Hold your horses, it’s not the time to get excited. The term overshoot and earth put together is not a good thing. It’s the tipping point actually, our obsession with material consumption has become so insane that we’re really getting really out of control.

Earth Overshoot Day marks the date in which humanity has officially exhausted nature’s budget for the year. What does that even mean? Simply put, we’re going through an ecological deficit.

According to the Global Footprint Network, humans have used up more resources than the Earth can regenerate within a staggering eight months period. This year’s Earth Overshoot Day is the earliest it has ever been. So it seems we’re currently using ‘1.7 Earth’s’ and more resources than nature is able to reproduce.

What now? The aim is to start a movement: #MoveTheDate. To find out what you can do to help create a sustainable future, choose one or more steps here: https://www.overshootday.org/steps-to-movethedate/

For now, it might seem impossible to live life without plastic but why not start by living with at least less of it. Consider starting with the following:

• Carry reusable shopping bags
• Give up bottled water
• Carry a stainless steel water bottle or travel mug for coffee or other drinks while you’re out in the world
• Carry reusable utensils and glass drinking straws

These are just a few pointers to get you started. For a 100 steps to a plastic-free life take a look at this fantastic resource: https://myplasticfreelife.com/plasticfreeguide/