Best Foot Forward

A chapter by BFF Directors Craig Simmons and Nicky Chambers on the ecological footprint of households appears in the new edition of Ecohouse – the popular green architecture book which is now in its third revision.

One of the things we pride ourselves on at BFF is the ability to see the whole picture – no matter the scale, sector or environmental issue. Bearing that in mind, we are very pleased to have contributed to an influential policy report in the run up to the election. ‘Beyond Carbon’, from the Aldersgate Group, urges the Government to build on the initial work with the Low Carbon Transition Plan to look more widely at resource efficiency as key determinants of economic success and human well-being in the 21st century. 

BFF is no stranger to promoting the opportunities of resource responsibility. Wise use of energy, water and materials usually saves money and reduces risk AND it can also make your products a more attractive proposition to buyers wanting to promulgate their own environmental initiatives. BFF client Orangebox realized this several years ago, using BFF’s carbon and ecological footprinting services to identify and minimise their impacts and then to communicate with their customers. Their approach and has now been used as a best practice case study in the snappily titled report ‘Driving Demand: Creating Opportunities for Commercialisation of Low Carbon Technologies'.

Best Foot Forward is delighted to be hosting an Oxford Workshop as part of the Future Agenda programme supported by Vodafone. The workshop will address the big issues on the future of energy, water and waste. With concepts such as climate change, food and land scarcity,  ‘peak oil’, ‘peak water’ and now ‘peak phosphorus’ coming onto the radar screens of business and politicians, this is a great opportunity to gather and promote views of experts around the world on how best to address the sustainable use of resources. There’s more information on the issues of energy, waste and water and while places are very limited, contact Nicky Chambers if you are interested in attending on March 17th.

The latest sustainability event coming up is base on March 16/17th, “the event where business meets sustainability” . It has a practical, business-focused agenda and a great selection of workshops with quality speakers covering a full range of topics on regulation, climate change economics, technical advances, reporting, branding, and communications. BFF will be hosting a roundtable on carbon management tools and we have arranged a discount for the show for anyone who comes via our website.  If you email us at mail@bestfootforward requesting a voucher for base we can send you a discount voucher for entry, saving £30.

The partnership between Best Foot Forward and ETS Aviation has taken a step forward with the launch of an updated version of Aviation Footprinter - a tool designed to help aviation operators meet their reporting requirements under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). New in this version of Aviation Footprinter is an ‘efficiency view’ which allows operators to better understand their emissions profile and thereby assist in targeting reduction efforts. For example, aircraft emissions can be benchmarked against best practice and route-by-route emissions can be compared within and between years. For a video demo of Aviation Footprinter please click here.

Yesterday, BFF Director Craig Simmons was literally bathing in the warm glow of the sun whilst outside temperature plummeted to below zero. How? The solar hot water (SHW) system on his house was producing water at a steady 34 degrees centigrade warmed only by the winter sun. These wintry conditions have also led to some discussion within the office today on the carbon balance of the heavy snowfall; our hunch is there’ll be reductions from less travel, less economic activity, and more outdoor fun displacing TV/computer use. On the downside, more people staying home requiring energy, more gas for home heating, higher coal use in power stations…and perhaps a reference point for climate change sceptics? 

In 2010 we hope that you will be joining BFF, and thousands of other organisations and individuals, who are aiming to reduce their carbon emissions by 10% during the year as part of the UK's 10:10 campaign. Here is a little gift that should help; free, unlimited access to a special 10:10 version of BFF's popular footprinter™ enterprise carbon accounting solution for business. You get your own secure account and all the calculation and reporting facilities you need to meet the 10:10 campaign targets.

Well, on a very wintery, cold, dark afternoon we want to wish all our readers a very happy festive period and New Year. 2009 has been a good year for BFF despite the economic challenges, although the Copenhagen Accord has been somewhat deflating for the wider movement. However, we can but try, and the commitments to financing adaptation measures, a commitment (of sorts) to the 2 degree limit and a strong showing by Ed Miliband offer some hope. From BFF’s perspective, embarking on a number of large new projects, expanding our staff team and launching Footprinter will help us to maximise our own influence on emissions reductions through 2010 and beyond.

BFF has been commissioned by RSSB to undertake a whole lifecycle carbon footprint analysis of the national rail network. BFF will be developing an emissions profile that includes traction energy, offices, rolling stock and infrastructure such as track, stations, depots and signalling equipment. The rail industry is undoubtedly complex, but is also a data-rich environment which is essential for carbon footprint analyses. BFF will be liaising with key members of the industry, including Network Rail and train operating companies to provide an industry-wide emissions profile. Our project will provide insight for RSSB, DfT and other stakeholders to enable effective planning for emissions reductions in line with the objectives of the industry white paper, “Delivering a Sustainable Railway”. Our project will be completed in the first half of 2010, with results made publicly available in due course.