Developed by Dr. Jennie Moore, the ecoCity Footprint Tool (Tool) uses an urban metabolism approach to generate territorial and consumption-based greenhouse gas emissions inventories (CBEIs), and ecological footprint assessments. The Tool can also be used to generate GPC Basic, Basic+, and Scope 3 emissions inventories.
The Tool is also designed to work with the International Ecocity Standards, allowing cities to collect data for the Tool while also populating information needed to measure progress against the Standards and vice-versa.
While most calculators generate consumption estimates based predominantly on national data, the Tool uses city-specific data.
The Tool is linked with the Lighter Footprint App (App), which uses output data from the Tool to support individuals interested in learning about how they can reduce their personal carbon and ecological footprints. The ultimate goal is to enable cities and citizens to work together to achieve living within Earth’s carrying capacity, also known as one-planet living.
With the Tool, cities and their citizens are able to pinpoint changes that will leverage maximum impact for achieving low carbon lifestyles aligned with climate stability goals and ecological carrying capacity.
The Tool has been successfully piloted by cities in British Columbia (BC), Canada and around the world including in North and Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia. In 2018, the tool was successfully tested with selected members of the Urban Sustainability Director’s Network. Then, in 2019, with funding from the Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia, we tested a new on-line version of the tool with ten municipalities in BC:
- Campbell River
- Capital Regional District
- City of North Vancouver
- District of Saanich
- Nelson
- Powell River
- Quesnel
- Surrey
- Vancouver
- Victoria
With preliminary testing of the online version complete, an updated version will be released soon. The App will also be available to help people in these cities pinpoint changes that will leverage maximum impact for achieving low carbon lifestyles aligned with climate stability goals and ecological carrying capacity. Download the EcoCity Footprint Tool Backgrounder [PDF] for more information.
ecoCity Footprint Tool Website