Ecological Footprint Quiz

20 08 2007

Find out how many planets we would need if everyone lived like you.

earthday2002.gif

My result: if everyone would live like me, we would need 1.6 planets. I am among the 80% of the world population with an Ecological Footprint smaller than 4 hectares. In comparison, the world offers 2 hectares per person today. I was surprised not to find some questions like whether I drink bottled water or whether I do recycling. Anyway there are a few things I am going to do to lower down my score: eat less meat, use more local products and use more public transportation (although here in southern Italy public transportation, like everything which is “public”, it’s unreliable and inefficient (stops not clearly marked, very low frequency of buses, often passing later or earlier than expected, etc).





The worst corporations

27 08 2006

Multinational Monitor is a non-profit magazine, founded in 1980, whose primary focus is the news analysis of the activities of world corporations; it also prints articles having to do with labor issues, the environment, globalization, privatization multilateral banks, economic issues, and developing nations. They release every year a list of the 10 worst corporations, explaining in details the reasons why each corporation has been listed. They main web site is:

http://multinationalmonitor.org/

In these lists repeatedly appear big names like 3M, Absolut Vodka, Bayer, Boeing, Chiquita, Coca-Cola, Del Monte, Disney, Exxon (Esso), Ford, General Electric, General Motors, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg’s, McDonald’s, Mitsubishi, Monsanto, Nestle, Nike, Pepsi, Pfizer, Shell, besides (of course) all the tobacco companies. The lists, made since 1992, are available at this page.





The Miniature Earth

17 08 2006

If we could turn the population of the earth
into a small community of 100 people,
keeping the same proportions we have today,
it would be something like this…

http://www.miniature-earth.com/