2 Spaces for October class - Assessing Your Ecological Footprint

Date: Wednesday evenings, October 15, 22, 29, and November 5, 12, 19

Time: 7:00 to 9:00 pm

Fee: $25

The Ecological Footprint is an internationally respected tool for measuring the resource consumption and waste assimilation requirements of a given population or individual. This class is for those who would like to measure their impact and then learn which steps bring about the greatest reductions. Participants will start by taking the Ecological Footprint quiz. Other homework will involve collecting some data and trying out some new practices.

Specific topics will include:

1. Ecological footprint: Sustainability and carrying capacity; ways of measuring human impact; footprint calculation; comparison of footprints

2. Transportation: Overview of energy use and environmental impact; considerations for alternative transportation methods – airplane, auto, mass transit, bike; alternative fuels

3. Food: Overview of agricultural systems and environmental impact; alternative growing practices – organic, local, small farms; eating lower on the food chain

4. Home energy: Overview of home energy use – home heating, hot water, appliances, lighting; conservation practices

5. Consumer goods: Impacts of extraction, production, and disposal; reasons for increased generation of waste; energy benefits of recycling; strategies for reduced consumption and waste

6. Toxic chemicals: Overview of synthetic chemicals – pesticides, heavy metals, organochlorines, hormone disrupters, etc.; health impacts; strategies for minimizing toxics

7. Water use: Overview of water use in the home and yard; sources of water, environmental issues; environmental impacts of waste water; conservation strategies

Each session will include a presentation by a local expert and small-group discussion.

Facilitator Jeanne Roy is a former teacher and founder of Recycling Advocates, the local Master Recycler program, and the Home Eco-Party program. In the 1990s, she wrote a weekly newspaper column, "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle," and she is the author of "Eco-Tips" and Ten Stresses on the Planet.

To register, call the Center for Earth Leadership at 503-227-2315 or e-mail Jeanne at [email protected].