Kiwi 2.5ha resource footprint on the heavy side
Project also finds New Zealanders spend nearly 20% of their waking hours in paid employment – and 14% watching TV.
New Zealand has an undesirably high resource footprint, the New Zealand Footprint Project says.
In a report just released, scientist and project manager Ella Lawton says her research attributes 56% of the country’s resource use to the way food and beverage are produced, distributed and consumed, and 23% to consumer goods.
Much lower figures are attributed to travel, overseas holidays, household energy use and other activity.
The report is the result of a three-year study of several communities to work out resource use with the aim of reducing it.
Ms Lawton says she was surprised, given New Zealand’s easy access to very productive arable land.
“Some foods such as fish, red meat and dairy have high footprints due to the amount of productive sea area and land they require to grow.
"Reducing resource use through localising food systems using backyards and community owned land would be the most effective way to reduce the national ecological footprint.”
The project is funded by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology and developed in collaboration with Victoria University, Auckland Council and Otago Polytechnic’s Centre for Sustainable Practice.
Ms Lawton says the report is based on a global “fair earth share of 1.2 New Zealand equivalent hectares per person”. The average New Zealand lifestyle currently uses 2.5 New Zealand hectares per person, she calculates.
The research also found that New Zealanders spend:
- 14% of their waking hours watching TV.
- Nearly 20% in paid employment.
- 13% eating and drinking.
- 7% socialising and conversing.
- 5% preparing food and drink.
Ms Lawton was awarded a PhD in achitecture earlier this month, completing her thesis on ecological footprinting while working on the New Zealand Footprint Project.
On the web: www.sustainable-practice.org/content/new-zealand-footprint-project
Chris Hutching for NBR NZ Property Investor
Fri, 03 May 2013
Fri, 03 May 2013
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Kiwi 2.5ha resource footprint on the heavy side
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