(pronounced FUT-print)

We’re not referring to the delicate impression that you lovely little feet make on the beach or the muddy blemishes that you track on the rug after working in the garden all morning. In a literal sense, this kind of footprint has to do with the amount of floor space that a piece of furniture or equipment occupies in a room or the amount of real estate that an entire building sits upon. In the former, one is usually speaking in general terms – e.g., “That sectional takes up too much of a footprint in the lobby.” In the latter, one is usually speaking in specific terms – e.g., “We can’t build a structure with a footprint of more than 3,500 square feet on this property because it’s zoned for 25% green space.” More recently, the word footprint is being used to refer to the slightly less tangible amount of particular pollutants / carbon emissions / general waste that a person, product, or process subject on the Earth’s ecosystem – e.g., “I ride my bicycle everyday to work because it lessens my daily environmental footprint.”