Earth Overshoot Day: August 20, 2013

We hear a lot about our global "footprint," but what exactly does that mean? The organization Global Footprint Network has developed a system for analyzing the world's consumption in relation to how much the world can regenerate, sort of like an accounting balance sheet.

Every year the Global Footprint Network calculates the day that we begin living beyond our "budget," and for 2013, that date was last week, on August 20. Every day after that "overshoot" marker means we are "spending" beyond our budget and creating "ecological debt."

If you are interested in learning more about this concept, Western Libraries has a copy of the DVD: The Ecological Footprint: Accounting for a Small Planet, located in the Video Collection in Wilson 2E (under the call# HC79.E5 E2645 2005). And,  to learn more about your own "footprint," there is a really interesting quiz you can take on the Global Footprint Network's website that will estimate your personal footprint, and give you suggestions for steps you can take to change it.