The Ecological Footprint of Individual Members at the Army Support Base, Eastern Cape

Abstract

The ecological footprint is a measure that calculates the demand for resources from the environment based on daily people’s needs and  desires. The study, on which this article is based, used the GFN online calculator to measure the ecological footprint of individual  members of the Army Support Base, Eastern Cape. The ecological footprint online survey was used to obtain the quantitative data from  the online results of each participant. Statistical analysis was performed using the STATISTICA 14.0 program to calculate the ecological  footprints of the individual members of the Army Support Base, Eastern Cape and their combined ecological footprints. Officers recorded  the highest ecological footprints in most categories, while NCOs, Private Services Act personnel, and privates in general  recorded the lowest scores. Males scored higher than females in almost all categories, suggesting that they have a higher ecological  footprint than females, and therefore a larger impact on the environment. The results of this study are significant as it is the first  ecological footprint calculation performed for a military base in South Africa and one of only a few global studies similarly targeting the  military. These results can be used as a basis for further studies in units of the South African National Defence Force, ultimately leading to  more sustainable resource use.