GreenSpace: The day Earth has had enough

The world recently passed one significant date, and it's headed for another.

No, I don't mean Yom Kippur or Thanksgiving.

Sept. 27 was Earth Overshoot Day, designated by the Global Footprint Network as the time when the planet's humans surpassed "nature's budget" for the year.

Since then, we've been exceeding the resources the Earth can generate, says the network, a nonprofit research group based in California. At the rate we're going, we need as much as 1.5 Earths to sustain us, the group says.

We're doing slightly better these days. Earth Overshoot Day last year was Aug. 21. In 2009, it was Sept. 25.

But then there's that second date. Oct. 31, give or take, is the day the United Nations expects the world population to reach seven billion.

In 1999, when we hit the six billion mark, officials predicted we wouldn't reach seven billion until 2013.

So we're early.

There are more of us, and we're using more resources.

We're in what some scientists call the Anthropocene, an era when humans are altering the planet on the scale of other major geologic eras.

Say what you will about climate change, who's at fault and how fast it's progressing. Clearly, we can't keep this up.

Governments will have to come up with new laws and policies. Technology will have to step up. Meanwhile, the rest of us can make a few changes as well.

Ignoring it is like maxing out a credit card and figuring the situation is so bad you may as well buy that doodad that caught your eye anyway.

It's time to start exercising environmental thrift. No need for a huge sacrifice. No need to rush out and buy new insulation or a Prius, although I highly recommend both. Even simple actions can make a difference.

Below is my top 10 list of suggestions that don't require large chunks of time, masses of money, or the involvement of major tools.

Any number of experts can tweak it, though, so add or substitute as you wish.

Switch to a green power company. This is especially true if you live in Pennsylvania, where deregulation has made it not only possible, but relatively cheap.

Eat local, eat plants. This doesn't have to be a big deal, just a shift. When it's spring and prime asparagus season, don't buy the asparagus from Peru. A few meals a week, switch from beef to chicken. Or from chicken to veggies.