What is an eco-footprint?

Ecological footprint is a measure of energy and resources used by an individual, organization, product or event, converted into an equivalent area of land required to support the use of those resources.  While the measurement methods vary, it is clear that large sporting events can leave significant ecological footprints. 

The largest contributors to an event’s footprint are transport, food consumption and waste generation.  Just imagine, if half of the spectators who typically travel to sporting events by car switched to bus, the ecological footprint generated through transport would shrink by approximately 15-20%.  Likewise, substituting chicken in place of beef in snacks can reduce the food’s production footprint by about a third.  Additionally, a selective waste collection system cuts the footprint of waste generated by 25-30%.

You can find out more about your ecological footprint at the WWF’s website.