Yesterday — Aug. 1 — marked “Earth Overshoot Day,” the point in the calendar when humanity’s demand for ecological resources surpasses what the planet can regenerate within the year, and UWindsor sustainability officer Nadia Harduar is pointing to efforts to address this imbalance.

“If we want to push Earth Overshoot Day closer to Dec. 31 or even later, we’ll all have to contribute to the effort,” Harduar says.

She recommends movethedate.overshootday.org, which lists projects to improve sustainability in five major areas: planet, cities, energy, food, and population.

“The University has a five-year plan to improve conservation efforts and energy efficiency to meet the campus’ carbon neutral targets,” says Harduar. “Check out the energy conservation and demand management plan.”

She also highlights work exploring ecosystem restoration and conservation at the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, specifying the Freshwater Restoration Ecology Centre and the Healthy Headwaters Lab.

“These labs consider the effects of environmental stressors, including but not limited to pollution, climate change, and habitat degradation along with impacts on species, water quality, and freshwater ecosystem health,” says Harduar. “We each have a part to play in conserving and protecting nature’s finite resources.”

Earth Overshoot Day is calculated by the Global Footprint Network by dividing the planet’s biocapacity by humanity’s ecological footprint.

—Dania Kart