URBAN STRATEGIES FOR DECREASING OUR ECO-FOOTPRINT

THE FIVE ECO-FOOTPRINT PARAMETERS
# mobility
# services
# shelter
# goods
# food

ASPECTS TO IMPLEMENT TO DECREASE FOOTPRINT
# increase local bio-capacity
# enable use of nature services as much as possible
# visualization of the food cycle- "from field to fork" and facilitate for a "hundred mile diet"
# focus on green for production and green for "urban wilds"
   Establishing areas for urban wilds attracts birds, bugs and animals so that they don´t feed on the crops
# education - networking
# pedestrian accessibility
# densification of central areas to minimize travel time
# zero emissions building - ZEB / + housing

WHAT IS THE FOOTPRINT ABOUT

Ecological Footprints can be calculated for individuals, groups of people (such as a nation), and activities (such as manufacturing a product).
The Ecological Footprint of a person is calculated by considering all of the biological materials consumed and all of the biological wastes generated by that person in a given year. All these materials and wastes are then individually translated into an equivalent number of global hectares.
To accomplish this, the amount of material consumed by that person (tonnes per year) is divided by the yield of the specific land or sea area (annual tonnes per hectare) from which it was harvested, or where its waste material was absorbed. The number of hectares that result from this calculation are then converted to global hectares using yield and equivalence factors. The sum of the global hectares needed to support the resource consumption and waste generation of the person is that person's Ecological Footprint.
The Ecological Footprint of a group of people, such as a city or a nation, is simply the sum of the Ecological Footprint of all the residents of that city or nation. It is also possible to construct an Ecological Footprint of production for a city or nation, which instead sums the Ecological Footprint of all resources extracted and wastes generated within the borders of the city or nation.
The Ecological Footprint of an activity, such as producing a good (an airplane) or service (providing insurance) in the human economy, is calculated by summing the Ecological Footprint of all of the material consumed and waste generated during that activity. When calculating the Footprint of a business or an organization, the activities to be included within the boundaries of that organization must be clearly defined.

See also;footprintnetwork.org