Eco-action
Encyclopedia
An eco-action is any action or activity within a program that is intended to have a positive impact on the environment
. For this reason it is often used as a synonym for environmental action.
People adopting eco-actions tend to specifically target activities around the ‘Three Rs’ of the waste hierarchy
, Reducing, Reusing and Recycling
. They may decide to carry out small-scale eco-friendly actions such as reducing the volume of paper used in offices, or purchasing products only from companies that have environmentally friendly
or sustainability
policies. Others may adopt eco-actions that affect where they live by cleaning up beaches, removing graffiti
, supporting community gardening
, and re-planting coastal wetland
s because the immediate community has come to be considered part of their ecosystem
.
, and those that are part of larger alliances such as the Clean Water Network.
There has been a recent trend where eco-actions have begun attracting leadership from a national standpoint with several governments stepping in .
Canada’s “EcoAction Community Funding program” encourages inner city residents to take actions that improve their communities. The government of Japan backs companies that reward citizens with “eco action points” when they take positive action toward the environment.
Industries have begun adopt eco-labels too. The Marine Stewardship Council
adopted its own label for commercial and non-commercial use, with specific guidelines . Such emerging interest has been supplemented by the development of measurement tools that can evaluate and track such individual or group behavior over time. The best examples of this development are the emergence of ecological footprint
calculators such as carbon footprint
and water footprint
calculators, and new mapping tools. As interest in eco-action grows we will see consumers demand for better ecolabel
ing, and standardized eco-certification programs.
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
. For this reason it is often used as a synonym for environmental action.
People adopting eco-actions tend to specifically target activities around the ‘Three Rs’ of the waste hierarchy
Waste hierarchy
The waste hierarchy refers to the 3 Rs of reduce, reuse, recycle, or and [ which classify waste management strategies according to their desirability. The Rs are meant to be a hierarchy, in order of importance...
, Reducing, Reusing and Recycling
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
. They may decide to carry out small-scale eco-friendly actions such as reducing the volume of paper used in offices, or purchasing products only from companies that have environmentally friendly
Environmentally friendly
Environmentally friendly are terms used to refer to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies claimed to inflict minimal or no harm on the environment....
or sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
policies. Others may adopt eco-actions that affect where they live by cleaning up beaches, removing graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
, supporting community gardening
Community gardening
A community garden is a single piece of land gardened collectively by a group of people.-Purpose:Community gardens provide fresh produce and plants as well as satisfying labor, neighborhood improvement, sense of community and connection to the environment...
, and re-planting coastal wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s because the immediate community has come to be considered part of their ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
.
Widening trend
Eco-action groups tend to be small and unstructured but as their influence grows, their ideas are being co-opted by environmental action groups, sometimes backed by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) like Worldwatch InstituteWorldwatch Institute
The Worldwatch Institute is a globally focused environmental research organization based in Washington, D.C. Worldwatch was named as one of the top ten sustainable development research organizations by Globescan Survey of Sustainability Experts.-Mission:...
, and those that are part of larger alliances such as the Clean Water Network.
There has been a recent trend where eco-actions have begun attracting leadership from a national standpoint with several governments stepping in .
Canada’s “EcoAction Community Funding program” encourages inner city residents to take actions that improve their communities. The government of Japan backs companies that reward citizens with “eco action points” when they take positive action toward the environment.
Industries have begun adopt eco-labels too. The Marine Stewardship Council
Marine Stewardship Council
The Marine Stewardship Council is an independent non-profit organization with an ecolabel and fishery certification programme. Fisheries that are assessed and meet the standard can use the MSC blue ecolabel. The MSC mission is to 'reward sustainable fishing practices’...
adopted its own label for commercial and non-commercial use, with specific guidelines . Such emerging interest has been supplemented by the development of measurement tools that can evaluate and track such individual or group behavior over time. The best examples of this development are the emergence of ecological footprint
Ecological footprint
The ecological footprint is a measure of human demand on the Earth's ecosystems. It is a standardized measure of demand for natural capital that may be contrasted with the planet's ecological capacity to regenerate. It represents the amount of biologically productive land and sea area necessary to...
calculators such as carbon footprint
Carbon footprint
A carbon footprint has historically been defined as "the total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organization, event, product or person.". However, calculating a carbon footprint which conforms to this definition is often impracticable due to the large amount of data required, which is...
and water footprint
Water footprint
The water footprint of an individual, community or business is defined as the total volume of freshwater used to produce the goods and services consumed by the individual or community or produced by the business. Water use is measured in water volume consumed and/or polluted per unit of time. A...
calculators, and new mapping tools. As interest in eco-action grows we will see consumers demand for better ecolabel
Ecolabel
Ecolabels and Green Stickers are labelling systems for food and consumer products. Ecolabels are often voluntary, but Green Stickers are mandated by law in North America for major appliances and automobiles. They are a form of sustainability measurement directed at consumers, intended to make it...
ing, and standardized eco-certification programs.
Eco-certification programs
- Sustainable Tourism Eco-Certification Program (STEP)http://www.sustainabletravelinternational.org/documents/sustainabletourismcertification.html
- Global Ecolabelling Network http://www.globalecolabelling.net/index.html