Why you need to care about Earth Overshoot Day and how you can make a difference

5 everyday changes Canadians can make to push back Earth Overshoot Day in 2022

MISSISSAUGA, ON, July 29, 2021 /CNW/ - Schneider Electric Canada, a leader in energy management and automation, is recommending five lifestyle changes Canadians can make this year to push back Earth Overshoot Day.

What is Earth Overshoot Day?

Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when our collective demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year. In 2020, Earth Overshoot Day was on August 22. This year, it falls nearly a month earlier, on July 29.

COVID-19 and Earth Overshoot Day

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a reduction in the consumption of resources, including agriculture, energy, electricity, and oil and gas, and a drop in carbon emissions. With less commuting, imposed travel restrictions, and closures of restaurants and businesses, Canadians, like others around the world, consumed less. The pandemic caused humanity's ecological footprint to contract by three weeks, representing a 9.3 per cent reduction of humanity's ecological fotprint. Unfortunately, as restrictions lifted and businesses returned to normal, the progress made last year was reversed in 2021.   

Everyday changes you can make

Small changes to everyday consumption can have a dramatic impact on our ability to hit earth overshoot targets. Canadians can consider implementing these five changes ahead of next year's Earth Overshoot Day:

1. Try consuming less meat – Start with one day a week and go from there! Farming livestock takes a great deal of water and energy consumption and reducing your intake of meat puts less demand on the industry.
2. Consider walking or biking when possible – It's good for you and for the planet. Avoiding the use of your car, when possible, reduces carbon emissions emitted from vehicles. If walking isn't an option, consider carpooling or using transit.
3. Keep power sources at a minimum - Try to turn off lights and unplug devices when you're not using them. Keeping your electronic devices and lights running when not in use can waste electricity. Turning the lights off when you exit a room is an easy fix.
4. Shop local and in season – If you make the conscious choice to shop for products that don't have to travel a large distance to get to you, you reduce the long line of emissions required to feed and clothe you and your family.
5. Educate yourself and others – Read more about Schneider Electric's '100 Days of Possibility' initiative that seeks to promote solutions that help address climate change and biodiversity loss. Fighting the climate resource crisis requires international cooperation, so the more your community is educated on the issue of Earth Overshoot Day and climate change, the bigger an impact we can all make.

Schneider Electric partners with The Global Footprint Network to raise awareness and advance our collective ability to address rising carbon emissions. For more information on Earth Overshoot Day, go to https://www.footprintnetwork.org/.

About Schneider Electric 

Schneider's purpose is to?empower all to make the most of our energy and resources,?bridging progress and sustainability?for all. We call this?Life Is On. 

Our mission is to be your?digital partner for Sustainability and Efficiency. 

We drive digital transformation by integrating world-leading process and energy technologies, end-point to cloud connecting products, controls, software and services, across the entire lifecycle, enabling integrated company management, for homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure and industries. 

We are the?most local of global companies. We are advocates of open standards and partnership ecosystems that are passionate about our shared?Meaningful Purpose, Inclusive and Empowered?values. 

www.se.com 

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SOURCE Schneider Electric Canada Inc.

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