About Us
Global Footprint Network is changing how the world manages its natural resources. We offer:Metrics
that are simple, meaningful, and scalableActionable Insights
about natural resource consumption and capacityTools
and analysis to guide informed decisionsMISSION AND VISION
Global Footprint Network, an international nonprofit organization founded by Mathis Wackernagel, Ph.D and Susan Burns in 2003, envisions a future where all can thrive within the means of our one planet.
We enable our vision through our mission: to help end ecological overshoot by making ecological limits central to decision-making.
Global Footprint Network has been internationally recognized for success.
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University of Stirling honorary degree recipient Dr. Mathis Wackernagel
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Dr. Mathis Wackernagel and Dr. Alessandro Galli rank in world top 2% of cited published scientists
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Population Matters Change Champion
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World Sustainability Award
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International Association for Impact Assessment's Global Environment Award
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RECYCLAPOLIS National Sustainability Award
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ISSP Sustainability Hall of Fame Inductees Susan Burns and Mathis Wackernagel
Supported by a Global Team
We are scientists at heart. Scientists who love the outdoors. We measure everything and use data and facts to guide decisions. Optimistic and persistent, we pursue systems change to achieve global sustainability.
Our Partner Network comprises more than
70 organizations around the world.
What does the word “footprint” mean?
Today, it’s less likely to refer to the tread mark your sneaker leaves in the dirt, and more to the imprint you’ll leave on the planet. So said New York Times writer William Safire (1929-2009) in a 2008 “On Language” column. In the column, Safire described how the concept of the Ecological Footprint was developed by University of British Columbia Professor William Rees and Global Footprint Network co-founder Mathis Wackernagel.