Eco Friendly

Green Footprint

A common buzzword in green speak is ecological footprint. This term defines the fact that the earth can only repair or replace a finite amount of raw resources and environmental damage every year. This total is called biocapacity, and when it is exceeded, the extra demand is called overshoot. The unit of measurement associated with the ecological footprint is the global hectare(gh).

Overshoot has overwhelming results on the population such as depletion of resources, shortages, persistent air and water pollution. Ultimately, overshoot leads to climate change as the planet reacts to changes like increased greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere.

In order to determine the average footprint for a nation, the collective demands of that nation are divided by its population. Trade is accounted for by assigning the demand from goods and services to the country that consumed them, rather than the country that produced them. Therefore, the resulting footprint is a fair reflection of everything a country consumes as a whole.

According to the Global Footprint Network (GFN), as of 2005, the United States was overshooting planetary biocapacity by 23% annually. Each person can help to reduce overshoot and businesses can help reduce their ecological footprint by:

·  Educating their employees on green practices such as recycling, energy reduction, and green work-flow processes

·  Purchase green products that place less demand on the environment

·    Act as community leaders by participating in local green activities

·    Do a carbon footprint inventory for business activities and set practical reduction goals based on the results

Calculate your own carbon footprint here and tell us how you could reduce your own mark on the earth.