Box 6.1 (continued)
Population – Addressing population size is essential to creating a sustainable future for all within our planet’s ecological budget.
You can choose the size of your family to affect our long-term Footprint.
Support women’s rights and access to family planning.
More information: http://www.overshootday.org/take-action/population/
Transcribed by Mary Thornbush, Faculty of Environmental Studies, York
University (Email: mthornbu@yorku.ca) based on: http://www.
footprintcalculator.org/.
Some 95% of energy is renewable in Costa Rica (e.g., Delahaye 2019). This
should make for a reduced Footprint; however, transportation is still a consideration
here, as most people use inefficient private vehicles to get around town. Additionally, most people in this study did not rely on public transportation (buses, as there is
no train) and a majority did not bicycle – although some were seen to walk locally.
Almost none of the study participants travelled regularly each year by airplane. Most
of their driving was done on a ‘solo’ basis because of a lack of a car-share scheme in
the study area. The household carbon Footprint (cF ¼ 1.5 gha) represents about half
of the Ecological Footprint. This is mostly attributable to driving private vehicles,
especially where farm locations are separate (sometimes distant) from the place of
residence. Rather than living in town, perhaps it is more prudent for some of these
families to live on a farm homestead and use public transportation (bus) more often,
where possible. One 50-year-old woman (QA30), for example, stated that she had to
walk 2 kilometres to get to the nearest bus stop in Quizarrá.
As regards population, there are >500 farming households in the corridor
and > 2000 people (see Table 6.4). Population growth is steady, with most couples
having up to two children. There are women’s organisations in the area, including
Amacobas that supports women’s rural livelihoods.
The area that really needs focus to reduce the household Ecological Footprint in
the study area (from an average 1.7 Earths) is wrapped up in food. There is a lack of
variety in the meals that some of these campesinos are having because they depend
on what is grown locally or even on their own farms. It should be noted, however,
that there are local stores in these towns where food items can be purchased.
Although these foods tend to be locally sourced, not all of them are organic and
most receive chemical sprays from the farmers. Traditional diets have an abundance
of beans, rice, and corn as well as eggs. Meat is normally ingested at least once per
week and a minority of farmers eat fish and seafood. However, generally, the grazing
land component is low in the participating households, so perhaps meat consumption
is not at issue here. Food scraps are composted by households. There is a free
recycling programme, but household waste costs for disposal. Some farmers, however, are either burying or burning non-compostable waste, and this behaviour could
be improved with educational outreach activities.
6.2 Solutions
89
Population – Addressing population size is essential to creating a sustainable future for all within our planet’s ecological budget.
You can choose the size of your family to affect our long-term Footprint.
Support women’s rights and access to family planning.
More information: http://www.overshootday.org/take-action/population/
Transcribed by Mary Thornbush, Faculty of Environmental Studies, York
University (Email: mthornbu@yorku.ca) based on: http://www.
footprintcalculator.org/.
Some 95% of energy is renewable in Costa Rica (e.g., Delahaye 2019). This
should make for a reduced Footprint; however, transportation is still a consideration
here, as most people use inefficient private vehicles to get around town. Additionally, most people in this study did not rely on public transportation (buses, as there is
no train) and a majority did not bicycle – although some were seen to walk locally.
Almost none of the study participants travelled regularly each year by airplane. Most
of their driving was done on a ‘solo’ basis because of a lack of a car-share scheme in
the study area. The household carbon Footprint (cF ¼ 1.5 gha) represents about half
of the Ecological Footprint. This is mostly attributable to driving private vehicles,
especially where farm locations are separate (sometimes distant) from the place of
residence. Rather than living in town, perhaps it is more prudent for some of these
families to live on a farm homestead and use public transportation (bus) more often,
where possible. One 50-year-old woman (QA30), for example, stated that she had to
walk 2 kilometres to get to the nearest bus stop in Quizarrá.
As regards population, there are >500 farming households in the corridor
and > 2000 people (see Table 6.4). Population growth is steady, with most couples
having up to two children. There are women’s organisations in the area, including
Amacobas that supports women’s rural livelihoods.
The area that really needs focus to reduce the household Ecological Footprint in
the study area (from an average 1.7 Earths) is wrapped up in food. There is a lack of
variety in the meals that some of these campesinos are having because they depend
on what is grown locally or even on their own farms. It should be noted, however,
that there are local stores in these towns where food items can be purchased.
Although these foods tend to be locally sourced, not all of them are organic and
most receive chemical sprays from the farmers. Traditional diets have an abundance
of beans, rice, and corn as well as eggs. Meat is normally ingested at least once per
week and a minority of farmers eat fish and seafood. However, generally, the grazing
land component is low in the participating households, so perhaps meat consumption
is not at issue here. Food scraps are composted by households. There is a free
recycling programme, but household waste costs for disposal. Some farmers, however, are either burying or burning non-compostable waste, and this behaviour could
be improved with educational outreach activities.
6.2 Solutions
89