Mentor and Men helps to #MOVETHEDATE

Earth Overshoot Day is marked as the day when mankind has completely used up all natural resources that the earth can produce on an annual basis. Each year Earth Overshoot Day is calculated by the international organization Global Footprint Network. It is a measure of how humans interact with our blue planet. 

In 2020, Earth Overshoot Day fell on August 22. For this year, it is expected to fall around August 1. 

What if we make the translation into Belgium's share in this. 

If the entire world population would live as we do in Belgium, we, the global population would have consumed the entire annual supply of natural resources of 2021 by March 30. Astonishing, no? And insightful at the same time. 

Figure 1: https://www.overshootday.org/newsroom/country-overshoot-days/ 

At Mentor and Men we want to make an active effort to push that date back as far as possible. December 31 is the ultimate goal. We want and need to #MOVETHEDATE! 

We also want to inspire other organizations to do the same. How does our approach work? 

We start with a baseline measurement of the organization’s ecological footprint. The annual ecological footprint is the number that indicates how much biologically productive ground and water surface a certain population group (or organization) uses in that year to maintain its consumption level and to process its waste production. 

The calculation is based on factors such as energy and water consumption, waste flows, mobility, consumption of natural resources, etc. 

This baseline measurement provides a good insight into where the organization scores well,  and badly. This is the basis from which we define a sustainability strategy in co-creation with the customer. This, on its own, is already causing an enormous awareness in many companies. We initiate the improvement cycle and we integrate sustainability into the mission and strategy of the organization. The best approach is to continuously take smaller improvement actions. 

Figure 2: Mentor and Men Services approach "Circular Economy", https://www.mentorandmen.be/nl/focus-areas/voor-onze-planet 

If you are triggered to know more about the Ecological Footprint of your own organization, do not hesitate to contact us. Mentor and Men can help with a baseline measurement, with inspiration and professional guidance in defining and achieving sustainability goals of your organization. 

Let's #MOVETHEDATE together! 

Regards 

Yves Decaestecker, Circular Economy Practice Lead at Mentor and Men