Earth Overshoot Day
4 Easy Ways to Postpone it
What if I tell you, it’s a truly fascinating concept and an exciting opportunity for us all to share our best ideas for sustainable living?
But wait, where do trees come into it all? (You know us too well!)
Read on to learn about some wonderfully simple ideas for reducing your carbon footprint and find out how trees are key to making a difference! And obviously, we’ll tell you what the Earth Overshoot Day is.
What is Earth Overshoot Day? Why is it important?
Gosh, Earth Overshoot Day, you say? And we can all get involved? Yay!
Earth Overshoot Day is a date we should all be aware of because it is something we can all get involved in to make a difference.
Earth Overshoot Day is based on the fact that all humans make use of the Earth’s natural resources. We all eat food, use energy and create waste. And there is only so much the Earth can sustain in the space of a year.
Once we have consumed our share of natural resources we have reached Earth Overshoot Day.
In 2021 Earth Overshoot Day was July 29th.
“This means that in seven months, we emitted more carbon than the oceans and forests can absorb in a year, we caught more fish, felled more trees, harvested more, and consumed more water than the Earth was able to produce in the same period.”¹
Earth Overshoot Day is about opportunities to make things better: watch the 100 Days of Possibility video for inspiration!
Each year now, the goal is to make our natural resources last longer to push back the date.
The hashtag #movethedate is used for all ideas and initiatives to reduce humanity’s use of natural resources. Got some great ideas? Share them with us in the comments.
When will Earth Overshoot Day 2022 be? Do you think we can #movethedate?
4 Things You Can Do to Conserve Natural Resources and Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
1. Rethink Consumption & Emissions
It’s important that you become aware of your own lifestyle first. Think about how you consume and how you feel about it. Are there any switches you’ve been thinking about making but just need a little push to make the change?
This is your push! Yes, we can point fingers at politicians and big corporations that are creating more and more greenhouse gases but we have to understand that we – the consumer – have a lot of power as well.
We can influence companies with our choices. As they are reliant on their customers and these companies might just need a little push as well.
Check out these 3 easy switches you can make to reduce your own emissions:
Fancy learning some more great hacks for reducing your carbon footprint and putting off Earth Overshoot Day 2022? We have 7 Easy Hacks for you!
2. Plant Trees to Restore What We’ve Lost Already
Trees play a major role in reducing harmful carbon dioxide in the air and regulating the water cycle. Tropical forests annually remove several countries’ worth of carbon dioxide emissions from our atmosphere²!
By planting more trees we can reduce our carbon footprint and delay the time until Earth Overshoot Day. We can restore beauty to our environment and provide a habitat for countless species.
Hint: Why not use some of the money you’ve saved with our carbon footprint-reducing hacks and gift a fabulous tree to someone special?
Which amazing animals is your tree going to support? Carefully planned reforesting, such as with Click A Tree’s Trees for Tuskers, reduces our carbon footprint and is key to preserving biodiversity to ensure the survival of endangered species.
3. Eat Food For Future
“Food for future” is one of Click A Tree’s projects that allows you to try fabulous foods & drinks and support a tree-planting project each time you go out! Sounds intriguing, right?
There are lots of opportunities to support local businesses, each of which plants a tree for every visit. Check out our list of 11 amazing ways to plant trees for free.
4. Reduce the carbon footprint in your country – Country Overshoot Day
If each of us makes changes in our lives to reduce our carbon footprint, we will soon be so much closer to achieving balance. One way to do this is by taking advantage of “green’ initiatives in your country.
For example, did you know that in many countries you can get incentives to put solar panels on your house³?
Many countries are already implementing steps to reduce their use of natural resources whether through implementing energy-saving projects, giving people more opportunities to recycle or providing “greener” public transport.
There is still some way to go! The map below shows the Country Overshoot Day for each country calculated for 2022 based on their consumption of resources⁴.
Country Overshoot Day 2022 – where does your country come in?
Image credit: Earth Overshoot Day
Raise awareness of Earth Overshoot Day 2022
Another huge thing that you can do to help #movethedate is to raise awareness of Earth Overshoot Day 2022 and what it’s all about. The more people get involved the better for our Earth.
At the same time, you can get your friends and family involved in fun carbon footprint-reducing activities. Hint: Forest walks are a fantastic outing for all the family!
Let us know which carbon footprint-reducing activities you are planning for 2022! Do you have any favourite “green” hacks? Would you guess that ours is planting trees?
And remember, if you’re ever stuck for ideas for that perfect birthday gift… well, you know we would love to plant a tree (or 5) for you!
Not only will your contribution plant trees that combat harmful CO2, tree-planting projects also help to create sustainable sources of food and income for communities such as this in Ghana. And this means a further reduction in the use of natural resources!
If you like this article, please share it! For more tree-tastic articles, news and thoroughly useful tips and hacks, sign up for our newsletter. Each new sign up plants a tree!
Sources
²https://www.nasa.gov/jpl/nasa-finds-good-news-on-forests-and-carbon-dioxide/
³https://www.greenmatch.co.uk/solar-energy/solar-panels/solar-panel-grants
⁴https://www.overshootday.org/newsroom/country-overshoot-days/