Ecometrics
Broadly defined, Ecometrics is a way to evaluate if an activity is contributing to more sustainable systems of production and consumption.
Ecometrics is a system of statistical extrapolation and interpolation that uses principles of resource management in economic and environmental studies to analyze trends in consumption.
The term was originally trademarked by Interface Global, a corporation founded by Ray Anderson.
There are many applications of Ecometrics for Environmental Impact Calculators[3][4][5][6] infographics, and for political analysis.
Because the parameters of ecometrics vary drastically for any activity, the applications of its resulting measurements are sometimes unilateral.
Applied ecometrics exposes the complexity of making sustainable decisions, especially given other humanitarian goals such as third world economic development.
In this way ecometrics shows any choice within consumption and production systems as wicked problems.
An instance of ecometrics is if a restaurant is determining whether to use an electric hand dryer over paper towels, they must determine: If this restaurant is located in an area with great solar potential, it is likely that a hand dryer could encourage for more solar infrastructure by being an additional load.
The decisions of consumer agents cause change for the world, and in analyzing the comprehensive impact of individuals and societal practices; ecometrics quantitatively defines sustainable development.
As there are diverse environmental and economic parameters, there are numerous unique case studies for ecometric application.
The cases that are discussed here are libraries, agricultural food systems, and labeling programs.
Transparent labeling programs have been employed to establish coherent truths on the social, environmental or health impacts of products.
Several illustrations are GoodGuide, EPA Fuel Economy and Environment, Fair Trade, and LEED.
Labeling programs can expose major factors of sustainable or unsustainable consumption cycles.
The factors of conventional consumption cycles are challenged by labeling programs that seek to promote sustainable systems.
By encouraging conscious consumerism, one can not only limit their environmental impact, but also save money.
[13] A simple example of an ecometric calculation that can be used to estimate a car's comprehensive cost is: The development of industrial agricultural systems for the food economy is the utilization of energy flows to provide for more economical and widespread production.
Although energy flows between trophic levels is an elementary part of life, modern day industrial practices impacts the environment, prompting greater threats to sustainability.
The earth is an open system in regards to energy, it is constantly accepting it in the form of solar radiation.
The energy that is used for growth is assimilated into new tissue or reproduction and is the net production stored as a result for this process.
We can use the following to amount the carbon impacts of travel miles: We can use the following parameters to compare the environmental impacts of the two cities: This comparison assumes that truckloads of meat and nutritional feed contain the same amount of calories, and does not take into account the energy cost of refrigeration systems, packaging, or other industrial processes that are involved(fertilization).
The majority of these factors that are unaccounted for in the estimation increase the amount of energy resources that are needed.
Humans within the agricultural ecosystem are the nth degree consumers and have the ability to make dietary decisions.
Conventional consumption as a process flows as products are constructed from scratch and are disposed of at the end of a chain of events.
Products and resources within conscious cycles participate in the stages of a closed loop by serving a purpose multiple times.
Finished consumer products within any market are made from materials that are created in specific conditions that permit a cost-effective creation.
While this often reduces the cost as much as possible, it also increase the impact of the product through the globalized translation of sustainability and shipment miles.
