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  • INCREASING AWARENESS

Footprints on earth

Objectives:

- Get to know the concept of ecological footprint

- Promote a responsible attitude

- Spread a culture that safeguards the environment

Thematic area

ScienceHistory

Duration

More than 2 hours

Activity type

Individual and group work

Resource type

Activities
Download as PDF

STEP BY STEP

BEFORE STARTING

The teacher introduces the topic by presenting the following surfaces and types of terrain and asking the class on which of these the human footprint is most evident:

They are asked to imagine for each of the items on the list a possible footprint:

- soil

- mud

- water

- snow

- meadow

- sand

OUR FOOTPRINTS

In this phase, the focus shifts to what are the indelible footprints of human beings and how everyday actions have a bearing on our planet. We start by sharing what the class considers to be the most impactful actions (using a car? Smoking? Cutting down trees?). It is then proposed that we all work together by writing down on a large white sheet of paper all the actions that are performed daily, including the objects, appliances, that are used. Next to each action, indicate the impact on the environment by choosing a scale from 1 to 5 (1=no impact, 5=has a strong impact).

But is this really the case? One's perception may not necessarily correspond to reality.

THE ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT

At this point, the teacher introduces the concept of ecological footprint using the glossary definition:

Ecological footprint - a measure of the amount of biological resources consumed by humans in a year in terms the 'planets' needed to maintain our standard of living.

Once the definition has been introduced, the class calculates their own ecological footprint to check whether or not their perception of the impact on the environment attributed to their daily actions is correct.

You can use the Ecological Footprint Calculator (link) to calculate your own ecological footprint.

"ERASE" THE FOOTPRINTS

Take the daily actions written on the sheet at the start of the activity and next to each action write down a strategy for limiting its impact. The teacher can guide the definition of strategies, consulting the website of the UN environment programme (link).

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

How can everyday actions contribute to the occurrence of disasters and emergency events? With the guidance of the teacher, the class can reflect on how many everyday actions contribute to climate change and the occurrence of phenomena directly or indirectly related to climate. To carry out this activity, the class can think about a typical day, how many appliances are used, the objects used every day, the foods, and the actions carried out by adults (smoking, shopping, etc.)

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Credits

This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No. 883490
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