Eric Miller
As Director, Eric manages multiple projects and partnerships of the initiative including the production of the National Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts. He teaches the footprint-related courses, supports students and project staff, and supports the Footprint Data Foundation as its Secretary-Treasurer. His prior work as a consulting economist has informed governments, industry, think-tanks, and NGOs. His earlier career in public service had him leading the team of economists in the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, after he had worked for the Ontario Ministry of Environment and for Environment Canada.
Kiona Lo
Kiona is a Sustainability Data Analyst at the Ecological Footprint Institute based in York university, Toronto. She recently graduated from the Master's in Environmental Studies program and the Business and Environment Diploma at York University. Her academic journey began with an undergraduate Biology degree, focusing on animal physiology and conservation. It has evolved into an interest in environmental sustainability within the private sector after she gained experience in a small business setting. In her master's program, Kiona examined the mobilization of environmentally sustainable practices in the private sector through business sustainability theories, ecological economics, systems thinking, and data analysis. Specifically, she was intrigued by the challenges and the lack of actions addressing Scope 3 emissions in organizations. This curiosity led her to conduct her master's major research on the current and best practices higher education institutions employ to reduce Scope 3 emissions. Currently, Kiona is producing the next edition of GHG emissions and ecological footprint report for York University.
MES Major Paper - Current and Best Practices for Scope3 Emissions Reductions in Higher Education Institutions – Procurement
Andrew Reeves
Andrew is a Postdoctoral Visitor contributing to the initiative's research agenda through the International Ecological Footprint Learning Lab, focussing on developing ecological macroeconomic simulation models and metrics. This includes improving and updating LowGrow SFC, a well-known ecological macroeconomic simulation model developed by Prof Emeritus Peter Victor with Prof Tim Jackson (U.K).
Neha Basnet
Neha is responsible for assisting with the development of the next edition of the National Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts, which will include research to enhance its methodology and apply its results. Her analysis includes sourcing data, transforming and cleaning it, comparing it to expected models, stewarding computer code and instructions, explaining the significance of results, and troubleshooting issues.
MES Major Paper - Assessing Effectiveness of Source Water Protection Plan in Saugeen Valley Source Water Protection Area
Peri Dworatzek
As Senior Data Analyst, Peri trains and supports the Data Analysts in producing the National Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts. She also conducts research on methodological improvements to the National Accounts and applies Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity to other scales.
Peri completed the Masters of Environmental Studies at York University, focusing her studies on sustainability informatics, ecological economics, and urban planning.
MES Major Paper - Ecosystem Service Payments as a Climate Solution: an examination into Successful Aspects of Ecosystem Service Payment Policy Programs
Kaitlin Pal
As a Research Analyst, Kaitlin’s work with the Ecological Footprint Initiative supports research mobilization and outreach on the National Footprint Accounts. She also researches applications of the Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity methodology to real-world social and environmental issues.
Bumika Srikanthalingam
As Data Analyst, Bumika is developing the 2026 Edition of the National Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts, which includes research to enhance its methodology and to apply its results. Analysis includes sourcing data, transforming and cleaning it, comparing it to expected models, stewarding computer code and instructions, troubleshooting issues, and communicating results.
Alice Hovorka
As Dean, Dr Hovorka supports the initiative's growth and development within York and beyond through global partnerships and collaborations. The initiative draws upon many strengths of York's Faculty of Environmental Studies including its interests in sustainability informatics, as the application of computational methodologies to important problems regarding the human use of the planet's regenerative capacity. Dean Hovorka represents York University as a Director of the Footprint Data Foundation and joins with its champions to enhance the global impact of ecological footprint and biocapacity accounting.
Peter Victor
As the founding Chair of the Science Advisory Committee, Dr Victor provides the Footprint Data Foundation with the committee's expert advice on the science underlying the definition and measurement of the Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity and their various components. Dr Victor is an economist who has worked on environmental issues for 50 years as an academic, consultant and public servant. He was Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Studies, Assistant Deputy Minister of the Environmental Sciences and Standards Division in the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, and principal of VHB Consulting and Victor and Burrell Research.
Tarmo Remmel
Dr. Remmel's core research incorporates aspects of spatial pattern, accuracy and uncertainty, and boreal disturbance analyses. He integrates remote sensing, GIS, and spatial analyses to better understand the physical environment. Underpinning his passion for physical geography is GIScience and understanding spatial patterns. Dr. Remmel is a key collaborator with the International Ecological Footprint Learning Lab. He is also the Principal Investigator for the Geomatics for analyzing climate change effects on ecosystems and human populations research cluster.
Martin Bunch
Dr Bunch supports the initiative by developing new research capacity and competencies at York. His research falls in the areas of in environmental management, systems theory and methodology, and environment and health. The integrating theme among these is coupled human and natural systems, or social-ecological systems. He has methodological expertise in adaptive management, soft systems methodology, ecosystem approaches, and geographical information systems (GIS) and brings these together in the application of ecosystem approaches to human health and well-being (the ecohealth approach).
Ravi de Costa
As Chair of the President’s Sustainability Council at York University, Dr de Costa supports the initiative's recognition within York and abroad, and its application to enhancing the sustainability of York University and its broader communities. In his prior role as Interim Dean, Dr de Costa supported the creation of the Ecological Footprint Initiative, the negotiation of collaborations with external partners including Global Footprint Network, and the incorporation of the Footprint Data Foundation. His research and teaching interests are in comparative approaches to Indigenous and environmental politics.
Beatrice Foley
Beatrice enhanced IEFLL training by developing standalone learning modules, and other content that will further the project’s goals of increasing knowledge and skills. Beatrice also co-produced the 2025 Edition of the National Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts by acquiring and analysing international data and researching ways to enhance the account's methodology and uptake of its results.
Anna Long
Anna co-produced the 2025 Edition of the National Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts by acquiring and analysing international data and researching ways to enhance the account's methodology and uptake of its results.
Bart Hawkins Kreps
Bart increased awareness and understanding of the activities and research of the International Ecological Footprint Learning Lab, and about Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity, through the writing of newsletters, research briefs, and data stories, and reviewing/editing written material from other members of the partnership.
Sila Basturk Agiroglu
Co-produced the 2023 Edition of the National Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts
MES Major Paper: Analysis of the Quality of the Green Bonds for Climate Action
Athaven Nithianantha
Athaven co-produced the 2023 Edition of the National Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts by acquiring and analysing international data and researching ways to enhance the account's methodology and uptake of its results.
Flo Gómez
Flo co-produced the 2022 Edition of the National Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts by acquiring and analysing international data and researching ways to enhance the account's methodology and uptake of its results.
MES Major Paper - (Yerba) Mate is bittersweet: Narrating the power, silences and changes of history
Apeksha Malik
Apeksha co-produced the 2022 Edition of the National Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts by acquiring and analysing international data and researching ways to enhance the account's methodology and uptake of its results.MES Major Paper - Assessing the cost feasibility of solar projects in Canada using the RETScreen Expert software
Kendra Lee
Kendra co-produced the 2022 Edition of the National Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts by acquiring and analysing international data and researching ways to enhance the account's methodology and uptake of its results.
MES Major Paper - The Monster Of The Venice Lagoon: Humans, Policy, Or Ecology?
Syed Ahmed Abdul Aziz
Ahmed co-produced the 2022 Edition of the National Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts by acquiring and analysing international data and researching ways to enhance the account's methodology and uptake of its results.
MES Major Paper - Riders, Not Drivers of Change: how parking regulations can shape a city’s future.
For an updated bio, please visit Ahmed's LinkedIn
Summer Solmes
Summer assisted in the setup of social media platforms to enhance knowledge mobilization of Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity data.
Elizabeth Holloway
Elizabeth co-produced the 2021 Edition of the National Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts by acquiring and analysing international data and researching ways to enhance the account's methodology and uptake of its results. She also co-authored the Ontario Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity Report (2021) as well as the report on Measuring York's Carbon and Ecological Footprints During Fiscal Years 2016-2020.
MES Major Paper - Tree Planting for Corporate Social Responsibility: A guide for prospective investors
For an updated bio, please visit Elizabeth's LinkedIn
Sophie Angoh
Sophie co-produced the 2021 Edition of the National Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts by acquiring and analysing international data and researching ways to enhance the account's methodology and uptake of its results. She also co-authored the report on
Co-authored Measuring York's Carbon and Ecological Footprints During Fiscal Years 2016-2020.
MES Major Paper - Exploring the Feasibility of Zero Waste Approaches in Toronto’s Event Industry
For an updated bio, please visit Sophie's LinkedIn
Chaya Kapoor
Chaya co-produced the 2021 Edition of the National Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts by acquiring and analysing international data and researching ways to enhance the account's methodology and uptake of its results.
MES Paper - A Spatially Explicit Assessment of the Biocapacity of Brazilian Forests from 2001 to 2019
Mark Milnes
Mark co-produced the 2021 Edition of the National Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts by acquiring and analysing international data and researching ways to enhance the account's methodology and uptake of its results.
Anuja Kapoor
Anuja co-produced the 2021 Edition of the National Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts by acquiring and analysing international data and researching ways to enhance the account's methodology and uptake of its results. She also co-authored the Ontario Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity Report (2021).
MES Major Paper - Offshore Oil and Marine Protected Areas: Stakeholders, Conflicts and Future Directions in Nova Scotia, Canada
Maria-Louise McMaster
Maria-Louise co-authored the Ontario Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity Report (2021)
MES Major Paper - Modelling the diffusion of multiple demand-side low-carbon energy innovations within a 1.5°C scenario
Jason Robinson
Jason co-authored the Ontario Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity Report (2021).
MES Major Paper - A Socio-ecological Approach to Measure Progress for Ontario’s Transition to a Green Economy: The Use of the Happy Planet Index
Mary Thornbush
Mary co-produced the 2021 Edition of the National Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts and published a book about her Ecological Footprint Research - The Ecological Footprint as a Sustainability Metric.
MES Major Paper - The Ecological Footprint as a Sustainability Metric: Implications for Sustainability
Ravi Ponnudurai
Ravi was a graduate student in the MES program at York University and a researcher with the Ecological Footprint Initiative, as part of an international project to enhance the measurement and application of Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity.
As the National Partnership Developer for Sri Lanka, he was an effective ambassador for the project, helping to develop contacts, networks, and working relationships with organizations in Sri Lanka. He was keen to mobilize the data which the partnership generates about Sri Lanka to be used within the country, including in his MES graduate project. Ravi delivered a great webinar on this topic just two days before his passing to hundreds of people in Sri Lanka, generating commendations and follow-up requests which excited him.
Ravi enriched the lives and experiences of students and colleagues in the Ecological Footprint Initiative. Despite living hours away, he was eager to participate in on-campus and Toronto-area events. With others in the footprint community, he planted pawpaw trees on campus, shared meals, hiked, and marveled at the flora and fauna along the way. Outdoors, his camera was always in hand to capture our times shared together. His friendly smile behind the camera was always reflected in the smiles of the people in his photos.
Ravi’s contributions and his spirit will be deeply missed by the Ecological Footprint Initiative.
