Foot Print Wales

The WAG’s Sustainable Development Scheme One Planet: One Wales commits Wales to reducing its ecological footprint to the global average fair share (1.88 global hectares per person) within the lifetime of a generation. The achievement of this requires a consistent approach to the development and implementation of policy across a wide range of areas at different levels of governance within Wales. Particular policy areas where ecological footprinting analysis would be conducive to this include:

Ÿ          Development of low carbon regions within each of the Wales Spatial Plan areas;

Ÿ          Development and implementation of Regional Transport Plans and Regional Waste Plans;

Ÿ          Development of strategies for housing and for regeneration;

Ÿ          Initiatives involving the purchase and consumption of locally sourced food, and the reduction of food waste;

Ÿ          Development of Community Strategies and Local Service Boards.

Some foot printing tools allow results to be shown in terms of CO2 emissions as well as in ecological footprint terms. In such circumstances, ecological footprinting analysis can help guide policies to meet WAG Greenhouse Gas emission reduction targets, or commitments under the Carbon Reduction Commitment.  

From the above, it follows that the types of organisations that would benefit from undertaking ecological footprint analysis are:

Ÿ          Local Authorities and National Park Authorities;

Ÿ          Other public sector organisations;

Ÿ          Non Governmental organisations;

Ÿ          Businesses and third sector organisations;

Ÿ          Community groups.

The benefits to such organisations of this would include:

Ÿ          Clear alignment of planned activities with WAG’s approach to sustainable development;

Ÿ          Greater environmental, social and economic resilience of programmes and projects;

Ÿ          Development of an ecological footprint evidence base across various activities;

Ÿ          Building up ecological footprinting skills and capacity;

Ÿ          Ecological footprinting input into communications work related to sustainable development.   

To promote a low footprint Wales the grant scheme will:

1.        Increase the number of organisations in Wales using ecological footprinting techniques to inform their policies and programmes;

2.        Promote   joint learning and capacity building regarding ecological footprinting techniques, and obtaining greater understanding and commitment to ecological footprinting within and between organisations;

3.        Promote and encourage dissemination and good practice in ecological footprinting techniques;

4.        Support the facilitation of a network of practitioners and users of ecological footprinting techniques in Wales.

1          Ecological footprint analysis of policies, programmes and projects;

2          Collaborative action between different organisations that take forward ecological footprint analysis at a wider spatial scale;

3          Training and capacity building programmes in the use and benefits of   ecological footprint analysis;

4          Events aimed at dissemination of results and learning, and at contributing to good practice in the use of ecological footprinting;

5          Activity that supports the facilitation of a network of practitioners and users of ecological footprinting techniques in Wales.

Grants will be awarded up to a maximum of 75% of the total cost of the project, up to a maximum of £5,000 per financial year per organisation. Consideration will be given to increasing the maximum in cases where collaborative action between organisations across a wider spatial scale is proposed.

Organisations based in Wales in the public sector, private sector and third sector will be eligible. All projects must be focused on the reduction of Wales’ ecological footprint.  

Priority will be given to:

1          Activity that focuses on the areas that have a high impact on the Welsh ecological footprint;

2          Innovative or new uses of footprinting technique in policy areas that have not been subject to this analysis within Wales;

3          Projects where there is a clear dissemination route and it is clear how the results will be taken forward to inform policy and programme implementation;

4          Projects which involve collaborative partnership working between different organisations;

5          Projects which complement existing activity and which do not duplicate other work which is ongoing.

The grant will not fund work concerning the internal environmental management policies of an organisation.

The grant scheme will be launched in May 2009. There will be a continuous window of application. Applications will assessed on a “first-come, first-served” basis.  

The Footprint Wales Network has a potential role to play in:

·          disseminating information about the ecological footprint grant to stakeholders;

·          advising WAG on which applications in its view are the priority for funding;