Well it turns out, that in the case of biocapacity, it does. Biocapacity is the ability of an area to produce enough resources to sustain the population dependent upon it. A recent study published in the National Geographic shows the biocapacity of each state in America, in addition to the amount of resources used, respectively. It is illuminating to see how the states fare and which are using more than producing. Alaska is leaps and bounds ahead of the next closest state, South Dakota. Surrounding our nation’s capital, Maryland, Delaware and Virginia are three of the top five worst states for ecological debt.

There are a variety of contributing factors, including state size, population, and economy, to name a few. However, awareness of this discrepancy between input and output can help to achieve a balance. As mentioned in previous postings, there are many ways to go about reducing your personal impact on the environment. For a quick refresher check out this post. Or this one. Or invest in sustainable fashion, like Swell.