Across all landscapes, across all industries, ReScape’s tenet to act locally is not only inextricably linked to our other principles, but it is a crucial perspective that addresses the importance of minimizing the ecological footprint of a business and its product supply chain. For example, using products and supplies from local sources decreases the distances that materials must travel, thus minimizing fuel consumption and emissions. Buy locally and specify low embodied energy/carbon footprint materials that consume less energy and fuel in the material procurement, manufacture, shipping and installation, and end-use disposal.

The cornerstone of our Reduce Waste Principle is “do not create it from the start.” Transform every element of our take-make-waste system: how we manage resources, how we make and use products, and what we do with the materials afterwards. Design and engineer products, stores, spaces, and venues using recycled and/or salvaged materials. Reduce waste + circulate resources = nature regenerated.

Healthy soil is a living ecosystem—a large community of living organisms linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. A teaspoon of soil is home to billions of microorganisms—bacteria, fungi, nematodes, insects, and earthworms that play essential roles. Countless goods and products come from materials and resources grown in the ground. Live soil has a higher capacity to store water, provide plant nutrients, filter pollution, and chemicals, retain water, and store carbon.

The Sequester Carbon principle recognizes the powerful potential for slowing climate change by increasing the amount of carbon pulled from the atmosphere and stored in plant material and the soil. Businesses that establish workflow and procedures that integrate carbon sequestration practices can contribute to the necessary decrease in GHG emissions.

Without water, there is no life. The growing scarcity of freshwater due to rising water demands and a changing climate is a major risk for the global economy. Water shortage and pollution pose a physical threat to companies, affecting operations and supply chains. An estimated 22% of global water consumption and pollution relates to the production of export commodities. Companies should strive towards zero water footprint in industrial operations, which can be achieved through nullifying evaporation losses, full water recycling, and recapturing chemicals and heat from used water flow.

The impact of energy use on climate change is far-reaching. Energy use accounts for nearly 2/3 of total global greenhouse gas emissions. Understanding the energy demands you are making as an individual and business is vital. For example, an estimated 30% of all outdoor lighting in the U.S. is wasted, primarily by light fixtures that are not shielded, adding up to as much as a $3.3 billion loss and the release of 21 million tons of carbon dioxide per year. Selecting resources with efficient and low embodied energy amplifies environmental benefits and maximizes energy conservation.

Awareness of the effects of manufacturing and processing practices is essential to protecting our ecosystem. Chemicals and pollutants leach into a drain, and then the river and eventually the ocean. Environmentally sound practices enhance water and air quality by minimizing contaminants in urban runoff, reducing emissions and absorbing air pollutants.

Biodiversity loss is accelerating at an unprecedented rate and is ranked in the top 5 global risks. The loss of a biodiverse ecosystem refers to the loss of plants and animals and threatens all life, including humans, on our planet. Not only exquisitely beautiful and life-giving at profound levels, a healthy ecosystem of thriving habitat also provides countless numbers of benefits: soil stabilization, carbon sequestration, cooling, remediation and bio-filtration, erosion control, protection of water and air quality, drought resistance.