Earth Day 2022

It is Earth Day today!

What is Earth Day?

Earth Day, first celebrated in 1970, is a celebration of the Earth and a reminder to protect the environment and to make more sustainable life choices.

The first earth day was celebrated after a senator in Wisconsin, USA decided to organise a national demonstration to raise awareness to critical environmental issues such as pollution and deforestation. These rallies had so much of an impact that by the end of that year the US government created the Environmental Protection Agency and, over the next 20 years, over 140 other countries joined the celebration.

Why is it important?

Environmental issues, such as climate change, deforestation and pollution, are all reaching critical levels and are rapidly approaching the point of no return. If climate change continues without any attempt to stop it then we will experience more frequent and more devastating storms, unprecedented heatwaves and rising sea levels which will lead to flooding, even in areas that aren’t usually flood zones. Plant life and animal species, both on land and in the waters, around the world are going extinct because their homes are becoming inhabitable due to decisions being made by humans. Penguins, polar bears, koalas and even some butterflies are all in endangered status due to climate change. The main causes of which are all human choices. It is issues like these that make raising awareness so important.

So how can I help?

There are plenty of ways to celebrate Earth Day and no matter how small what you decide to do is, it will still be helpful towards the global effort. It could be a big as going to an organised meet up to pick up litter on beaches or in parks or as small as just walking everywhere instead of using a car. Here is a list of things you can do to help this Earth Day:

• Reduce the use of transportation
• Recycle any paper scraps that you would usually just throw into the regular bin
• Re-use anything you find in the house and think you can use elsewhere, maybe it can be used for a DIY project or a crafts project
• Conserve energy in your house by turning off lights and electronics when you’re not using them
• Conserve water by making sure to turn off your tap when it’s not in use
• Use reusable bags for your shopping, not only are they often stronger but they also help the environment
• Buy from local business, not only are you supporting local small businesses but you’re also reducing the shipping distances of your produce
• Plant something
• Use reusable plastic or metal if you can
• Spread the word! Not everyone knows about the importance of Earth Day so tell them, let them know how they can help and why they should.

Any help is helpful in the fight against environmental issues. So, don’t think ‘I’m not doing much so is there a point doing it at all’ try to put yourself into a positive mindset because if everyone adopted that mentality then nothing would get done at all. Lets be the change we want to see in the world, urge friends and family to do the same. Slowly, all our efforts will add up.

As a small business this is such a hot topic for us!

We have made a commitment to be net zero by 2031. Well … we made this commitment as we were determined to do it, but with very little idea on how to do it! Yes, there are small changes we can make and have already done so, but we are a manufacturer of a luxury product so the challenge is on!

At the moment, we are slowly working our way through an audit process in the business, starting very simply with working out our environmental cost. As we do this, we are seeing what we can change simply, quickly and cost effectively, and taking action on that.

Once the audit process is complete we will look at what we can do next and seek expert help.

We are also currently taking part in a sustainability basics programme with Small Business Britain and Oxford Brookes Business School.

We are taking our time to make sure that we do take right steps in the right direction. It is a slow and sometimes overwhelming process but we are determined to do this and look forward to sharing our progress with you.