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Article: Little feats: humankind has built great cities, transplanted hearts and gone to the moon. But we've yet to prove we can live simply, equitably and peacefully on this planet ...
- Article from:
- New Internationalist
- Article date:
- November 1, 2000
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 New Internationalist Magazine. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Erica: One thing I like about `footprinting' is that it's simply a number. It doesn't say: `You need to live on one acre!' It doesn't say: `Quit your job and move to the mountains!' It's just a number, but it does help us see the implications of our lifestyle. When the reality of the numbers sink in, when it moves out of the abstract and into our bones, the motivation for real change arises.
I've learned from footprinting that it's easy to think that you are being sustainable and a lot more challenging to live up to the numbers. You can buy only `green' products and faithfully put your recycling bins out at the curb and still not be sustainable. Footprinting ...