Ecological Footprinting in North Lanarkshire

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Ecological Footprinting in North Lanarkshire

• Amie Fulton
• Global Footprint Project Coordinator
• Tel [phone]
• Email fultona_at_northlan.gov.uk

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Ecological Footprint

• What is it?
• Why is it relevant to LAs and Community
  Planning?
• How can we use it?

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What on Earth is an Ecological Footprint?
The land area required by the people in a
defined region to provide continuously all the
resources and services they presently consume
and to absorb all the waste they presently
discharge wherever that land might be.
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What on Earth is an Ecological Footprint?

• Real Land - the land and sea area needed to
  provide us with the water and materials we use in
  our everyday lives.
• Energy Land - the forested land and sea area
  needed to absorb the waste we produce,
  particularly carbon dioxide.
• Real Land Energy Land Ecological Footprint

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What on Earth is an Ecological Footprint?
One Planet Living
Total area of productive land

__________________ Total human population on
planet
1.8 global hectare (gha) per person
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Footprint Comparisons

One Planet Living 1.8
NL Footprint 5.1
Scottish Footprint 5.3
UK Footprint 5.45
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Footprint Components
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Global Footprint Project

• 3 year pilot project
• Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils
• Scotland Project Steering Group
• WWF UK Footprint Project Purpose
• By 2012, to stop the UK ecological footprint from
  increasing
• By 2006, to have governments and devolved
  administrations across the UK adopting strategies
  to reduce their impact
• NLP Project Goals
• Measure NL footprint
• Develop a software tool to inform policy
• Develop a reduction strategy and projects
• Test EF as an indicator sustainable development

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Progress To Date

• North Lanarkshires Footprint measured
• Policy Analysis completed
• Identified policies that fit within the context
  of the project
• Identified policies being updated within the
  project cycle
• Footprint Reduction
• Scenario themes determined
• Testing footprint scenario software (REAP)
• Currently developing scenarios and a reduction
  strategy and actions

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Sustainable Development is Core Business

• Community Plan Vision for 2015
• A place people want to live because of the range,
  quality and affordability of the housing
  available, the safety of our communities, the
  quality and accessibility of the natural
  environment, and the quality of amenities and
  services in the area.
• A place where people live well because the
  health, well-being, and life chance of its people
  area as good as those elsewhere in Scotland.
• NLP Community Plan 2004-2008

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Sustainable Development is Core Business

• NLC Corporate Plan Strategic Issue
• Sustainability is not just about protecting the
  environment or recycling more. It is about
  achieving a balance between the environmental,
  economic and social needs of our communities. It
  is also about considering the long-term effects
  of our decisions. Because of this it is relevant
  to all parts of this corporate plan.
• NLC Corporate Plan 2004-2008

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Sustainable Development is Core Business

• Current Priorities
• Efficiency Savings
• Best Value
• Procurement
• Waste Minimisation reduce waste to landfill
• Service Improvement
• Image

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Sustainable Development at NLC

• Sustainable Development Framework and Monitoring
• Community Plan and Indicators
• Best Value reporting
• Department Service Plans
• Sustainable Development Working Group
• Ecological Footprint as a monitoring tool
• Performance Management
• Scenario Development

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How is NL using the Footprint?

• Benchmarking
• Performance management tool
• Scenario development
• Informing policy and development

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Footprint Reduction Plan

• Purpose
• To improve quality of life and reduce poverty
  without increasing North Lanarkshires footprint
• Goal
• To prioritise actions with most potential for
  reducing the footprint
• Outcomes
• Recommended policy changes based on scenario
  analysis
• Action plan for footprint reduction
• Recommend reduction projects based on scenario
  analysis (WWF funding available)
• Identify potential savings (monetary and
  emissions)

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Footprint Scenarios

Foresighting Where is society going?
Backcasting Where do we want to go?
and How do we get there? Where do we want
not to go? and How do we avoid getting there?
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Scenario Justifications

• Footprint reduction potential
• Policies and projects being updated within
  project cycle
• Link to Community and Corporate Plans
• Link with Strategic Environmental Assessment
  (SEA)
• Links to Best Value work
• Opportunity to reconcile environmental impact and
  cost

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Footprint Scenarios

• 1. Local Plan
• 2. Ravenscraig
• 3. Council Procurement

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Local Plan

• Justification
• Currently being updated as a single plan for all
  of NL
• Currently undergoing consultation
• Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) to be
  conducted on new plan
• Opportunity to improve quality of developments
• Informs development up to 2013
• Footprint reduction potential energy, transport,
  construction waste, housing

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Local Plan

• Central Question
• What criteria can ensure quality developments
  whilst continuing to encourage investment in NL?
• Scenario Criteria
• sustainable construction and procurement
  practices
• developer buy-in
• contractor capacity
• Footprint Outcomes
• Sustainable design statements and criteria
• Footprint Score for developments

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Council Procurement

• Justification
• Currently being updated and centralised
• Central to Best Value
• Opportunity to reconcile environmental impact and
  cost
• Footprint reduction potential consumables,
  services, transport, housing, food

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Council Procurement

• Central Question
• What are the essential aspects of a Procurement
  Policy that will ensure value for money and give
  consideration to environmental impacts?
• Scenario Criteria
• Cost
• Sustainable resource use
• Council control (centralised purchasing)
• Footprint Outcomes
• Food ABC core 100 items for school meals
• Energy reduce consumption reduce cost

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Case Study Ravenscraig Phase 1

• Justification
• Largest brownfield development
• Historic significance of site
• Planning Tool
• Footprint reduction potential energy, transport,
  waste, housing, services
• The essence of the new Ravenscraig is the
  creation of a sustainable, integrated urban
  community complete with jobs, housing, schools,
  shopping, leisure and community facilities, parks
  and wildlife corridors, all linked by an
  integrated transport system that anticipates the
  diverse and changing commercial and social needs
  of a new community. The development will serve
  as a catalyst for the continuing growth of the
  Lanarkshire economy.
• Ravenscraig Investors Brochure

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Case Study Ravenscraig Phase 1

• Central Question
• What criteria is needed to encourage the
  continued investment in this development without
  compromising its potential environment and social
  benefits?
• alternatively
• Can a development of this size be built without
  increasing our footprint?
• Scenario Criteria
• Sustainable development principles
• Developer and Partnership buy-in
• Inclusive and Coherent society
• Footprint Outcome
• Consultee on Area Planning Brief and applications
• Developer buy-in to SD principles through design

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EF Results Ravenscraig ADB1
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Whats Next?

• Footprint Scenarios and Reduction Plan to be
  approved
• CMT
• Council Members
• Community Planning Partners
• Sustainable Development Statement and Indicators
• May include Ecological Footprint
• Community Plan Indicators

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Want to Know More?

• Scotlands Global Footprint website
• www.scotlandsfootprint.org
• Download your LA footprint online for FREE! And
  learn about the footprint scenario software..
• www.wwflearning.org.uk/ecobudget/

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Ecological Footprinting in North Lanarkshire

• Amie Fulton
• Global Footprint Project Coordinator
• Tel [phone]
• Email fultona_at_northlan.gov.uk