Assessment 7 - 226847
Tuesday, 20 January 2026, 3:52 PM
Number of replies: 1
226847
ASSESSMENT 07:
SUSTAINABILITY?
There is no conclusion to this section. I'm not going to tell you that I know the solution. Or even
that I'm hopeful that anyone knows the solution. What I can tell you is that I believe if we are to
have any hope of finding a solution,
But that is not really what this assessment is about. So, what is it about then?
INSTRUCTIONS:
Step 1: Set the scene
To set the scene for this assessment we want you to first estimate your own ecological footprint.
There are probably many ecological footprint calculators on the web but we suggest this one
because the data used in the graphs you have just seen is sourced from the same site:
http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/calculators/
If this one doesn't work, you can just google "ecological footprint calculator" and I'm sure you
will find another one.
Step 2: Write a comment about your footprint
, Part A How I feel about my footprint
My personal Earth Overshoot Day is 6 March, and if everyone lived like me, we would
need 5.7 planets. When I first saw that, I felt numb. Then embarrassed. Then defensive
I don’t own a car, I try to save electricity, I don’t fly often. But the calculator does not lie:
my diet, my shopping habits, my house size, my electronics upgrades all add up to a
lifestyle that demands almost six Earths. That means by 6 March each year, I have
already used my fair share for the whole year. The rest of my consumption is borrowing
from my children’s future and from people in poorer countries who have almost no
footprint. The “Sustainability?” section warns that we need a transformation as big as
the shift from hunter‑gatherer to agriculture. I used to think that was dramatic. Now I see
it is literally true: my 5.7‑Earth lifestyle cannot be fixed by recycling more. It requires a
complete change in how I define a “good life”.
Part B Reflecting on my Assessment 6 answer about virtue ethics
In Assessment 6, I answered the rhino question with (d): “We must save rhino because
their survival is critical for sustaining healthy ecosystems.” I admitted that my original
worldview was purely instrumental, nature has value only for what it does for humans.
When asked “So where do I fit in in this?” I said I do not yet fit the virtue ethics
framework well. I pointed to my quiz answers: “Who cares?” about child mortality (Q6),
“poor people should work harder” (Q7), “I really don’t care about the environment”
(Q20). I called myself an egoist and a techno‑optimist. Now, after seeing my ecological
footprint of 5.7 Earths, I realise my self‑assessment was not honest enough. Saying “I
am not yet virtuous” is a comfortable cop‑out when my daily actions consume five times
my fair share. A truly virtuous person, one with compassion, justice, and humility, would
not simply recognise intrinsic value; they would change their life to reduce their footprint.
My Assessment 6 answer was truthful about my character, but it lacked urgency. Now I
see that my footprint is not a separate issue. It is the same failure of virtue. I claimed to
Tuesday, 20 January 2026, 3:52 PM
Number of replies: 1
226847
ASSESSMENT 07:
SUSTAINABILITY?
There is no conclusion to this section. I'm not going to tell you that I know the solution. Or even
that I'm hopeful that anyone knows the solution. What I can tell you is that I believe if we are to
have any hope of finding a solution,
But that is not really what this assessment is about. So, what is it about then?
INSTRUCTIONS:
Step 1: Set the scene
To set the scene for this assessment we want you to first estimate your own ecological footprint.
There are probably many ecological footprint calculators on the web but we suggest this one
because the data used in the graphs you have just seen is sourced from the same site:
http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/calculators/
If this one doesn't work, you can just google "ecological footprint calculator" and I'm sure you
will find another one.
Step 2: Write a comment about your footprint
, Part A How I feel about my footprint
My personal Earth Overshoot Day is 6 March, and if everyone lived like me, we would
need 5.7 planets. When I first saw that, I felt numb. Then embarrassed. Then defensive
I don’t own a car, I try to save electricity, I don’t fly often. But the calculator does not lie:
my diet, my shopping habits, my house size, my electronics upgrades all add up to a
lifestyle that demands almost six Earths. That means by 6 March each year, I have
already used my fair share for the whole year. The rest of my consumption is borrowing
from my children’s future and from people in poorer countries who have almost no
footprint. The “Sustainability?” section warns that we need a transformation as big as
the shift from hunter‑gatherer to agriculture. I used to think that was dramatic. Now I see
it is literally true: my 5.7‑Earth lifestyle cannot be fixed by recycling more. It requires a
complete change in how I define a “good life”.
Part B Reflecting on my Assessment 6 answer about virtue ethics
In Assessment 6, I answered the rhino question with (d): “We must save rhino because
their survival is critical for sustaining healthy ecosystems.” I admitted that my original
worldview was purely instrumental, nature has value only for what it does for humans.
When asked “So where do I fit in in this?” I said I do not yet fit the virtue ethics
framework well. I pointed to my quiz answers: “Who cares?” about child mortality (Q6),
“poor people should work harder” (Q7), “I really don’t care about the environment”
(Q20). I called myself an egoist and a techno‑optimist. Now, after seeing my ecological
footprint of 5.7 Earths, I realise my self‑assessment was not honest enough. Saying “I
am not yet virtuous” is a comfortable cop‑out when my daily actions consume five times
my fair share. A truly virtuous person, one with compassion, justice, and humility, would
not simply recognise intrinsic value; they would change their life to reduce their footprint.
My Assessment 6 answer was truthful about my character, but it lacked urgency. Now I
see that my footprint is not a separate issue. It is the same failure of virtue. I claimed to
