Want to footprint your local authority area or community?
Project Outline
This major study
was commissioned to quantify the use of natural resources in Scotland. The
study investigates the consumption patterns of Scotland's residents and
assesses the ecological sustainability of Scottish lifestyles.
The
project is comprised of the following phases:
Phase 1 -
Resource flow analysis
- identifying resource
inputs and outputs in the Scottish economy
- identifying waste arisings
(by sector wherever possible)
- identifying key activities
and their related consumption levels
Phase 2 -
Ecological footprint analysis
- using the EcoIndex™
methodology to convert resource flows into ecological footprint values.
- identifying EF values for
key activities and their associated resource consumptions
Phase 3 -
Carrying out sustainability assessments
- comparing ecological
footprint values with regional, national and global land availability
- comparing ecological
footprints with ecological footprints from other areas and other parts of the world
Phase 4 -
Improvement scenarios
- development of a range of
possible improvement scenarios e.g. reduction in
consumption patterns, improved waste minimisation, increase in recycling
rates
- ecological footprint
analysis of those scenarios to show aggregated improvement in
relation to sustainability
Phase 5 -
Reporting, publication, Education and Dissemination
Who is
involved?
The 'Scotland's
Footprint' study, has been commissioned by Viridis, and is funded by the
Scottish Executive and the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), with a grant
from Biffaward, a multi-million pound environment fund which utilises landfill
tax credits donated by Biffa Waste Services.
The project is
also supported by FoE Scotland, Highlands & Islands Enterprise, Scottish
Enterprise, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Sustainable Scotland
Network, WRAP and WWF Scotland. Viridis
and the EnviroCentre, who are carrying out the research, are working with a wide
range of national and Scottish based organisations to make the study as complete
as possible. Best Foot Forward, who
are managing the project, will calculate the ecological footprint.
For further
information contact Nicola Jenkin, Best Foot Forward, Tel:
01865 250818 or e-mail: nicola@bestfootforward.com
