How Can a Household Reduce its Ecological Footprint? : An Example from Hungary

Abstract

Literature extensively uses ecological footprint accounts to measure the natural resource use of human consumption patterns. Beyond national-level accounts, there is a wide range of literature on calculating ecological footprints at the sub-national, regional, or even micro level. However, there seems to be surprisingly little research on how different urban neighborhoods relate to each other in terms of their ecological footprint. The study employs a literature review and the results of an ecological footprint calculation based on the inputoutput methodology to investigate what households can do to reduce their ecological footprint in various urban neighborhoods. Furthermore, this study builds on the gap that earlier research has uncovered that different households in different neighborhoods consume in different ways, however, complex estimates of reduction opportunities have not been carried out. The results indicate that the choice of housing is the most important intervention point. This has an impact on available transport options, heating types, and food choices. The research results indicate significant potential for reducing the ecological footprint by promoting individual motivation (e.g., the use of public transport) and developing a policy support system (e.g., incentives for energy-efficient investments). Every household has the potential to reduce its ecological footprint, but the methods to achieve this may differ. The greatest impact is expected from modernizing heating, but using public transport and switching to a plant-based diet can also be effective. The research results indicate that the ecological footprint values of different dwelling types are similar, but the potential for reduction varies. It seems encouraging that sustainability appears to be an important issue for young people, but positive scenarios may be threatened by the fact that they feel less inclined to make significant changes in their behavior that would reduce their ecological footprint.