If so, score 4
• Do you think we鈥檙e too obsessive about personal hygiene? If you take a
  shower once a week, score 1

础苍诲鈥�

• If you use your dishwasher every day or every other day, score 6
• On hot, sunny summer days, do you water the garden or wash the car with a
  hosepipe? Score 4

FOOD

• When you last went shopping, did you buy only locally produced fresh
  products鈥攕uch as bread, vegetables and meat? If yes, score 2
• Alternatively, do you buy more heavily packaged and processed items and not
  even bother to look at where food comes from? If the answer is yes, score 15
• Or, do you search out food that comes from closer to home? If you are
  successful at least part of the time, score 5

础苍诲鈥�

• What sort of food do you eat? Do you insist on meat with every meal? If so,
  score 85
• Or do you eat mostly vegetarian dishes? If so, score 30

WHERE YOU LIVE

If you share your home, divide the score by the number of people sharing and
round up the answer.

If your home is鈥�

• a flat with just enough room to swing a cat, score 7
• a terraced house, score 15
• a large and spacious flat, score 12
• a semi-detached house, score 23
• a detached house, score 33

HOLIDAY (and business)

Where did you go last year?

• If you flew to Australia, or beyond score 155
• Or did you fly to Europe, score 20
• If you flew to Asia or the Americas, score 85
• If, instead, you went by road or rail to Europe鈥攊ncluding
  Britain鈥攕core 10

For people outside Britain:

• If you took at least one long-haul flight, score 85.
• If you stayed near home, score 10

HEATING YOUR HOUSE

The heat that keeps you warm probably comes from burning fossil fuel, which
releases carbon dioxide. To soak up this greenhouse gas, a wood will have to be
planted, using up precious land. So, start this section with a score of 45. On
the bright side, you get to subtract some points

• Do you set the thermostat down low, preferring to add another layer of
  clothing before turning it up? If so, subtract 5
• If your home is well insulated, subtract another 15
• If your home is double glazed, subtract 5
• Do you only turn on the heating when absolutely necessary rather than
  keeping it on the timer all year round? If so, subtract 10

ELECTRICITY

If your power comes from only renewable sources, score 2 and skip to the next
section. For everyone else, generating your electricity releases carbon dioxide,
so start this section with a score of 75

• Do you always switch off the lights if a room is no longer in use? If yes,
  subtract 10
• Computers, TVs and hi-fis can now be left on standby. If you shun this
  setting and switch these devices right off, subtract 10

DAILY TRAVEL

• Did you drive to college or work today? Is your car a modern, small-engined
  car? If so, score 40
• Or do you drive a big 4-by-4? Score 75
• If your car is something between these two, score 50
• Do you take a bus or train, rather than travel by car? If so, score 25
• If you are fortunate enough to cycle to work or college, score 3

PAPER

The last book you read, did you borrow or buy it?

• If you always buy, score 2
• If you always borrow, score 0
• If it鈥檚 half and half, score 1
• Do you always share your newspapers and magazines? If so, score 5
• If you bin your newspapers when you have finished with them, score 10

WASTE

To dispose of waste, you鈥檙e once again going to use up valuable land. So,
start this section with a score of 100.

• Have you visited the bottle bank in the past month to drop off your
  empties? If you have, subtract 15
• If you separate out waste paper for recycling, subtract 17
• If you keep used cans apart and recycle them, subtract 10
• Do you recycle your plastic containers? If so, subtract 8
• Are you keen on composting the organic waste left over from the kitchen and
  garden? If so, subtract 5
• If you avoid generating waste by, say, buying less or reusing things then
  subtract 15

SCORE

Many of the amenities you use every day, from roads to shops and buildings,
make their own demands on land. People who consume more tend to rely more on
these amenities. So, to take account of this, double your score

Each 鈥減oint鈥� in your score is equal to one-hundredth of a hectare. So, for
example, a score of 350 is equal to about 3.5 hectares

Planet chart

200 or under Well done, you are living within or close to the average Earth
share. If everyone lived like you, then human and non-human existence could be
sustainable and equitable. Around two-thirds of the global population have a
footprint lower than 200

200 鈥� 400 Your footprint is below the European average. However, this is
still around twice the average Earth share. If everyone on the planet lived like
you we would need at least one 鈥渆xtra鈥� planet to support consumption. About 15
per cent of the world鈥檚 population falls into this category

400 鈥� 600 Your footprint is close to the European average. This is about
three times greater than the Earth share. If everyone lived like you we would
need two additional planets to support us! About 7 per cent of the world鈥檚
population falls into this category

600 鈥� 800 Your footprint is above the European average but still below that
of the average North American. If everyone lived like you we would need to find
three additional planets! About 3 per cent of the world population falls into
this category

Over 800 Your footprint is now close to that of the average North American.
If everyone on the planet consumed the same we would need at least four
additional planets to live sustainably. About 5 per cent of the world鈥檚
population have a footprint this big

Not convinced? This quiz gives only a crude estimate of your personal
footprint

For a more detailed online calculator, go to www.ecologicalfootprint.com