How can businesses, and governments be more efficient in their use of resources? What can individuals do to help? How and where should we start to reduce our impact on the planet? Is our footprint going up or down?
This website can provide some of the answers to these questions:
Individuals
Individuals can calculate their own footprint using this online footprint calculator. It just takes five minutes to complete and if you sign up at the end you will reach your very own tailored web page where you can find top tips on reducing your footprint as well as online blogs and forums. Here are some key tips on how to shrink your footprint.
Shopping
Buying locally-grown produce or even growing your own vegetables will make your footprint smaller. Choosing food produced in Scotland or the UK rather than imported produce will also decrease your footprint.
Eating more fruit and vegetables and less meat could reduce your food footprint by up to 40%. Purchasing all your produce from local producers could reduce your footprint by about 4%.
Home
Keeping the central heating in your home on a high temperature every day will influence the size of your footprint. Leaving lights and appliances on standby mode will also increase your footprint. Small steps such as using energy-saving light bulbs or turning the lights off when you leave a room will make a difference.
Turning down your thermostat by only 1 degree C could reduce your footprint by about 10%.
Travel
Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from transport are the fastest growing contributor to climate change. Today 58 per cent of our car trips are under five miles and 25 per cent are less than two miles. (Source: National Travel Survey) Substituting a short car journey with walking or a cycle ride will reduce your footprint. Cutting back on air travel will also have a huge impact, because aircraft consume large amounts of fossil fuels and create greenhouse gases.
Choosing one long-haul flight less per year could reduce your footprint by 24%. Walking or cycling for short journeys could reduce your footprint by about 4%.
At work
You can save energy at work by turning off monitors, lights, printers & copiers after hours. Printing documents double-sided and low quality saves on paper and printer cartidges. Take a mug to the coffee shop or trolley instead of using disposable cups.
Education
If we are going to change the way we live, we need to learn to live differently. The way in which we educate our children is central to this change. Childhood is the period in life when most values are learned, and the knowledge and skills for living in our fast-changing world are developed. The Footprint is a great educational tool to help children of all ages to visualise how their everyday actions impact on the planet. Whether it’s through using games, theatre or practical workshops, children of all ages can benefit from it.
Educationally it can work on many levels, using different types of activities and different types of understanding. The Centre for Alternative Technology has been leading footprinting workshops with children. A joint project between CAT and ecodyfi has demonstrated that through using the ecological footprint as an educational tool it is possible to engage the whole community in sustainable living. Read report
The Schools' Global Footprint calculator has been developed in collaboration with the WWF and Learning Teaching Scotland (LTS). Providing practical, curriculum-based teaching and learning ideas, designed for primary and secondary schools. The Schools' Global Footprint is intended to act as a stimulus for change.
When aligned with the Eco Schools programme, this resource provides a useful process for identifying and implementing solutions that can help reduce ecological impact.
WWF’s One Planet Education project promotes new ways of promoting sustainable lifestyles within the school environment. a bold approach to address this issue.
Businesses
More and more businesses want to understand their full environmental impact – and take actions to reduce it. Using the footprint approach can help businesses identify the areas of biggest impact, in their own activities and up and down the supply chain.
The Global Footprint Network can offer advice in this area, and there are some UK-based software tools on offer such as the
Triple Bottom Line or
Footprinter.
Local Authorities
Local Authorities can join the Footprint Network or work towards reducing their footprint through learning how Councils in Wales are using the footprint in their areas.