Consumer Consequences

I always have been interested in environmental issue, so “How Many Earths Would it Take to Sustain You?” from Consumerism Commentary caught my attention. From his blog, I went to Consumer Consequences; and according to the site:

“The Earth couldn’t supports 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.”

After I completed the game, I was disappointed to learn that it would take 5.4 earths to sustain my consumption habits. Here are the areas of impact, and higher numbers are worse for the environment:

1. Food (11) — I think it must be because I do not prepare my own lunch. I also like to drink coffee and beer, which seems to have big environmental impact — e.g., transportation, manufacturing, etc.
2. Transportation (5) — I drive alone to work because public transportation doubles my commute. My wife and I also travel to Virginia a lot. Obviously driving is not good for the environment.
3. Shopping (5) — Consumerism damages the environment.
4. Energy (2) — We constantly try to be energy efficient, but I know my family could do even better.
5. Housing (1) — My small house has 5 people living in it.
6. Waste (0) — We recycle almost 95% of our recyclables.

I also compared myself to other players; and the average for other New Yorkers is 5.3. If you are interested, give it a try and spread the word about Consumer Consequences.