Bureau Landscape Ecology i n t e r d i s z i p l i n ä r    . .  .  deutsche Version Harald J. Orthaber A-1170 Vienna Tel./Fax.: +43-1-484 64 13  e-mail:h.orthaber@fli.at	FLi	to the field 'Remote Sensing': ... Project work in this field is now only carried out in the socio-ecological impact sphere!
Project management in the service of sustainable development Entrance - Company, Characteristics&Profile  Products & Services  Development work zfs initiative References, Contacts, Links

Company - brief description

The 'Fachbüro Landschaftsökologie interdisziplinär FLi e.U.' includes services for the implementation of self-developed, economic framework instruments in the socio-ecological social area of the municipal and regional level, networked with regions of other states. This means preparation, implementation and sometimes further support of the operators and involved persons of the offered instruments.

Social - ecological - economic - solidarity: A variety of changes in economic activity and behavior require accompanying training and environmental consulting in the use of the new instruments in public institutions, among economic operators and also simply among consumers. In addition, accompanying measures have to be defined, so that a broad spectrum of interdisciplinary interacting fields has to be involved.

Measurement methods - a biometric measure: 'You can't manage what you can't measure' (R.S. Kaplan) - Especially in the use of nature, measurement methods are used which for the first time allow a reliable balance of all our economic and social areas of life.

Remote sensing in the service of a long-term economy: From more than 10 years of experience in the field of remote sensing, special evaluation methods for environmental data acquisition are used to record the sustainability of land use structures, the bioproductive carrying capacity of the study area and change documentation, from continuous processes or through damaging events. The Earth, as our spaceship worthy of protection, is thus placed under the care of sustainable limits to its management, and in the long term, people are provided with globally solidary fair access to their natural resources.

Collaborations: Collaboration with a pool of spatial planning, legal, and technical planning and engineering firms ensures the operational advancement of implementation. Furthermore, environmental service providers, who are especially interested in a social-ecological synopsis, are cooperation partners.

Contact persons and benefits: For reasons of immediate step-by-step implementation, the service offer is directed at the administrative bodies and all their citizens of the municipalities and regions (mergers of municipalities). As far as subsidies are concerned, regional and state authorities are also addressed. After successful showcase projects, higher level administrations are also targeted. In detail, it addresses educational institutions, companies and citizens for awareness raising as well as producers (companies) and consumers for their planning activities.
  
The benefit is primarily in the interest of the state community, the preservation of a diverse nature for us humans, a future guarantee of a 'healthy' diet (free of pollutants, soil protection) and not least it is about the solution of distribution issues of vital natural resources for the preservation of peace for us and for the benefit of future generations.

Entrepreneur profile and team

Company founder Harald: PhD at the Technical University of Dresden,  M.Sc. in Engineering of Landscape Ecology and Landscape Design, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences Vienna, HTL-Engineer of Electrotechnics Year and place of birth 1957, Bruck/Mur, Austria; from 1978 to 1983 telecommunications technician and systems engineer at the satellite earth station Aflenz; from 1983 to 1992 studies of landscape ecology and landscape design at the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences in Vienna, specializing in satellite image data processing (from 1989); studies at the Bavarian State Office for Water Management, Dept. Soil Utilization in Munich (1988) and at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, Remote Sensing Group in Birmensdorf, Switzerland (1991); from 1992 to 1995 project and department management of the remote sensing division at Greenteam CONSULT, Leoben; 1996 foundation of the technical office 'FLi - Remote Sensing and Landscape Ecology in Engineering'; Development work in the field of satellite image data processing and doctoral thesis at the Technical University of Dresden, Faculty of Forestry, Geosciences and Hydrosciences (viva, 1999); patent submission 1999 (resulting from the doctoral thesis at the TU-Dresden) for a method of satellite image data preprocessing / atmospheric correction - granted: 2008; cooperation with universities and research institutes in the submission, coordination and implementation of EU projects; from 2005 technical restructuring of the technical office to 'FLi - Fachbüro Landschaftsökologie interdisziplinär' with the now focus on the development and regional implementation of socio-ecological and socio-political economic instruments for the sustainable use and distribution of renewable natural resources. On the occasion of the project start of ProNaWi with Oct. 2019, new foundation of the enterprise with commercial court company registration 'Fachbüro Landschaftsökologie interdisziplinär FLi e.U.' on 24 Dec. 2019.

Mariella: Diploma in Ecology, Division of Limnology at the University of Vienna; Master in Technical Environmental Management and Ecotoxicology at the FH Technikum Wien, Master thesis on Environmental Assessment Systems in Austria; Diploma in Social Pedagogy Sustainable living, taking care of our environment & nature and making mindful and eco-social choices in everyday areas of life such as food consumption should not be empty phrases. Therefore I dedicate some of my time besides my work as a social worker to the areas of environmental protection (nature reserve monitoring) and sustainable living (eco-pedagogical workshops). I am working with great motivation in the ProNaWi project, because the goal of eco-social product labeling at the point of sale should not remain a vision, but become reality. Mariella will leave the company when the project ends at the end of March 2022 and devote more time to her limnological field work. Together with her social-pedagogical field of work, she has reached the limit of her workload. However, she will remain in contact. FLi will continue to focus on FairNaWi from April 2022.

Julia: Bachelor in Environmental and Bioresource management at the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna; ongoing double degree Master program EnvEuro Environmental Sciences focus on Soil, Water and Biodiversity at BOKU and University of Copenhagen   When assisting ProNaWi, I had the opportunity to participate in a project whose implementation can be a component for the transformation of the economic system.  The focus is on transparency and communication of environmental impacts of products. The previous knowledge from various disciplines acquired during my studies quickly proved to be helpful, because ProNaWi bridges in between the ecological responsibility and the socio-economic context. Again and again, the complexity of the system results in challenges that can only be overcome with perseverance and creativity.  Thus, for me, this work means one thing above all: constant learning. Julia left the company on 30.9.21 and is now devoting herself full-time to her Master's degree in Copenhagen. We wish her every success!

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Products and Services, .. ProNaWi - a vision takes off

ProNaWi launched at the beginning of Oct. 2019  (https://pronawi.at - )

Hans Peter Aubauer named product labeling of all goods and services as the first step to be able to implement his concept of personal resource share trading. This was after he published his basic principles for this in Ecological Economics in 2006 and I began to study his implementation concept. His starting point for finding a practical solution to eliminate the monetary and social imbalance and the exploitation of nature in our consumer economy step by step in one go started already in the 1980s when it became obvious that an eco-tax (reform) was bound to fail both politically and technically. We did not expect that it would take more than 10 years from 2006 to take this first step, but we are sure that he would have been pleased. He died unexpectedly in 2014. Although the present take-off was not the most straightforward path - it is in itself 'putting the cart before the horse', as it is largely labelled at the end of the value chain. At the given time of the project as well as to the economic and socio-political context, a well thought-out product labeling at the beginning of the production and supply chain - right after the natural extraction of the goods at the market entry, was feasible but not realistic enough regarding a subsequent implementation. A mixture of all possibilities, which can start up anywhere in the production and supply chain, was therefore appealing and additionally innovative.

Thus, the focus was initially placed on a special assessment tool (machine learning tool). The challenging task is to perform a rough measurement of the products with an indicator value based on sparse article core data and statistical factor data from the environmental databases. Despite this achievement, its application potential would thus not yet stand out significantly from many competing developments. The unique selling point will only be achieved through a relatively simple but clever process integrated into the overall assessment. This gradually replaces the statistical ML assessment or other rough initial assessment with ecological accounting with real data. Thus, step by step, we get right to that point where we would be if product labeling had been started at the beginning of the production and supply chain. This capability of the tool can be used governmentally and also regionally/municipally and can be developed into instruments with additional facilities (resource eco-accounts, voucher systems, resource exchange/governmental, second currency/regional ...).
.. so that GO ProNaWi GO ...

ProNaWi is thus only the beginning! Which variants are desired ...

The 'homework' of the initial labeling of products is only the 'entrance ticket' for various application areas in the economy and society. This palette ranges from awareness raising, to concrete improvement measures of environmental burdens, to their reports in the companies and finally to the social-ecological sustainability goals that can be achieved in planning. The latter concern the whole society of production, consumption in work and leisure. It is that vision which, as a positive utopia, provides personal freedom with social limits so as not to endanger this freedom ecologically. This vision is implemented regionally ultimately by an amazingly simple down-to-earth instrument: time money, personal money creation and earth share. Perhaps it may be top-heavy to conceive of this instrument as a linkage of three specially constructed basic components, consisting of a legal sphere (distributing, equality, money), a spiritual sphere (thinking, freedom, personal money creation), and an economic sphere (acting with natural goods, brotherhood, earth share). The parallelism to the anthroposophy of Rudolf Steiner was noticed only in the course of the compilation of these basic components. As mentioned, however, the implementation and handling is easier than first thought and would even simplify the existing system. Apart from larger or more large-scale liabilities of the exchange of goods and securities, the concept can be organized regionally/locally independently and can be used worldwide. The concept is named FairNaWi (Fair and Nature-Adapted Economics) and can be considered a profound transformational force. Nevertheless, its basic ecological component as an instrument including a transitional solution of tax reorganization, as proposed by Hans Peter Aubauer, can also be introduced and implemented at the state level in the existing economic system.

The range of services offered thus includes two governmental and one regional topic area(s) as contract research or as a contract project, which can also be used side by side.
The range of services offered thus includes two governmental and one regional topic area(s) as contract research or as a contract project, which can also be used side by side.
Our development of a tool for sustainability assessment on the basis of products (but ultimately also on the basis of services) allows the use of new steering instruments at the person level, as they were already investigated in detail in the MoZert project, financed by the Climate and Energy Fund, in 2012. The application is open to indicators on the basis of our tool. In addition, numerous other characteristics and information about the production and treatment of the product along its value chain up to the current location of the product can be transported/provided for its consumers.

At the state level: (ProNaWi)
Topic area 1: Fossil fuel/combustion phase-out, at the state level - CO2eq personal emission reduction scheme by plan
 
On 4/22/2021 it was announced in the ORF-news that the EU has set a CO2 emission reduction from 45% now to 55% by 2030 (NGOs, however, wanted one of minus 65% to be able to meet the 2050 path to near zero or to CO2 neutrality). Media are already skeptical about this again. Accordingly, we must now become more progressive and propose appropriate project proposals, which are to be implemented promptly, as significant support for this and offer the ministries. Together with other experts who already have experience with such instruments, we want to tackle this task.
 
Technical/methodological notes: The method can use a simplified assessment of fossil fuels along the product chain, adapted to emissions trading, or a more complex assessment as implemented with the ML tool. A complex allocation problem of emission rights to the participants as in emissions trading does not exist (basics for such methods can be found in the climate fund project MoZert). Complex compensation measures should not be associated with this. In principle, only a bonus-malus system or minor modifications thereof should apply between the participants.
Our ProNaWi product includes a) a ML assessment tool for unlabeled incoming goods products and b) a company allocation tool that adds the gate-to-gate footprint of the particular company where the assessment tool is used (for trading companies, this would be the result of the footprint value at the shelf for goods sales).

Topic area 2: Food security/preservation of bioproductive valuable land, at state level BCF/EF person-based scheme to adjust natural resource use to sustainable levels according to plan
 
This theme can also be used as an alternative to the emission reduction scheme. It works analogously to it, but uses land use indicators. It is about gradually adjusting (increasing for countries/regions already below or decrease for others) the ecological footprint to a sustainable level, protecting bioproductive land for food security and, last but not least, ensuring "access to land" as a modern form of land reform that carries a basic supply character for all.
 
Technical/methodological notes: We had included three of these indicators in our concept initially during baseline development (Ecological Footprint - EF, Biomass Carbon Footprint - BCF, Sustainable Process Index - SPI). Based on the data situation, the BCF would be the least problematic (in ecoinvent, except for direct area evidence of buildings, the data are available - fortunately, the C-calculations are calculated identically there, as in the BCF study - Orthaber, H.J., 2018; potential area data/fertility on cadastral level have to be collected or organized remotely). However, a connection to the well-known EF is useful (pedagogically already very well known and carrier of a global network) and accordingly a conversion or adaptation to its evaluation scheme is appropriate. Whether and how a use of the SPI is possible based on the data situation and a meaningful linkage must be discussed with their developers.

at the regional level: (FairNaWi)
Topic area 3: Food security/preservation of bioproductive valuable land, at regional level BCF/EF person-based scheme to adapt natural resource use at sustainable levels according to plan
 
In principle, the emission reduction scheme could also be applied regionally if the state is not willing to do so. Since food is closer to people's immediate mental sensibilities and is also easier to communicate regionally/locally than the abstract, longer-term, larger-scale climate issue, only the variant with bioproductive land use is mentioned here. However, it involves the same functionality as at the state level (topic area 2).
 
The implementation on the regional level, however, requires a more far-reaching transformation of our economy on the one hand, but on the other hand it leads exactly to the point of our socio-political and ecological crisis problem, which generally would like to be solved but this is widely unimaginable. With good will, however, the implementation is less utopian than thought and even fits into our economic thinking and into our legislation and financial structure (taxation, Financial Market Authority). The implementation is therefore not a major additional effort in itself. All financial technical facilities can be used and it would 'only' need the political will and their support. The idea was developed by the initiative FairNaWi.org (association) in its present form since 2014 (FairNavi.org could act internationally in future). The three components came from various ideas of providers. FairNaWi had taken care of their combination. The idea only sets the rough framework. It must be qualitatively filled out by many of our already existing developments and partly also be newly adapted.
 
In a nutshell, three basic components are used a) a second 'currency' which is used as time accounting (so it is not a currency at all in this sense) and has been used almost everywhere in our economy for a long time as an effort measurement basis, b) a personal (money) creation right in this respect as a quasi 'monetary' basic supply and then c) our tool with the labeling and the personal scheme for bonus-malus control via product consumption. The overall system could initially also serve as an emergency system in the event of an economic collapse. The applicability is possible globally. Presentations and offers for cooperation by FairNaWi take place continuously, e.g. at the DorfUni (comments and postings on the event in Bad Radkersburg in Dec. 2020, video recording from 1h21Min, H. Orthaber - see  hier, a note on the project ProNaWi was posted) and at the Forum Seitenstetten on 12.4.2021 (https://www.forum-seitenstetten.net/, dialogue between H. Orthaber - FairNaWi, Jochum-Müller - Zeitpolster and Irmgard Stadler - Soziale Dreigliederung). In addition, the topic is disseminated at the Civil Society Initiative (https://initiative-zivilgesellschaft.at/) and at various public events (see in this matter also the already longstanding zfs-Initiatve).
 
Technical/methodological notes: Initially, only 'workshops' and experience workshops in communities are planned as preliminary projects, in order to make the function and mode of action tangible in a playful way. Technical aids must be compiled again for this (use of product valuation tools, APs).

Project references, presentations and publications

Working period on environmental consulting/resource economy regional/state - from 2004 onwards

The company reorientation of the conversion years 2005-2011 were characterized by numerous NGO public relations work / working groups / concept development for resource management and publications. The phase of project acquisition started in 2012. An integration of remote sensing into this resource management concept will be considered again from this point on.

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FLi

Collaborations and networks

		© SERI - Sustainable Europe Research Institute GmbH Special focus: The Sustainable Europe Research Institute (SERI) is a pan-European think tank that researches the possibilities of sustainable development for European societies. For financial reasons, the company in Vienna unfortunately had to close its doors in 2020, after about 20 years of successful activity. However, project offers and services are still placed on the homepage in connection with a partner company SERI Germany e.V., Germany/Cologne (https://www.seri.de/). SERI was also a project cooperation partner of FairNaWi: https://www.seri.at/fairnawi/
		SonnenZeit - Wirtschaft für ein gutes Leben Special focus: The initiative "SonnenZeit - Economy for a Good Life" combines a regional producer- consumer community with a regional currency and a spending-based basic income. The initiative was founded by Gerhard Zwingler, but is currently in a self-reflection phase for a relaunch. Cooperation partners of FairNaWi
		Initiative ERDpapiere (Projektkooperative-Partnerinitiative) Special focus: Organization for Sustainable Business, Vienna. The initiative is currently dormant and its homepage has been taken offline until further notice. e-mail: Maga Gudrun Zecha <office@erdpapiere.org> Project cooperative with FairNaWi: http://www.erdpapiere.org/.../vision-konzept/projekt-fairnawi/
		akaryon GmbH  Special focus: akaryon is specialized in internet solutions in the field of sustainability and in the support of funding applications. e-mail: Maga Petra Bußwald <busswald@akaryon.com>
		Initiative Zivilgesellschaft (Civil Society Initiative) Special focus: The Civil Society Initiative is an alliance of forward-looking civil society forces. It brings together organizations, projects and civil society actors throughout Austria who believe that change is necessary for society as a whole. zfs is a network member: http://initiative-zivilgesellschaft.at/die-mitglieder/
		Platform Footprint  Special focus: The Footprint Platform is an alliance of environmental and development policy organizations that aims to anchor the "Ecological Footprint" as an essential measure for the sustainability of our society. e-mail: office(at)footprint.at, the platform was overtaken in 2020 by Michael Schwingshackl as chairman of the association. zfs is a network member, associates are trained as Footprint multipliers
		Netzwerk footprinting  Special focus: In the Footprinting Network, experts meet to exchange knowledge and experience on the topic of footprint analyses. zfs is a network member: http://www.netzwerkfootprinting.at/zsf-zukunftsforum-systemwandel/
Further partners in projects and project planning:
BOKU, Inst.f.Waldbau Abt.Getreide                   Inst. f. Prozess- u. Partikeltechnik    Abt. Gemüse- bau LFZ  Raumberg- Gumpenstein Abt.Grünland-Pflanzenbau         Forschungsinstitut für biologischen Landbau