News & Media
News and Media
Scottish study hails REAP
- A successful tool for mechanisam for knowledge transfer (KT) from researcher to policy maker and end-user.
REAP, SEI's highly sophisticated model that helps policy makers to understand and measure the environmental pressures associated with human consumption, has been praised by in a report commissioned by The Implementation Strategies for Sustainable Urban Environment Systems (ISSUES), part of the Sustainable Urban Environment Programme funded by EPSRC.
The report explored the main KT drivers and used REAP as one of two case studies linking research on carbon management and behavioural change.
In concluded that the REAP project was successful at disseminating information originally developed by researchers because of a number of influencing factors:
- The original Ecological Budgets project was end-user orientated and funded by the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme, a grant initiative.
- WWF Scotland‟s strategic role throughout the project ensured that key connections between the Scottish Government legislation, SEI researchers and LAs were made.
- The Sustainable Scotland Network guided Councils though REAP software and ensured a high uptake of the tool. Lessons from the pilot projects allowed other councils to build work that had been done before.
- In addition, the Scottish Government implemented sustainable development legislation and followed up this up with support, for example as funding for the Local Footprints Project.
About REAP
REAP can be used at the local, regional and national levels and generates indicators on:
- Carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions measured in tonnes per capita.
- The Ecological Footprint required to sustain an area in global hectares per capita
- The Material Flows of products and services through an area measured in thousands of tonnes.
Read more about REAP here.
