Consumer Consqeuences: how many Earths does your lifestyle require?
Just what impact does your lifestyle have on the planet? American Public Media has designed a Flash-based lifestyle calculator called Consumer Consequences (complete with pointless avatar generator that allows you to create faces like Mr. Mustache to the right) that not only figures out the impact your lifestyle choices have on the world, but then replicates you 6.6 billion times to find out many earths it would take to supply enough resources if everyone lived the way you do. Think of it as the Kantian Eco-Calculator.The "game" starts off with this explanation:
The Earth couldn't support its 6.6 billion residents if everyone lived like a typical American. Consumer Consequences will tell you how many planets it would take to support your lifestyle on a planetary scale and provide some ideas for making your 'footprint' a little smaller.
If you play, you go along and tell the system how much energy you use and your avatar's village gets cleaner or dirtier based on your choices. At the end, a chart shows where you're green and where you're not. I understand why APM uses a lot of the variables (do you walk or drive, where does your food come from, etc.), but I do not understand why it matters whether my flights are in business, economy, or first class. Wait, I guess if everyone wanted the space required by first class seating, there would have to be more planes in the air.
I went through the process, and discovered that my personal energy use would require 2.8 Earths, which is way more than I assumed. I rarely drive, eat some organic/local food and make sure the lights are out when no one is in the room. You know, the normal stuff. Looks like it's not enough. If you think knowing your personal Earths requirement sounds like a good idea, why not share your result with us in the comments.
[Source: APM]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Anatta 7:20PM (2/26/2008)
The game's explanation is that: "Global acres represent the amount of biologically productive space on Earth. The planet has 26.7 billion global acres of land and ocean. That’s about 4.5 acres per person. If your lifestyle requires more than 4.5 acres, your score will equal more than one Earth."
So it seems fair to a point. Theoretically a person could score that they only consume 4.5 or fewer acres of resources, but I don't know any combination of available answers in the game would generate that little land use. My answers were extremely conservative in all but one category and I still scored 2 planets in most categories (scoring 0 impact in waste because I generate very little trash). I wonder if someone living in Ethiopia played this game what their score would be.
I got my greatest number of "demerits" because I live in a house alone (albeit a small one), usually drive alone (though only log about 7000 miles a year in a car with great gas mileage), and have to use space heaters to heat a house with 3 sets of glass french doors (so high electric bill).
I don't think I can really reduce my impact with any of that unless I wanted to cause myself extreme suffering. For example, I usually don't have anyone to ride with me when I drive places since no friends live within walking distance and I don't have a daily commute or co-workers. I certainly do not want to live with roommates at my age, not that I ever did want to. And I am always in a long sleeve shirt, at least one sweater, plus arm/wrist warmers, leg warmers, socks and slippers, even when sleeping under two down blankets.
The game's suggestions for my reducing my carbon footprint was about hoping for changes to legislation. Is that supposed to make better options available to me, such as electricity that is generator by wind power or more vehicles being produced with even better gas mileage than I get now?
After playing this game I feel even more certain that there is nothing more I can realistically do to benefit the environment, particularly since this game doesn't even factor in my decision not to reproduce, which is the biggest environmental saver of all possible decisions.
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Mike 4:25PM (9/16/2007)
How many people really think that owning a hybrid car will help the environment ? I mean look at all these hybrids here http://www.topgreencars.com/ would owning one really save a tree ?
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ug 5:36PM (9/16/2007)
The elephant in the room here is overpopulation. If there were few enough people, we could live any way we like and probably never run into any problems. If we allow population to continue unabated, then quality of life will continue to erode to the point where we'll all die no matter how much we powerdown.
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BlackbirdHighway 7:05PM (9/16/2007)
I don't know how they come up with the numbers for this game. Interesting that even if I put in 300 MPG for my vehicle, it still takes 19 earths to support my driving. I just don't believe that's correct.
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Tony Belding 8:18PM (9/16/2007)
I rated 4.5 Earths. :(
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grimmex 11:25PM (9/16/2007)
ug: The real problem of course, is that if we had say, 50% of the people in the world, then we simply wouldn't have the level of technology we have now. The logistical pyramid necessary to support things like computer technology or cars is staggering, nevermind simple things like say, steel or ball-point pens.
Now, the other problem is that the model that this website uses to determine how many earths you consume, is broken.
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Der Alte 3:39AM (9/17/2007)
I rated 2.9. I was doing quite well until we got to the food and drink question. The food parts were in line or less than the proposed average....then to the part of coffee, wine and beer and then my earth rating went up like a shot. I'm not so sure the weight given to coffee, wine and beer consumption merits as high a rating as it does.....but then again this whole survey is more infotainment than hard science. Hell, if I can't go anywhere, buy anything or use any energy....staying home and getting drunk is about all that there is left! :P
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Arnie 7:55AM (9/17/2007)
We should all feel guilty. You hear me? GUILTY!!! And then crawl into a Kantian Eco-Cave and live on roots and berries.
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Arnie 8:04AM (9/17/2007)
Why do I start with x1 Earth? This "test" is rigged so that anything you do apart from just "existing" makes you an eco-offender.
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Scatter 8:51AM (9/17/2007)
No Arnie, it's just pointing out that in the Western world we're all living beyond the natural resource potential of the Earth and that there are many areas in all our lives where we can massively reduce our impact.
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Arnie 9:27AM (9/17/2007)
No Scatter, a test that's rigged to "prove a point" is sh*t, regardless of what point it's proving. These guys are camouflaging their message using fake statistics provided by you. Why don't they just say "you are guilty of crimes against Mother Gaia" immediately when you open their website? Simply because it wouldn't work. It works better if we are tricked into coming to this conclusion by ourselves. This test is simply dishonest. The end does not justify the means.
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bill 10:25AM (9/17/2007)
The entire " Save the Earth" crowd can stuff it up their collective asses. All it will take is one really big volcanic eruption, and all of this concern and debate becomes academic.
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Scatter 10:26AM (9/17/2007)
I don't get what you mean by fake statistics. The point is to illustrate how many planets would be required to support the world's 6.6 billion residents if everyone lived like you. Naturally until you input information it's going to start from the 1 planet mark. As you input data about your lifestyle then that will change to reflect your relative impact. As this is aimed at the US then just about everyone who completes it will end up with greater than 1 planet living.
Yes of course there will be assumptions made and it's not going to be a perfect model but you're getting completely the wrong end of the stick because from your posts on this blog you appear to be rabidly anti the environmental movement.
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Arnie 11:49AM (9/17/2007)
Scatter:
The test assumes a certain baseline which is then influenced by your lifestyle. The baseline appears to be x1 Earth. Why? There must be some rationale for this baseline. I can't see what it would be.
"...rabidly anti the environmental movement."
I'm sorry if I'm not dancing to the tune approved by the environmental Politburo. I am certainly against the environmental movement - not because I'm against the environment. I dislike the environmental movement because they have tried to hijack the environment for political purposes. This has diminished it's credibility. I am conservative, I recycle everything that can be recycled, I have a frugal car and plant trees. You could say I am an environmentalist, but because I don't subscribe to the leftist anti-capitalist, save-the-whales moonbat lunacy, I guess I'm "anti environment" despite my personal efforts.
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Steven Robinson 9:27PM (9/17/2007)
The name of the game, people, is "Style".
JOBS AVAILABLE HERE FOR PEOPLE WHO WILL WORK THIER IDEAS !
Until it becomes "Style" to be green,
to be honest,
to be reasonable,
to be INconspicuous consumers,
to be fair to our kids,
to respect our elders by not becoming an embarrassment to their sacrifices in prior times,
to feel bad, when eating and drinking in excess at all inclusive resorts, for the millions of people starving elsewhere,
to find fault with comfort, plentitude, and conspicuous consumption,
to find fault with a public whose interests are five-to-one "Brittney" over "war and famine" in the news,
to find fault with a political body whose objective it is to serve themselves,..... (present administration NOT excluded),
we will need many, many, many more earths than the public who need "Style" can live without.
This is the fault of the Media, but really, the Media is US !
We tell the media what we will buy, what thrills us, what chills us.
What I want to know, as a builder and designer,
is where can I make a living at 50 years old knowing what I know, building homes,
contributing to the landfills at alarming rates,
how do I change my way of doing things to truly contribute to something besides landfill waste and carbon output.
WE thought WE were the generation, thirty five years ago, who were going to change the world. YOUTH of the SEVENTIES UNITE !
WE GOTTA NEW NAME: THE OLD F_ _KERS CONSERVATION CLUB !
I started out building affordable housing, only to find that the economy didn't want them, they wanted BIG MCMANSIONS !
AND as I predicted, these MCMANSIONS are now sitting, being foreclosed upon, and consuming s__t loads of energy after they are built, let alone all the waste produced building them.
So you AND I, listen to those who want to go in "Style" ......
We all wanna be Britney, (well, maybe not THAT fat, but y' know),
We all wanna have a fast car,
We all wanna have bling,
We all wanna be rich,
We all wanna blow,
We all wanna be seen,
We all wanna be bitch'n
We all wanna be biki'n,
We all wanna have b___ches, booze, and big fast boats,
We all wanna judge,
We all wanna rule the f_ _kin' WORLD.
SO I STOPPED !
Now I am out of work.
So help me,.... if I have to I would go back to building them but there has to be a better way.
I am looking to bring in young interns who have answers and ideas, ambitions and dreams. This is what I had, but at 50 I fear I am getting tired of running the wheel and am looking for help.
How do we do it?
Steven Robinson
314 220 2498
Allvilla@aol.com
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