Ecological Footprint

What are two things that could be improved about this calculator so it more accurately reflects your footprint?

When answering the food question's about how much meat is consumed I thought it was asking pretty good details. However, after I answered because I said I could eat each meat product 1-2 times a week it showed me eating all that meat during a 7 day period. This is not true. We go at least one dinner time meal a week with no meat. We also don't generally eat pork, fish, beef and chicken all in a one week period. It may be more accurate if after asking about the meats follow up with a how many meat meals are actually eaten a week.

I think more details are needed for "services". I'm assuming the electrical and gas question's answered and maybe the trash/recycling done went towards this area. Being services take up more than 50% of my chart I'd like to know what else falls in this category?

2. What surprised you about your footprint? 

I'm surprised that "services" is so large on my chart. I'd like to know more about that part. I do recycle, our food is mostly home grown and bred. I was surprised that it is still estimated that we need 3.3 worlds. I wasn't expecting that because I really do try hard to re-use, re-new and recycle. I don't feel that our family is very wasteful.

       

3. According to your text, the average American footprint is big! Why is this?

Everything we do helps deplete our natural services. We are currently living on a ranch. Where the cattle are now use to be forest. There are not as many bears, mountain lions and cougars in the area that use to be. Every time we flip on a light switch or flush a toilet energy is being used. Having these conveniences is using more of our natural resource's. Having so many human on earth there's a lot of natural resources being used. As we go about our day most of us don't realize just how much we are using.

4. If you do everything you can to be "green" and still have a bigger footprint than you expected, what could be contributing to this?

We have to eat to survive. Any plant that grows uses natural resources. So even those that grow their own food are still using resources to do it. The same goes for raising their own meat. When we recycle a truck generally comes to pick it up putting out toxins in the air. The buildings that recycle our garbage, sale food and our basic needs all use natural resources in one way or another. I think most of us aren't willing to not use our electricity, gas and flushing toilets to try to become even more green.