We Help Cities

Zerofootprint Cities is an online application that can help engage the citizens of your city in the fight against climate change. The web-based carbon calculator and social network application will be customized for your city in terms of language, questions, emissions factors and metrics. It can scale up to many millions of users, who access it over the web for free. Zerofootprint Cities will enable your citizens to measure, manage and track their carbon footprint, and connect and collaborate with others who share similar environmental goals. Your city can use the information gathered by the application to inform green initiatives and city-wide challenges. The application also links to a marketplace of green products and services, as well as events and news, thereby promoting sustainable commerce.

Zerofootprint Cities was announced by Toronto’s Mayor David Miller in May 2007 at the C40 Large Cities Climate Summit in New York. He challenged the mayors of the world’s largest cities to also ‘zerofootprint’ their cities. Other cities and regional governments that have already accepted the challenge include City of Seattle; City of Boulder, Colorado; City of Evanston, Illinois; City of Vaughan, Ontario; and the State of Alabama.

Cities, especially large ones and when working together with other cities, are like countries without borders, and the aggregated actions of their citizens can make a significant contribution to a greener world. Knowing they are part of a larger effort gives citizens a sense of empowerment to bring about positive change.

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Zerofootprint Cities

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Zerofootprint Toronto

A partnership between The City of Toronto and Zerofootprint has led to the launch of Zerofootprint Toronto, the first massive community-wide initiative aimed at engaging citizens in the fight against climate change. The initiative, which provides free access to the Zerofootprint Toronto web-based carbon calculator and social network application, is rolling out from February 2008, and will continue over the next two years.

The announcement of Zerofootprint Toronto sparked a significant amount of local and international media coverage, including stories in The New York Times, Forbes Magazine, International Herald Tribune, Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, CBC and National Post – see these links:

On the Web, an Advanced Carbon Calculator for Personal Use
Toronto mayor announces social-networking site for green-thinking residents
Toronto unveils social site for greens
Toronto mayor tells UN summit about 'Zerofootprint' web forum
Miller asks world's cities to join T.O.'s green scheme
New web tool helps Toronto map its eco-footprint
Miller's green plan 'cool'

Zerofootprint Cities features

• Citizens can each calculate their own carbon footprint and track it through time.

• Citizens can see their footprint relative to others.

• Your city can link the “Tips” in the calculator to other current environmental initiatives.

• Your city and/or its citizens can set footprint reduction goals.

• Citizens can see the impact of achieving goals on their footprint.

• Citizens can pledge and commit to taking certain actions to meet goals.

• Citizens can see and link to others who are also using the calculator, and create or join groups around goals.

• Citizens can also use Zerofootprint’s One Minute Calculator for a quick measure of their footprint.

• The application links to a marketplace of green products services, events and news.

Zerofootprint Cities customization

You can customize Zerofootprint Cities to your requirements. We co-brand the application, and link it to your website, with your city’s logo appearing on all pages. You can tailor the questions in the carbon footprint calculator to suit your community, and we program in the appropriate emissions factors for your location which will be used for all the calculations. You can adapt the “Community” section of the application to allow challenges between groups within your city.

Because Zerofootprint Cities provides a marketplace of green products and services, as well as news and events, you can use it to foster local green commerce and other initiatives.

Zerofootprint Cities implementation

• You establish a small working group – Team Zero – to implement the application.

• The group works with Zerofootprint to customize the tool, including reviewing all the questions, tips, carbon emissions factors and other content to ensure they are relevant to your city.

• Zerofootprint develops a prototype based on your requirements and the content you provide.

• Team Zero reviews the prototype and undertakes a pilot project.

• Zerofootprint consolidates feedback, and makes the necessary changes.

• Zerofootprint helps Team Zero to identify opportunities to market the tool throughout your city.

• The Calculator is rolled out across the city.

• The Calculator collects and aggregates data, and monitors progress.

• Zerofootprint provides a quarterly report detailing and summarizing participants responses to all the questions and citizen’s goals.