National Geographic : The Human Footprint

http://gogreeninaustin.com Go Green! presents a stunning documentary by National Geographic about the earth and the effects that humans have on the environment. Each person should be aware that each action they takes has a profound effect on the environment in the long run, and steps should be taken so we can reduce this footprint. If you enjoyed this video, make sure to visit us at GoGreenInAustin.com

Have you ever stopped to think about how your actions add up over a lifetime? Just think of all the things we produce and consume. Imagine the food we eat, all the soda we drink, all the water we flush down the drain, all the clothing we buy, the amount of fuel we use and all the things we depend upon. We are going to lay out some of the everyday goods we consume in our lives, to show the impact each of us makes upon the world. Its the journey of our lifetime and as we take each step, we will see how we leave our impression, our step upon the world. This is our Human Footprint.
This is our world. A finite place of infinite possibilities. Its been around for over 3.8 billion years. If we think of the Earth as being one day old, then weve been around for just a few seconds. Yet with over 6 billion of us on the planet, our presence is earthshaking. As individuals, we may think we have little impact on the world around us. We may feel that our contribution to the world goes unnoticed. Wed be wrong: each o

As individuals were all different but statistically were remarkably the same. So lets imagine the average American boy and girl. They could be anyone and they bid like everyone. As they grow up we will follow them on a 77-year 9-month journey from babyhood to old age. We will see what we each eat, what we drink, how we travel and what we buy and consume during each phase of our lives because at no time in our history have we consumed as much as we are now.
Recently the Wildlife Conservation Society mapped our impact on the planet. They called this the Human Footprint and found that just 17% of the worlds land surface is unaffected by us. These untouched areas they called the Last of the Wild, this means that we directly influence 83% of the worlds land.
One of the most developed countries on Earth is the United States: home to 304 million people. And it is here in the US that our boy and our girl grow up. But even as toddlers were already using our resources we spend our first two and a half years

Multiply that by the number of babies in the US and the grand total is 18 billion disposable diapers thrown away every year. Thats enough to stretch around the world 90 times and those diapers would long outlive the babies who soiled them. It could take 500 years or more for them to biodegrade. It could be even longer because we dont really know how long it takes plastic to break down and a 500 years supply of diapers we cover the entire state of Texas. So how can we avoid doing this?

We may think that reusable diapers are the answer, theyre made of natural fibers to avoid plastic but have you ever considered what it takes to launder them? Washing all those diapers at home would use 22455 gallons of water.
By your first birthday we would already have been responsible for more carbon dioxide emissions than someone in Tanzania would generate in a lifetime. But this is just the start of the impact we make; as crucial as the air we breathe, our toddlers require food and from the very beginning this means milk, a lifelong taste of milk has begun. We drink it, we pour it on cereals, we find it in cakes, in coffee, in ice cream; milk is in so many food we can consume it without even realizing it. While were busy consuming milk, the whole industry is busy preparing, preserving, packaging and transporting it to us and it all starts here.
Cows live on 65000 dairy farms stretched across the United States. One cow produces six and a half gallons of milk every day; each cow eats 100 pounds of grass