One of the reasons it’s important to preserve our environment is so our children can enjoy the same things we have. As we cut back and maximize our resources efficiently, the role we play in educating our young people becomes important. Just how much about ecological footprints do our youth understand?
Jessica and Melissa attend high school at Queen of Angels Academy in Dorval. They grew up knowing about recycling and practicing good environment sense at school and at home. What they learned from the quiz was how easy it is for their family to make an impact.
“I’m just learning about global warming,” said Melissa. “I really think we should stop polluting and begin cleaning up the environment.”
Like many children, Jessica and Melissa rely on their parents to drive them to school and other activities. Their parents drive them to school because they live so far away they would have to take three buses.
“We drive everywhere,” said Jessica. “It would help a little if we sometimes walked to the corner store.”
Jessica said when she finishes drinking from a plastic water bottle, if she doesn’t find a recycling box, “I keep the bottle with me until I can find one.”
“At school most of our friends use the recycle containers,” said Melissa. “But not all the students take the time to recycle.”
The average ecological footprint in Canada is 8.8 global acres per person.
Worldwide, there exists 1.8 biologically productive acres per person.
We would need 4.2 planets if everyone lived like Jessica and Melissa.
