Ecological Footprint
/ˌiː.kəˈlɒdʒ.ɪ.kəl ˈfʊt.prɪnt/noun
A measure of the biologically productive land and water needed to support human consumption and absorb associated waste.
Did you know?The term was developed in the early 1990s by Canadian ecologist William E. Rees and his student Mathis Wackernagel as a way to express human demand on nature’s regenerative capacity.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ped-
“Foot; the root behind the “foot” element of footprint.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
oîkos
“Household or dwelling; the root of ecology, originally suggesting the study or management of a shared household.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
oikología
“Study of the household; the source of modern ecology.”
Old English
Old English
fōt
“Foot; a body part used as a unit of length and later associated with tracks or impressions.”
15th Century
English
footprint
“An impression or track left by a foot.”
1866
German
Ökologie
“Ernst Haeckel’s term for the study of organisms in relation to their environment.”
1990s
English
ecological footprint
“A sustainability metric measuring the biologically productive area required to support human demand and absorb waste.”
Explore more surprising origins