overview
example projects
education & awareness
products & services
other requirements?
email discussion groups

Overview

This section contains information on products, services and resources for regional ecological footprint, resource flow and carbon emissions analyses. Those with an interest in this type of analysis include local authorities and municipalities, regional partnerships, Local Agenda 21 and other community-based groups.

Organisations involved in service delivery and/or regeneration are increasingly required to measure the sustainability of their work. The ecological footprint is by far the most popular indicator for measuring, monitoring and managing environmental sustainability.

Not surprising, therefore, that it was chosen by the Welsh National Assembly as a key headline indicator and is one of 11 indicators recommended by the European Common Indicators Programme (ECIP).

At the present time only BFF designed tools and services offer regional ecological footprint results which are compatible with the ECIP standard. This permits benchmarking with cities and regions across Europe.

For a more detailed analysis of an area's impact, BFF recommend a resource flow analysis. This accounts for the consumption of energy and materials within a region, city or district.

[ back to the top ]

Example Projects

BFF has undertaken more than 30 regional analyses for clients in the UK and overseas. The following examples illustrate the range of city and regional projects undertaken by Best Foot Forward.

Stepping Forward: a resource flow and ecological footprint of the South West region of England

BFF are partners in a project to calculate the resource consumption and ecological footprint of the South West region of England. The project has its own website: www.steppingforward.org.uk

Scotland's Footprint: a resource flow and ecological footprint analysis

"the first complete overview of the impact of modern lifestyles on the natural resources of Scotland" Professor George Fleming Following on from the successful Scottish Cities project, BFF were part of the team involved in calculating the resource consumption and ecological footprint of the whole of Scotland. Full report and project details available at: www.scotlands-footprint.com.

Northern Limits: measuring Northern Ireland's impact on the environment

"this project places Northern Ireland at the cutting edge of developments in environmental management and will provide a sound basis for decision-making" Dr. Robin Curry BFF were one of the lead partners in this project to calculate a resource flow and ecological footprint for Northern Ireland. Full report and project details available at: www.northern-limits.com.

City Limits: a resource flow & ecological footprint analysis of London

"this is ground-breaking work" Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London A resource flow and ecological footprint analysis of one of the world's great mega-cities with a population in excess of 7 million. Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, says 'this is ground-breaking work'. The project has its own website which contains the final report, a personal footprint sustainability calculator for Londoners and supporting data.

Brechin City Limits

A household ecological footprint survey  which complemented a previous Angus District ecological footprint study completed by BFF. An online survey system and hardcopy questionnaire were used to collect and collate data. The results were used as part of an award-winning broad-based education and awareness campaign. Download report and campaign flyer.

Scottish Cities Footprint Report

A review of the resource consumption and ecological footprint of five Scottish cities. Commissioned by the Scottish Executive as part of the Scottish Cities Review . Download the report here.

European Common Indicators Programme

BFF are leading European efforts to standardise the data sources and methodology used to calculate the ecological footprint of cities and regions. At the present time only BFF designed tools and services offer ecological footprint results which are compatible with the European Common Indicators Programme standard. This permits benchmarking with cities and regions across Europe. In 2001/02 BFF led a team of practitioners from seven European Countries to develop outline standards. Read this introductory report (and annexes) for more information.

Essex Footprint

An ecological footprint of Essex (population 1.3m), commissioned by Essex County Council, which forms  part of a larger educational campaign - A Greener Essex.  Download report.

[ back to the top ]

Education & Awareness

BFF are able to supply off-the-shelf or custom solutions to meet the educational needs associated with regional analyses. Applications include:

• Personal internet - or paper-based footprint calculators - for use by the general public. See an example here.
• Educational materials to assist in the dissemination of study results.
• Learning games for use in awareness-raising seminars.

Other Resources

Global Village 2: A fun (and free) spreadsheet calculator linking the local with the global. Based on an original idea by the late Donella Meadows. Download here.

Visit our reports page to read some of our publication aimed at cities and regions.

[ back to the top ]

Products & Services

Regional Stepwise

Regional Stepwise is a service offered by BFF to calculate the ecological footprint of your community or region.

CarbonCalc

Measure your region's carbon dioxide emissions with this easy to use software which helps you to collate your consumption data and uses this to estimate your greenhouse gas emissions. CarbonCalc covers all six Kyoto Protocol gases and is thus compatible with emerging international standards including the UK Environmental Reporting Guidelines. More information here.

[ back to the top ]

Other requirements?

Our extensive environmental database enables us to undertake tailored scenario analysis, explore trends and calculate an array of resource consumption and emission figures.

For more information, please contact Nicky Chambers.

[ back to the top ]

Join an email discussion group

Are you interested in the management and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions? Then click here to join up to BFF's new carbon reporting email discussion group.

BFF's Ecological Footprint technical discussion group reaches more than 300 practitioners.

[ back to the top ]