LiveScience Quiz - What's Your Environmental Footprint?

Quite an interesting quiz, it only takes a few minutes and although not quite what I expected from the title, I am glad that I took the quiz, I found rather than tell me how big my enviromental footprint is, it educated me on a few facts that maybe everybody should know.

Give it a try: TRY THE QUIZ HERE

I only scored 4 out of 10 and was told:

You might want to trade that Hummer in for a Prius.

(Man, I wish I could afford a hummer) Regards S_G

Neat Quiz.. did not do so great! But i am caution about what I do to the environment.

IMO quizzes like this are just designed to put the blame for environmental poisoning on us. This is a distraction from the real culprit which is industry. Industry creates 50x the mount of garbage and pollution we do and practically none of it is disposed of safely. You can spend all day sorting out your garbage into the right recycling bins and drive the worlds cleanest car running on the best Bio diesel but its just a small drop in a very large ocean.

Its bound to show that everyone is doing really bad so we feel guilty enough to accept the blame and never think of confronting the biggest polluter on the planet..industry.


[edit on 23-8-2009 by VitalOverdose]

Geesh, I did really bad on that. I must say the answer on the new vs. old cars really did surprise me. I had hoped it was about my habits so I could find ways to improve.

Originally posted by redhead57
I had hoped it was about my habits so I could find ways to improve.

Thats what I had hoped for too, but still, I found it quite educating.

Regards S_G

The problem with such tests (well, except pounds and gallons - what is this?
is that any answer can in reality be argued with. Changing old refrigerator with new one for example also creates a lot of waste. Landfills/lanslides...
And come on - as green as Al Gore if someone answers 9/10???? What exactly is so green about Al Gore power consumption/waste? Does he drive prius? Or something like humvee?
In short, pollution is bad. Followed closely by those quizes.

Originally posted by ZeroKnowledge
What exactly is so green about Al Gore power consumption/waste? Does he drive prius? Or something like humvee?

Well defined!

Gore drives a 10 mpg Ford Expedition!

He is definately not as 'green' as he could be, check out this site; [url=http://redstaterebels.typepad.com/red_state_rebels/2007/03/what_does_al_go.html]>CLICK ME

[edit on 23-8-2009 by xSMOKING_GUNx]

Is going vegetarian better for the Earth? Meat-eaters who switch to a plant-based diet save...Over one hectare of land per ton of food

They are kidding right? Ok, this first question definitely has an agenda behind it. Whether or not vegetarian is better for the planet, it is not healthy for me - it is not healthy for my children, thus it is not an option. This question is BS.

Newer technologies are often better. Buying a brand new, gas-powered car Is less energy efficient than keeping an old car well maintained

This really needs a clarifier. I drive a new truck because it gets over 30 MPG. My old truck got less then 10. What exactly are they measuring? Oh, I know - the cost of energy to make the new vehicle. Except they are ignoring increased carbon monoxide, gas consumption, etc.

If every American replaced one incandescent light bulb with a fluorescent It would be like taking 1 million cars off the road for one year

How exactly are they measuring electric usage with cars being driven? This is an apples and oranges thing. No clarifier is given. Are the power plants supplying electricity creating polutants that equal that amount?

Everyone needs to get around. The least environmentally-friendly way to travel is By air, especially short-haul flights

I actually got this one right. However, I would like to see actual data.

Two passengers flying New York to London return are responsible for The emission of 3 tons of carbon dioxide

I got this one right as well. Are they mentioning that carbon dioxide is not the bad pollutant?

In the past century, the average global temperature of the Earth rose About 1 degree Fahrenheit

Mmm. Getting concerned about this quiz because it contradicts data - unless it is an summary of measurements in 1909 to now. Once again, not much data.

Americans account for about 5 percent of the world's population and About 25 percent of the world's energy consumption

I got this one right, too. However, I am failing to see how this is a bad thing.

Water shortages are a new reality. At about 500,000 gallons per person per year, Americans consume approximately Double the average in other developed nations

I got this right, but it still doesn't explain why this is a bad thing. Water used does not mean it can't be reused.

Landfills are spilling over, caused by an annual output of about 1,600 pounds of garbage per person

No surprise to me, except it seems a bit low.

Swapping a 10-year-old refrigerator for a newer, more efficient model saves Enough energy to light your home for 3 months

I would like to point out that this isn't all that much of an improvement over other changes you can make to your home.

You answered 6 questions correctly out of 10. If you answered all 10 correct, you're as green as Al Gore. If you get 7 to 9 right, you're on your way to saving the planet. Six or less? You might want to trade that Hummer in for a Prius.

Wow. Super bias at the end. First off, Al Gore is far from being green. He pays carbon credits to off set his mansion's lighting and heating costs as well as HIS Hummer (Ford Expedition, but close enough).... to... himself (Al Gore Foundation), which is also a tax credit. Because of the extremely clear bias I decided to check out the site more.

Let's take a look at the author of that quiz:

Heather Whipps writes for the history section of LiveScience. She has a degree in Anthropology from McGill University in Montreal.

Ok, why is a person specializing in history and anthropology writing quizes and articles about the environment? Is she qualified? She has already proven herself to be biased. None of her other writing even comes close to an environmental discussion. So, where did she get her data from?

I am questioning the validity of this quiz. Bias has been proven on the final page, and I question the validity of the rest.

Edit: spelling

[edit on 2009/8/23 by TLomon]

Don't take your quiz but I can tell you that for a long time now, there are probably less than 50 items I would every buy in a grocery store. And most grocery stores carry several thousand different items.

I also got four right but in my behalf I would like to know from what sources they got their numbers and the questions did not go into detail- two peple are flying to london (what type of aircraft?) 10 year old refriderator question did not factor in what temperature you kept your houe and the refridgerator set at. Plus who uses hectares as a unit of measurement in a city?

Plus they mentioned Al Gore was a green standard to achieve. Didn't some journalists pull his power bills and show that for all his talk he used about 30 times more power to run his house than average.

You are correct. From CBS

The Gores used about 191,000 kilowatt hours in 2006, according to bills reviewed by The Associated Press spanning the period from Feb. 3, 2006, to Jan. 5. That is far more than the typical Nashville household, which uses about 15,600 kilowatt-hours per year.

You do make some valid points although I I dont understand why you dont see anything wrong with the following;

Originally posted by TLomon

Americans account for about 5 percent of the world's population and About 25 percent of the world's energy consumption

I got this one right, too. However, I am failing to see how this is a bad thing.

I got this one right too but surely there is something wrong here.

Is this why there is no real ambition in bringing the third world communities in to the twenty first century?

If every 5% of the population used 25% of the worlds energy consumption that would make a 400% defecit.

We would realy be swiming in the brown smelly stuff.

I am not usualy one to judge but there is a sense of holding back the rest of the world selfishly niggling inside me.

I would be interested to see the data input which formulated that particular fact, I am sure there are different ways of looking at the outcome.

Other than that point (of which my reply is not aimed directly at you (I am sure there are far more poluting people than you and I)) they are very detailed, open minded and well thought out (and correct) constructive thoughts.

Good post, star for you.

Regards S_G

This is where our opinion differs.

Country A generates 25% of the world's power. As such, it's people consume 25% of the world's power.

Country B generates 10% of the world's power. As such, it's people consumed 10% of the world's power.

Population isn't relevant.

Is going vegetarian better for the Earth? Meat-eaters who switch to a plant-based diet save...Over one hectare of land per ton of food

I stopped right there. This is comparing apples and oranges. All land is not the same and not all farmland is suited to growing crops.

GRASS FED animals provide high value protein from land that is unsuitable for growing veggies because it is too steep, too rocky, to swampy, or too dry. Planting grass and raising animals on worn-out soil will rejuvenate the soil and also provide food without resorting to petroleum base fertilizers.

I bought a farm that was sold because the soil was so worn out it would not grow crops even WITH fertilizer. I put in native and mixed grasses/legumes and grazing animals. I do intensive grazing switching areas frequently. In ten years I have built up 4 inches of top soil, it was 98% clay and no nutrients according to my first soil survey. During the recent drought I had grass and did not have to replant while my neighbors did.

The major problem is high density factory farms made possible by the grain subsidities paid by US tax dollars. Without those tax dollars footing the bill, grass fed farms would win over grain fed factories.

This quiz is typical Corporatism propaganda. They are brainwashing the middle class so they accept as "good" their demotion to poverty. The objective is a two class system with no maverick middle class to challenge those in power.

Maurice Strong during the Rio Conference (Earth Summit II) in 1992, stated

"developed and benefited from the unsustainable patterns of production and consumption which have produced our present dilemma. It is clear that current lifestyles and consumption patterns of the affluent middle class -- involving high meat intake, consumption of large amounts of frozen and convenience foods, use of fossil fuels, appliances, home and work-place air-conditioning, and suburban housing -- are not sustainable. A shift is necessary toward lifestyles less geared to environmentally damaging consumption patterns."

Note that his pal Al Gore and the rest of the ultra-wealthy are conspicuously absent from this statement, but then they are our world Rulers.

Originally posted by TLomon
This is where our opinion differs.

Country A generates 25% of the world's power. As such, it's people consume 25% of the world's power.

Country B generates 10% of the world's power. As such, it's people consumed 10% of the world's power.

Population isn't relevant.

So does that then mean that out of 100% of recources being taken from the earth, including import/export (such as fosil fuel and oil reserves abroad), the US uses 25% of them?

Originally posted by xSMOKING_GUNx
So does that then mean that out of 100% of recources being taken from the earth, including import/export (such as fosil fuel and oil reserves abroad), the US uses 25% of them?

No, because not all energy sources require materials taken from earth. The US has solar farms, wind farms, nuclear reactors, as well as coal and gas refineries.

This is precisely why the question shows bias.

Originally posted by TLomon

No, because not all energy sources require materials taken from earth. The US has solar farms, wind farms, nuclear reactors, as well as coal and gas refineries.

This is precisely why the question shows bias.

Thanks! I can see your point a little clearer, would be interesting to see what different energy sources the US uses and percentages of each to compare rather than the so called and stated 'percentage facts' in the quiz.

Regards S_G

And here you go, right from the Energy Information Administration:

www.eia.doe.gov...

Why do I care what my imaginary environmental footprint is? Just a good fun way to further brainwash us into accepting more government control. Human activity on the Earth's climate is so small and so readily changed by good old mother nature. One massive Volcanic explosion will overwrite human effects on the environment since the beginning of time!

Originally posted by TLomon
And here you go, right from the Energy Information Administration:

www.eia.doe.gov...

Thanks, there is not much green or renewable in there.

Regards S_G