The Human Footprint

While sitting at the computer working on my next article, a show on National Geographic Channel called "The Human Footprint" has got my attention. It is staggering to realize just how much of the Earth's resources each and every one of us consumes over the average lifetime. We have all heard little factoids like the average person uses 80 gallons of water a day. Hard to believe yes, but think about it. A Shave, shower, and then you brush your teeth just to begin an average day, it adds up quickly. However this show, "The Human Footprint" really illustrates our human consumption. They laid out the items we use everyday multiplied by an average human lifetime of 77.9 years to create one amazing visual effect. For example, they filled a room with over 5,000 bananas that a person will consume over the average lifetime. It was astounding to see this and other visual representations like the amount of carbon our car releases into the atmosphere over our lifetime. It was enough to fill a coal yard. The narrator was quick to point out the big difference that a few little changes would make. Just the savings in energy form replacing one standard bulb with an energy efficient CFC bulb is staggering. With Earth Day 2008 fast approaching, it's time for all of us to get on board an help to reduce our Human Footprint.

Earth Day Time To Do A Little More