How Much Do I Use?

myfootprint.org has a tool to measure your "ecological footprint." This means that it measures how many acres of land it would take to support your lifestyle. The measurement uses a number of questions to reach that number. I took it twice (I'm sure that's cheating) and I came in at 19 acres (that was my high number). The US average is 24.

Obviously, this is a rough instrument, but I do believe that it's important to think about how our lifestyles impact on God's creation. I am far from a hard-core environmentalist, but I'm also not one to advocate for wasting what God has given us. The areas I can improve on include the foods I eat (less dairy and meat would be good...I would have scored better before the boys came along), a more fuel efficient vehicle (10 mpg isn't good), more recycling, and buying food from a local food mart or farmer (then I'd get the fruits and veggies I should be eating). Of course, I terrible about using public transportation (unless I'm going to Chicago for a workshop), but since I live a block from work, that's not really a serious issue.

Let me know how you score on it. I'm curious as to whether it is considered good or bad to live in a city. Since I'm in a mid-sized city (150,000), it was hard for me to tell.