Global Footprint Network Inc.

In 2003, Global Footprint Network was established to enable a sustainable future where all people have the opportunity to live satisfying lives within the means of one planet. Creating a world where everyone can live well, within the means of one planet, is going to take all of us pulling together toward this common goal. At Global Footprint Network, our programs are designed to influence decision makers at all levels of society and to create a critical mass of powerful institutions using the Footprint to put an end to ecological overshoot and get our economies back into balance.

We envision a future where all can thrive within the means of our one planet.

Goal One: Open a Euro-Mediterranean office to build upon recently increased support for our work in the region and to expand our impact via greater proximity, attention, and commitment to local issues.

Goal Two: Adapt the 100 Days of Possibility campaign (piloted in 2021) into an annual programmatic endeavor to continue creating hope by celebrating existing solutions that move us out of ecological overshoot.

Goal Three: Support educators, students, researchers, and future sustainability leaders by creating new materials and expanding access to existing resources (e.g. language translations; accessibility upgrades).

Over the last year and a half, Global Footprint Network has invested in the leadership development of two specific team members by supporting their transition from operationally based individual contributor roles to content-based subject matter experts and organizational leaders. This has primarily taken the form of providing internal project-based leadership opportunities, and has also included mentorship and subsidizing (or fully covering) the costs of training courses, books/other learning materials, and membership in professional organizations. These individuals are now seen not only as extremely competent in their respective content areas, but also as leaders in the organization who regularly share their learnings with the broader team and contribute to the development and execution of strategic initiatives.

Being the only organization that promotes a sustainability metric that is both comprehensive and easy to understand (the Ecological Footprint), we understand the importance of the work we do regardless of the challenges we face. It was this understanding, combined with our staff's passion for Ecological Footprint applications and the sustainability movement more broadly, that rallied our team to help us overcome external obstacles created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Even when things looked bleak, we knew our work mattered and that we would get through the pandemic together. This tenacity allowed us to be flexible and resilient as we, along with the rest of the world, pivoted our work to fit our new (and still changing) reality. We worked with clients to reimagine project deliverables, supported partners with adjusted (e.g. virtual) programs, and amplified still-relevant climate data, communications, and initiatives at every opportunity. We even used the delay in the date of Earth Overshoot Day (due to pandemic-induced lockdowns and travel restrictions) to double down on our vision that all can thrive within the means of our planet - because the contraction of our global Footprint at the expense of lives and wellbeing is not a success. Instead, we must design the climate-related shift we seek, particularly now that we know what is possible when humanity acts together toward a common goal. As our world continues to work through the ramifications of COVID-19 and begins to work toward a post-pandemic era, Global Footprint Network looks forward to continuing our important work - to expanding the reach of our scientifically rigorous data and tools, to sharing inspiring examples of Footprint applications, to providing decision-makers with information and solutions that can help us move out of ecological overshoot and toward one-planet prosperity.