SPONSORED BY GUAYAKI YERBA MATE
“The way we harm the earth affects all people and how we treat one another is reflected in how we treat the earth.”
~ Paul Hawken, Environmentalist, Activist, Entrepreneur, and Author
Everywhere we go and everything we do has an impact on our planet. But, this can be hard to recognize in this modern age of convenience, technology, and urbanization. Over half of the global population resides in cities that are disconnected from the natural environment. Still, every action we take affects earth’s ecosystems and all it’s inhabitants. This impact is known as our ecological footprint.
An ecological footprint is determined by the amount of resources we use, either directly or indirectly. Sometimes our footprint can be obvious: the amount of water you use while taking a shower, for example. But more often than not, our ecological footprint is hidden, like the precious minerals mined for the touchscreen on your smartphone. When you add up the resources each individual consumes, the collective impact is huge!
In addition to our ecological footprint, each of us has a carbon footprint that represents the total amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted as a result of our daily actions. Activities like driving cars, using energy to heat and cool homes, and turning on lights all contribute to our carbon footprint. Why does that matter? Carbon dioxide is the top contributor to climate change. And, at a time when each month for nearly the past two years has been recorded as “the hottest month” in history, the impact is likely even more massive than scientists can fully understand.
Just how big is our impact on the earth? “Too big,” as environmentalist Bill McKibben says. In fact, our ecological footprint reached biocapacity in the 1970s. That means that humans reached an ecological tipping point more than forty years ago. As a result, Earth Overshoot Day has steadily been creeping earlier and earlier on our calendars each year.
How can you possibly help solve this global issue? That’s where the power of the human handprint comes in! Unlike your footprint, your human handprint reflects the positive impacts you create at an individual level. By taking steps to decrease your footprint and increase your handprint, you’ll make a net positive contribution to our world.
There are so many different ways we can reduce our impact on the planet. Changing the way we buy, eat, and travel are just a start. And luckily, it’s not all on the individual. Companies globally are also doing their part to lessen their carbon footprint and create large scale change. Check out Guayaki Yerba Mate’s commitment to people and planet for some serious inspiration.
As PGC continues, you will accumulate more resources to help reduce your footprint and grow your handprint. Becoming informed and helping to educate others is a monumental step in the right direction. In today’s challenge, Footprint, you’ll begin to understand the real impact of your daily actions and when it might be time to make some changes.
Small changes in your daily habits and consumption patterns may not seem significant in a world of nearly 8 billion people. But every decision you make contributes to the well-being of humans, our species and the planet. Consider what the world would look like if each person simply consumed less stuff and demanded more ethically produced goods. Suddenly those small changes all start to add up and make a huge difference.
Upload your responses in a PDF document. Please include your name (or team name), username, email address, and school.
Submission Guidelines
Earth Overshoot Day refers to the calendar date in which humans have extracted more from nature than what can be naturally replenished in a year. This year, Earth Overshoot Day was August 2. Even though this year’s overshoot day has already occurred, it’s never a wrong time to join the movement to help #movethedate back to ensure a viable future!
Upload your responses in a PDF document. Please include your name (or team name), username, email
address, and school.
Submission Guidelines
As you might expect, every person’s ecological footprint is different, especially when you compare consumption around the world. Consider this, only ⅓ of the world’s people consume ¾ of the global resources. This means ⅓ of all humans are placing immense pressure on the rest of the world to produce a high number of goods. This unequal consumption creates and reinforces a critical imbalance in our global society. Given this inequality, how can we begin to change our behavior to make our world more equitable?
Get creative! We want to see how you will mobilize others to take action and help heal our planet.
Upload your responses in a PDF document. Please include your name (or team name), username, email address, and school.
Submission Guidelines
