One way of analyzing our impact on the Earth is to use the concept of an ecological footprint. The information in this module on the ecological and energy footprint is adapted from the work of Mathis Wackernagel and William Rees of the University of British Columbia Task Force on Healthy and Sustainable Communities. People depend on the Earth for a steady supply of basic requirements for life. Energy is needed for heat, lights and transportation, wood is needed for housing and paper products, and food and clean water are needed for healthy living. Further, nature is a source of joy and inspiration.
Human life is tightly interwoven with nature.
However, the steady supply of nature's services to society can be maintained only if resources are harvested more slowly than they can regrow or regenerate and if waste is discharged less rapidly than nature can absorb it. This is currently not the case. We consume resources faster than nature's rate of productivity, and we produce waste faster than nature can absorb it. Simply put, ecological sustainability requires the preservation of nature's productivity. We need to view our consumption on a sustainable level.