How Many Footprints? Marin Residents Leave Behind Too Many

The United States has been referred to as an "environmental superpower". This is due to our high level of consumption of energy and other resources which negatively impacts the entire world. The good news is that people in Marin have it in our power to do something about this global problem right here in our own backyards.

Catriona MacGregor Glazebrook

How many footprints would one take to cover the earth in order to get the resources used everyday? Where would our feet fall and what would be their impact on the environment? The answers lie in the ecological footprint.

Metaphorically so, one's ecological footprint is just that: the tracks we leave across the one Earth we have in order to sustain the way we live — both in providing the resources and managing waste and consumption.

Did you know that in spite of Marin residents' interest in the environment and in living sustainably, that we have one of the largest ecological footprints on Earth?

Marin County's (250,400 residents) ecological footprint (27 global acres which is 23 global acres over a sustainable level) is larger than all other counties except Contra Costa (994,900 residents), and Solano County (412,000 residents). Residents in the most populated counties Alameda and Santa Clara — both with populations approaching and upwards of 1.5 million, respectively — have smaller footprints than us by one acre.

On average the ecological footprint in the United States is more than 20 acres per person, but the reality is there are only 4.5 acres of biologically productive acres per person.

County-Wide Focus on Reducing Consumption

According to Charles McGlashan, County Supervisor, "The draft county-wide plan uses the ecological footprint to measure the County's total land-needs, considering our food sources, fuel and product consumption, and noting where people live who commute in to Marin for work each day. It also sets goals for reducing these impacts via energy efficiency, more local housing and food, and better transit. We look forward to working with EECOM and community leaders to help people understand their impacts and how to reduce them."

In a recent report prepared for the County, it has been recommended that Marin residents focus on three primary areas in which to reduce their ecological footprint:

1. Decreasing electricity consumption by 20% by 2015 would save Marin County 400,000 global acres of footprint each year.
    
2. Increase Marin's share of renewable energy to 40% by the year 2015 would save an additional 470,000 global acres per year.
    
3. Decrease transportation impacts ... doubling the number of people who walk or bike to work would save 9,000 global acres of Marin's footprint per year.

EECOM has teamed up with the County to address this problem. The County has a draft county-wide plan that uses the ecological footprint model and has set goals to reduce our footprint. EECOM and partner organziations will be helping Marin residents to understand how they are making the most impact on their environment and what steps they can take to reduce their impact.

Things You Can Do!

Our individual, county, regional, national, and global ecological footprint can be reduced through awareness and simple steps each one of us can support in order to make strides to sustainability.

Here's just a few things that Marin residents can do:

• Use less energy, turn off lights and electrical devices when not in use, use more compact fluorescent bulbs, energy star appliances, and low-e windows;
   
• Ride your bike rather than drive short distances;
   
• Support farm-to-school programs to bring local foods into schools;
   
• Shop at the Farmer's Market or at a local Community Supported Agriculture;
   
• Support local economies;
   
• Practice the R's: respect, refuse, reduce, repair, reuse, rot ... recycle as the last resort.

This list by no means contains all or most of the simple things. Be curious — look around and see how many steps you can take to change the world for the better! For more ideas on what you can do to for a more sustainable life and planet, visit our Ecological Footprint Initiative.

For more information about EECOM's Ecological Footprint Campaign contact Catriona MacGregor Glazebrook.