An ecological footprint is a gauge of how many resources you use. Answering a short series of questions about your driving habits, source of food, garbage generation, and local area generates a rough estimate of how much land it takes to sustain you. 4.5 acres of usable land are available to every human being on Earth: in the United States, the average footprint is 24 acres. Clearly, there is a disparity between land usage and available resources. Many environmentalists believe that countries with more developed economies have an obligation to reduce their ecological footprints so that future generations will still have resources. Citizens can help by reducing their individual ecological footprints.

It is relatively easy to make a few small changes that will drastically reduce your ecological footprint. If you are willing to invest more time and energy, you can reduce your ecological footprint even further. The first step to take if you want to reduce your ecological footprint is to figure out what your ecological footprint is. Search for “ecological footprint” in your favorite search engine to find a site which will help you estimate your ecological footprint with a series of short questions.

If you are interested in seeing how small changes make a difference, answer the quiz with your normal living habits and take note of the result. Then make small changes in your answers: say that you take public transit more often, generate less garbage than your neighbors, or source more of your food locally. The ecological footprint will be smaller at the end of the quiz, directly showing you how you can reduce your ecological footprint.

One of the main ways to reduce your ecological footprint is to change the way you use energy. If you rent your home, try purchasing energy efficient light bulbs, and remember to turn off electronic devices when you are not using them. If you own your appliances, think about purchasing a gas stove, a more efficient fridge, or an on-demand hot water heater. High efficiency washers and dryers can also help to reduce the amount of energy you use, and make your utility bills cheaper. If you own your home and want to reduce your ecological footprint, seek out alternative energy sources like solar panels and windmills.

To reduce your ecological footprint away from home, think about how you get from here to there. Use public transit more, or ride a bicycle when the trip is short. Try walking instead of driving. Source your food locally to reduce the amount of energy wasted transporting your food from distant locations to the supermarket. In addition to being better for the environment, buying local food also supports the local economy.

Making your ecological footprint smaller can also be greatly assisted by the three R's: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Try to reduce the amount of resources you use by purchasing items with minimal packaging, and avoiding products you do not use. Reuse empty containers, take advantage of thrift stores, and find creative ways to bring new life to old belongings. Finally, recycle unwanted items, either in curbside recycling or in the form of donations to thrift stores.

To reduce your ecological footprint even further, think about more extreme lifestyle changes. Live in a smaller house, or share the space in your house with more people. Change your diet: animal products are far less efficient than plant products and require far more energy to produce. Fly less; commercial airplanes are a huge source of carbon emissions damaging our environment. Start growing a garden, and encourage others to do the same.

Whether you make small or large changes to reduce your ecological footprint, they will make a difference. Showing other citizens how easy it is will also encourage people to explore ways to reduce their own ecological footprints, and lead to less consumption in general. While it might seem difficult at first, your changes will make a positive difference in the total amount of resources available on Earth, and will make human life more sustainable.