The ecological footprint is a calculation of the area of biologically productive land and water required for a given population to exist at a given consumption level. Web-based footprint calculators typically focus upon consumption patterns of the individual lifestyle.

Data is input in answer to a series of questions relating to individual lifestyle choices, focusing upon issues such as food procurement, transportation, energy use and waste production. The output is a figure, usually in hectares, that is the amount of land required to maintain that given lifestyle. To assess how the individual compares with his or her peers, the individual output value is frequently compared to one or more of the following:

• the average footprint of the population of the given country to which the calculator is calibrated;
• the global amount on average of biologically productive land and water available to each person on the planet; and
• the number of planets required if everybody on earth chose to follow the lifestyle of the given individual.

The simplicity of the tool and the tangible outputs it produces make it highly effective at communicating sustainable development to a range of audiences with varying degrees of sustainability awareness.

By focusing on a number of elements of consumption in everyday life, the ecological footprint increases individual understanding of important environmental issues. It also enables people to recognise and translate the impact of their lifestyle choices to a global scale; a link that remains enigmatic and remote for many.

The ecological footprint is a participative education tool. It offers the opportunity of building upon students’ experiences in the real world and of stimulating debate about the issues, the measurements, and the solutions.