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April 22nd, 2020 marks The 50th anniversary of Earth Day. It began in 1970 as a movement to bring awareness to the environmental impacts of the previous 150 years of industrial pollution and its relationship with human health. The movement led to the birth of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and subsequently the Clean Air Act (1963 with big amendments in 1970 and 1990) and as well as the Clean Water Act (1972).
The 50th anniversary should have been more of a milestone - a celebration, but with the current pandemic it might feel like there is not much we can do. Social distancing rules have made it more difficult to achieve certain organized activities, but not impossible. If we look on the bright side, we will see a few positives coming out of this global pandemic. The slowing down of our pace has cleared skies and reduced consumption as we are forced to stay and work from home.
So what can we do to participate in Earth Day this year and still make it a monumental year? EarthDay.org has set up a daily challenge for the month of April. Each challenge can be done any day and any time. In addition to these challenges, Earth Day Organizers are wanting to inspire people around the globe by hosting online events, global cleanups (organized cleanups are postponed until later this year, but you can still clean up your own parks and neighborhoods while following your local government rules and regulations) as well as getting people to participate in the Earth Challenge 2020 App, which is a citizen led project to collect observations of local air quality and plastic pollution amongst other projects/events.
If you would like to learn more about what can be done and how you can participate, the organization “We Don’t Have Time” is hosting an online conference “Earth Day Week”. They are discussing topics such as finance, food and agriculture and circular economy and consumption to name a few. View their schedule at https://www.wedonthavetime.org/event/earthdayweek. It’s free to register and they have a vast group of speakers.
We would be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge the fashion industry because fashion and environmentalism are very much intertwined. From oil production for the creation of polyester to herbicides / pesticides used in non-organic agriculture, the environmental impact is significant. The use of unnatural dyes leach into and color the waterways. Huge landfills that do not decompose due to the presence of man-made fibers keep getting larger. For more information please read our more detailed post The Bleak Outlook of the fashion industry - is Eco-fashion the answer?
You can help by making your mindful purchases at companies that support environmental efforts. To make it easier, we’ve compiled a small list of companies that participate and donate to various environmental projects.
1. 4Ocean
4Ocean pulls out a pound of garbage from the ocean for every purchase made.
They take a village/ community approach to their work - they believe that it takes more than one company or person to create change and therefore donates to a different organization each month that share in their philosophy.
Visit 4Ocean here.
2. Dimmblà
3. Panamuna Project
Panamuna Project is a brand that has surfing and the ocean at heart. 100% of profits from their Bighting Back, Gen Blue, Seabin Project and Shark Girl Collections go the respective organizations.
Visit Panamuna Project here.
1. Tasi Travels
Tasi Travels is a slow fashion brand from Australia, and for every purchase they plant a tree in partnership with Carbon Neutral.
Visit Tasi Travels here.
2. Tshu
Tshu partners with We Forest Foundation to plant a tree in Ethiopia for every handkerchief sold.
Visit Tshu here.
1. EarthHero
Earth Hero offsets their footprint as well as the carbon emitted through shipping by partnering with CarbonFund.org
Visit EarthHero here.
2. Made Trade
Made Trade has partnered with Carbon Credit Capital to offset the shipping from the location of where the product was made, all the way to your doorstep.
Visit Made Trade here.
3. Soul Flower
Soul Flower reduces their carbon footprint by ensuring all their outgoing shipments are shipped with UPS Carbon Neutral.
Visit Soul Flower here.
4. Svala
Svala calculates their monthly carbon footprint from their shipping and then purchases carbon offsets to offset their impact. The carbon offset helps fund tree planting projects as well as projects that generate alternative energy such as from wind, solar and water.
Visit Svala here.
5. Tamga Designs
Tamga Designs purchases offsets for shipping from their factory to your door to make the shipping carbon neutral.
Visit Tamga Designs here.
You can always refer to our blog 5 things you can do today for Earth Day for some ideas on saving energy and reducing landfill waste! There are some easy tips on what you can do today and everyday.
Let us know how you are planning on participating in Earth Day!
