1 FROM ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT TO ECOLOGICAL FINGERPRINT – sustainable development on Helgoland Beate M.W. Ratter Ph.D., Professor of Integrative Geography, University of Hamburg, Germany Jan Petzold Student Research Assistant, Department of Geography, University of Hamburg, Germany Introduction Have you ever thought about how many hectares of land are needed to support your lifestyle? Do you know how much land is used to produce the food, furniture, or other fundamentals necessary for ordinary life? And have you ever wondered how much energy is needed to transport these goods from their point of production to the consumer and finally to waste disposal? Research has shown that on average, bread production in Germany generates about 955 grams of CO 2 emission per kilogram. 59% of this is directly linked to consumer behaviour, such as walking or driving to the store, the shopping bag we use, or whether we make toast or put the loaf in the deep freeze. An average person in Germany needs 4.2 so-called global hectares of land to support their current lifestyle. Contrast this to an average person in Tanzania who uses a mere 1.1 global hectares to survive. Irgendwo ins grüne Meer hat ein Gott mit leichtem Pinsel, lächelnd, wie von ungefähr, einen Fleck getupft: die Insel. Und dann hat er, gutgelaunt, Menschen diesem Fels gegeben und den Menschen zugeraunt: Liebt die Welt und lebt das Leben! James Kruess