My ecological footprint

In the September issue of TARGET magazine by TEAR Australia, I found out that if every person in the world lived like the average Australian we would need four worlds to sustain it. Maybe this statement doesn’t mean much to you, but it grabs me to the core and shakes me, shouting “What are you doing?!”..

A quick survey on my ecological footprint from the Victorian EPA website gave me little comfort. It told me…








It seems that I need 4.6 global hectares of the 1.9 hectares that would be environmentally sustainable. Of the four areas measured (food, transport, shelter and goods/services), the largest slice was food (!!!) being a staggering two thirds of my total consumption. It seems that I am already taking some significant steps in the other areas like limiting use of my car by walking to school… and it didn’t even ask about my electricity usage which would be significantly lower than average as we have no hot water or air conditioning.

With limited alternatives for slimming down my environmental impact, I must consider my diet. OUCH! It seems that my love of animal products, including dairy, is my downfall. Also, I am using far too many pre-packaged foods. To consider major change in this one “sacred” area of my life, I had to go back to some other core values.

Micah, a minor prophet in the Old Testament, encouraged the Israelites to “Act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God”. To me, it would only seem just that I humble my lifestyle and take only that which is sustainable for us all. My life is an example to my Khmer friends (whether I like it or not) of what can be achieved through development… and it needs to be sustainable or else I am a hypocrite at best.

The EPA web-site had a number of simple ideas for change which can actually have “multiple improved benefits including economic savings”.

Steve has made more progress than me so far. He has bought a bike and is riding to work. He is also cutting out dairy, switching to soy milk instead. We already eat vegetarian 2 nights a week.. and the thought of more is a little difficult for my carnivorous appetite to swallow. For me, change needs to occur through baby steps.

Friday morning last week, I stopped by a neighbour’s road-side food stall on the way home from dropping the kids to school. She was selling little soft round rice flour cakes called “noum groouk“. They were delicious, cost only $0.25 for 6 and I even got a chance to chat with another neighbour who had stopped also (multiple improved benefits!). If I remember to take my own container next time instead of using the polystyrene takeaway box, I might even reduce my footprint a little further.