Tunza The UNEP Magazine for Youth - For Young People, by Young People, About Young People

We all rely on the Earth's natural resources in our daily lives: for food and water, building materials and the energy we need to keep us warm. Over the years, many of us have enjoyed comfortable lifestyles, thanks to the land, trees, waters and minerals of the Earth. This is an impressive feat but are we asking too much of our planet? At the current rate of consumption we are using up more than it can provide. Worrying news for, as we know, there's only one Earth.

The map shows the Ecological Footprint of people in different countries around the world. The 'footprint' is a measure, developed by WWF, the conservation organization, of how many of the Earth's natural resources we use, and reflects the strain put on the planet by different people's current lifestyles.

The 'footprint' measures how much space we need to replace all the resources we are using and to deal with the wastes we produce: land to grow crops and graze animals, to grow trees for building materials or firewood, to provide drinking water, and to absorb the carbon dioxide produced by burning fossil fuels. As you can see, all the people in the world don't use the same number of resources: people in developed countries use more than their fair share - the 'footprint' of the average person in the rich world is more than six times that of someone in the developing world.

And overall, to maintain our current lifestyles we need nearly one and a quarter times the space we have if we are to survive; and that figure has risen by 80 per cent in the last 40 years.

ART BY DEIA SCHLOSBERG/PCI

have an impact on the Earth, by virtue of our daily habits, the things we use, eat or throw away. so we can all help, by thinking about what we do and trying to tread lightly on our Earth. Here are a few ideas of what you might do to help:

	Think about where your food comes from and the resources that were used to produce it and get it to you. Processing, packaging and transporting food may use more resources than is really necessary or wise. So think about food and drink that are produced locally.

	Think about rubbish, too. So many things can be recycled or even mended - yet we just throw them away. Look around you, use recycled products, like the paper on which TUNZA magazine is printed; recycle as much of your rubbish as you can, and reuse unnecessary and damaging packaging like plastic bags.

	When travelling around think about the fuel you are using and the pollution you are creating. Can you reduce this by sharing rides, using public transport, cycling or even walking? And think of the health benefits too!

	Try to conserve energy at work, home and school so that fewer resources need to be consumed to supply you. Replace normal light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs. These use less energy and last longer whilst producing the same amount of light. Turn off lights, televisions and computers when you aren't using them. Maybe don't even use machines unless you need to: for example, you could air-dry your washing on a line. If you are lucky enough to have a water supply to your home this may use resources to clean and treat the water, so try to use less. Take a shower rather than a bath (a bath uses at least four times as much water as a shower); install a 'low-flow' showerhead; and turn off the tap while you are washing your face and cleaning your teeth.

And don't just do it yourself. Discuss it with your friends and family and convince them to join you in your efforts to preserve our planet.

The Footprint map tells us how much we are using of all the resources combined, but here's a specific look at some different countries and what they consume.

Sources: FAO; World Bank, World Development Indicators; World Resources Institute

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