Do you know your impact on the planet?
So much of the narrative about fighting climate change puts the pressure on individuals: turn off the water, shut the lights, cut down on driving, bring your own bag, and so on. We are told that personal choices have an outsized impact on the planet, shaming and blaming people without recognizing that guilt does not solve climate change. While individual awareness, adjustments, and action are critical, transformational eco-social change requires more.
Think about the world around you. Reducing consumption must happen not only on a personal level, but also on a system-wide, mass, industrial global scale. While we look toward, demand and support innovations to ensure a clean, peaceful, equitable planet, we must also remember that each of us can make a difference in our own right.
In the early 1990s, Mathis Wackernagel and William Rees coined the term “ecological footprint” as a simple metric that measures humanity’s demand on our planet’s ecosystems. Ecological footprints consider how much nature is available and the sum of those natural resources that we use. When an ecological footprint is larger than what ecosystems can regenerate, it is called ecological overshoot.
In the 2000s, the term “carbon footprint” – referring to the amount of greenhouse gasses created by human actions – was popularized by a successful advertising campaign from British Petroleum (BP), one of the world’s largest oil and gas companies. BP crafted a narrative of individual responsibility for climate change, shifting focus and blame away from the corporations (including itself) and governments responsible for supporting and investing in worsening greenhouse gas emissions.
“Like with managing money, nature needs robust accounting too, it is in our best interest to not overspend”
– IUCN President Razan Al Mubarak speaking at this year’s Earth Overshoot Day event
So what “footprint” messaging should we listen to? Is it a corporate scheme to get us to stop thinking about the way that polluting industries continue to pollute? Or is it a helpful tool that allows us to see how unsustainable behaviors have become? The answer is a bit of both. Individual action alone is not enough to combat climate change or reverse ecological overshoot; we need to get big businesses and often neglectful governments on board. Yet, personal and collective environmental stewardship are very important steps towards climate change mitigation. A climate-conscious life means leading by example with simple meaningful steps, like those you will take all throughout this month of Project Green Challenge.
Eliminating single use bottles, bringing reusable bags, and making other tangible changes can be a gateway to deeper involvement in climate, social, health and political action. Ethical habits can be contagious; if you install solar panels or drive an electric car, there’s an increased likelihood that your neighbors will do the same. Studies show that a committed minority of people making a change (about 25%) can create society-wide shifts. This is what’s known as a social tipping point, which can be instrumental in broad social transformation.
Why does this matter? The consequences of ecological overshoot are diverse and increasingly dire: unsustainable rates of deforestation when forests are cut down faster than they can regrow, the collapse of ecosystems as resources are used and abused unsustainably, biodiversity loss, and soil degradation, and more, like those noted by our partner, Global Footprint Network. But we all have the power to push for systemic change, reduce our negative impact on the environment and combat devastation caused by climate change!
Individuals have more power than you think. Recognize the power of our human handprint, a measurement tool of actions and positive impacts an individual can have on the environment. By standing up, speaking out and living a life that aligns with our values, every one of us can be a leader for the world we wish to create.
When it comes to urging behavior change of polluting industries, we can begin by voting with our dollar. Some businesses have paved the way with eco-friendly products and reduced environment footprints. Supporting these mission-aligned companies will demonstrate demand and lead to larger industry shifts in that direction. Today’s partner, Klean Kanteen, is Climate Neutral Certified, has shifted bottles and straws to 90% recycled steel, and plans to have 95% of products made from third-party-certified recycled stainless steel by early 2023. That will mean a 50% reduction in steel greenhouse gas emissions, 30% reduction in energy demand, and 60 to 80% reduction in ecosystem impacts. Businesses pay attention to market signals; what and how you purchase sends a direct message to companies and entire industries. If a large enough group flexes consumer power, it can force brands to alter decisions, sourcing, production and practices across the board.
Reducing our footprint is achieved by demonstrating to global governments, corporations, leaders and our peers that collective positive action is vital and possible. We do this with our dollars, choices, votes and voices.
Changes in daily behavior and consumption habits may seem insignificant in a world of nearly 8 billion people, but every decision we make contributes to the wellbeing of humans, species, and the Earth. What would our planet look like if we all consumed less resources and demanded more ethical production?
Calculate your footprint using Global Footprint Network’s calculator.
Upload your results and responses in a PDF document including a screenshot of your social post. Include your name (or team name), username, and school on your upload.
Submission Guidelines
Everywhere we go and everything we do has an impact on both people and planet. Each year, the Global Footprint Network calculates Earth Overshoot Day, the date on which human demand for resources has exceeded what the Earth is able to regenerate in that calendar year. In 2023, Earth Overshoot Day was on August 2. This date has fluctuated in the past 50 years, from December 29 in 1970 to July 28 in 2022.
2020 was an unprecedented case. It was the first time the date was pushed back by 24 days, as the world had shut down due to the pandemic. With no travel, fossil fuel output and other human-caused pollutants decreased dramatically, providing a brief glimpse into how our planet could change rapidly for the better if we were to collectively commit to sweeping, urgent, meaningful environmental actions.
While knowing that corporations and countries must reduce emissions, consider how your individual behavior aligns with your goals for a greener planet.
Share the infographic on Instagram with a caption including your pledge. Be sure to tag @TurningGreenOrg and @GlobalFootprintNetwork in the image and caption, as well as #PGC2023 and #MoveTheDate.
Upload your responses in a PDF document including a screenshot of your social post. Include your name (or team name), username, and school on your upload to be eligible to win.
Submission Guidelines
Individual actions impact ecological footprints, but that is only one part of the problem. 25% of the world’s population consumes 75% of all global resources. Such off-balance consumption cannot be reversed by personal action alone; leaders need to introduce, implement, and enforce policies focused on equity and sustainability. Drivers of governments, businesses, and institutions at every level have the power to create and mandate policies for a sustainable future. Given this, what do you think world leaders should do to act on climate?
First, watch this video from youth environmental activist, Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, calling for environmental accountability from leaders.
Now, it’s time to get creative. Produce an informative and mobilizing call to action insisting that leaders enact policy to act on climate change. Incorporate facts, bold visuals, personal story, and specific asks. Use whatever you feel will be most impactful to convey your point and your passion.
Share the call to action with relevant leaders by posting on social media and tagging their accounts, as well as sending to their emails. Use all platforms where you think the message will resonate. As always, post on Instagram and tag @TurningGreenOrg and #PGC2023, as well as the accounts of relevant political leaders.
Upload your responses in a PDF document including a screenshot of your social post. Include your name (or team name), username, and school on your upload to be eligible to win.
Upload your responses in a PDF document including a screenshot of your social post. Include your name (or team name), username, and school on your upload to be eligible to win.
Submission Guidelines
Up to 10 Greener and 10 Greenest outstanding submissions will be selected as winners.
Each Greener Winner will receive:
Each Greenest Winner will receive:
