Tool application

Name of the tool
Ecological Footprint

Who applied the tool in the case?
The tool has been used many times. The following are some examples of its uses:
1) Kate Flint, (2001) Institutional ecological footprint analysis, A case study of the University of Newcastle, Australia Institutional Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 2, No. 1, 2001, pp. 48-62. MCB University Press. (http://www.emerald-library.com/ft)
The paper develops an ecological footprint model for institutional contexts and this study of the University of Newcastle (NSW) is the first institutional level Ecological Footprint Analysis (EFA) undertaking in Australia. The case study shows tertiary institutions to be net importers of consumption items and thus dependent on a vast external environment. The EFA highlights those areas of consumption which constitute the largest part of the footprint and thus provides the opportunity for targeting those areas for active management. EFA for this tertiary institution clearly identifies that a reduced ecological footprint would mean a movement towards sustainability.
2) Best Foot Forward for the WWF and Welsh Assembly Government,(April 2002) Ôl-troed Cymru, The Footprint of Wales – A Report to the Welsh Assembly Government, WWF-UK & Welsh Assembly Government.
http://www.wwf.org.uk/filelibrary/pdf/walesfootprint.pdf

The Assembly took on the EF as a tool to bridge the gap between the missing global to local elements. This was accepted in March 2001, making the Assembly the first administration in the world to use EF as an indicator of ‘real progress’. The aim of the ‘All Wales Footprint as a Global Indicator’ project was to undertake a preliminary calculation of the Ecological Footprint of Wales for the year 2000, with a view to understanding the benefits of, and barriers to, undertaking more detailed time-series analyses in future years. As part of the study, a partial resource flow analysis was also undertaken to estimate material flows through the Welsh economy. This analysis, as well as enabling the EF analysis, also revealed that total accounted material consumption was 8,468,481 tonnes or around 2.9 tonnes per resident (excluding agricultural wastes, water and fuel). Carbon dioxide emissions arising from electricity, gas and heating oil consumption were also estimated at 14,648,040 tonnes or 5 tonnes per resident. Both figures include domestic, commercial and industrial consumption. Ecological Footprint results are presented for Wales as a whole and for the average Welsh resident. The total EF of Wales was found to be 15,468,887 area units, which equates to 5.25 area units per capita. The average per capita for the UK should be 1.9 area units, so it far exceeds it, but is less than the UK average of 6.00 area units. In contrast the Welsh bio capacity is 6,729,313 area units or 2.29 area units per capita. Therefore an area 2 and a half times the size of Wales would be needed to sustainably support current Welsh lifestyles. 3) John Barratt & Anthony Scott (2003) The Application of the Ecological Footprint: a case of passenger transport in Merseyside, Local Environment Journal, Vol. 8, No. 2, 167-183, Carfax Publishing, Taylor and Francis group. - Article is attached to information on EF in the Petus Tools file.

Time taken to fully apply the tool
Not specified

Any other interesting information about the tool

Case study/ies where tool is in use