It was supposed to be today—October 6…but we’re worse off than we thought. Just two years ago, October 6 was Earth Overshoot Day, the day of the year when we have used up all the resources for the year that the planet could renew…and the day we go into resource deficit spending. Well–this year we used it up even faster and hit the wall on September 25. We are now living beyond our ecological means. In less than 10 months we have used the resources it takes the planet a full year to regenerate. 
“It’s a simple case of income versus expenditures,” said Global Footprint Network President Mathis Wackernagel. “For years, our demand on nature has exceeded, by an increasingly greater margin, the budget of what nature can produce. The urgent threats we are seeing now – most notably climate change, but also biodiversity loss, shrinking forests, declining fisheries, soil erosion and freshwater stress – are all clear signs: Nature is running out of credit to extend.”
Think about ways to lessen your global footprint. Every one of us can make a difference. The Global Footprint Network is devoted to sustainability, and has an entertaining, interactive (and depressing) calculator to discover your earth demand and how many planets would be required if everybody’s lifestyle was the same as yours. Then there are ways listed to help and volunteer. Check them out here. And then walk to work…
Change by Doing 