World Overshoot Day
Graphic by Footprint Network
Exactly a week ago, on Oct. 9, 2006, we slammed right into World Overshoot Day (WOD), defined on its Web site (who doesn’t have a ‘net presence, these days?) as the day “we begin living beyond our ecological means.” Humanity has now swallowed up the amount of new resources nature will produce this year. Demand has now outstripped supply.
In any given year, if trees are cut down faster than they grow back, then forests become smaller than the year before. If more fish are caught each year than spawn, there will be fewer fish in the sea. The consequences of our accumulating ecological debt also include global climate change, species extinction, insecure energy supplies, water shortages, and crop failure.
Even more alarming is the fact that, as our first-world hunger to consume skyrockets, WOD makes its appearance a little earlier in the calendar. The first WOD was in December 19, 1987. By 1995, it was 21 November.
Today, with Overshoot Day on October 9, humanity’s Ecological Footprint is almost 30 percent larger than the planet’s biocapacity this year. In other words, it now takes more than one year and three months for the Earth to regenerate what we use in a single year.
(Emphasis is mine.)
[via Con$umer Di$obedience]
Overconsumption isn’t solely an ecological issue, but a social justice one, as well. By gorging ourselves on more than our fair share of the world’s resources, we’re also diverting food, clothing, and other essentials from communities in greater need. Obviously, there is a need to seriously reexamine our patterns of consumption, buy less (or used, or recycled), and reclaim holidays and special occasions from the hollow trappings of overcommercialization. The impact of what you buy (or don’t buy) ripples far beyond a line on your credit-card statement. And how.
Related articles:
1. What is “Voluntary Simplicity”?
2. The Golden Rule
3. Simplicity and Consumption
4. I Shop, Therefore I Am
Further reading:
1. The Overspent American: Why We Want What We Don’t Need by Julie B. Schor
2. Your Money or Your Life: Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin
3. No Logo: No Space, No Choice, No Jobs by Naomi Klein
4. Radical Simplicity: Small Footprints on a Finite Earth by Jim Merkel
5. Voluntary Simplicity, Revised Edition: Toward a Way of Life That Is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich by Duane Elgin
6. Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping by Judith Levine
Summer said,
October 17, 2006 at 3:13 pm
My kid sister, Yuri, just turned 13. Her favorite gift was from a friend of hers who adopted a panda in Yuri’s name. She liked it even better than the organic cotton hoody I gave her =). Also, my father-in-law asked for a Kiva micro loan to be gifted for his 60th.
Certainly a good special occasion trend and a way to free oneself from the hollow trappings of overcommercialization.
The Worsted Witch » Twist & Spout said,
November 6, 2006 at 2:50 pm
[...] Using a great deal less materials than a conventional watering can or jug does, the Twist & Spout turns any soda or water bottle into a handy garden essential. (I get all the plastic bottles I need from the office recycling bin, so there’s no need to wade over to the dark side of pointless consumables Now if only it were made of recycled plastic, then we’ll REALLY be talking. (From $5.99, Perpetual Kid) [...]
The Worsted Witch » 2007: A New Beginning, A Contest said,
January 2, 2007 at 12:00 pm
[...] HELLLOOOOO 2007! Pop some organic bubbly on us because we’re having our very first contest here at the Worsted Witch. Our mini family unit resolves to continue to pare down our consumption (and subsequent stress on environmental resources), cut down our waste production, as well as to finally change those lingering two incandescent bulbs in our apartment to compact fluorescents (oy, it’s about time). [...]
The Green Filter » World Overshoot Day said,
January 27, 2007 at 1:33 pm
[...] I found this via The Worsted Witch. [...]
The Worsted Witch » said,
February 11, 2007 at 10:29 pm
[...] I don’t get it, why can’t all broom manufacturers be like the Fuller Brush Company and make broom replacement heads available for purchase? I have a Quickie broom, but after subsequent wear and tear, if I wanted a new brush, I’d have to replace the entire broom, perfectly serviceable handle and all. Even if you didn’t care a jot about conserving resources, how does this make sense to anyone with half a brain? [...]
The Worsted Witch » Free Co-op America Membership said,
April 5, 2007 at 10:24 pm
[...] If you have a rechargable appliance such as a cordless handheld vacuum or a digital camera, you’ll probably notice it starts losing its juice right around its third anniversary. That’s because nickel cadmium (NiCd) batteries, which is likely what you have, have a limited lifespan and lose their ability to hold a charge over time. Instead of tossing out your small appliance, which is certainly tempting to do when new models are so inexpensive, consider contacting the manufacturer to purchase a replacement battery pack, instead. You’ll help save some valuable resources and carbon emissions, and your formerly busted appliance will be purring like new in no time. Remember to recycle your old battery in a responsible manner, however, because the heavy metals they contain are environmental pollutants. Check if your manufacturer has a battery takeback program, or look up your zip code on Earth911.org to find a recycler in your neighborhood. [...]
The Worsted Witch » Stop Shopping or the Planet Gets It said,
April 12, 2007 at 4:36 pm
[...] Related articles: 1. Simplicity and Consumption 2. World Overshoot Day 3. I Shop Therefore I Am [...]