What is Earth Day and why is it important?
The United Nations has stated that climate change is the defining crisis of our time and is happening even more quickly than was feared. Dire warnings are everywhere about the future (or lack of it) that awaits us if we don’t change our planet-wrecking ways soon. This Guardian article published in 2020 scared a lot of people with its horrifying look at a world in 2050 where climate warnings have not been heeded and time is up for the human race. Luckily there was a sister article describing the planet’s progress if we manage to tackle climate change and live in a more environmentally-friendly way.
No corner of the planet is immune from the devastating consequences of climate change – rising temperatures are fuelling environmental degradation, weather extremes, natural disasters, economic disruption, food and water insecurity, conflict and terrorism. But if we act quickly and cleverly, we can reverse these trends and work together towards a better future. So here’s what you need to know about Earth Day…
It's been going for over 50 years
The first Earth Day was on April 22nd 1970 and came about partly as a response to the bestselling book Silent Spring by Rachel Carlson, which sold over half a million copies and raised public consciousness of the link between pollution and public health. American senator Gaylord Nelson teamed up with activist Denis Hayes to create a nationwide environmental ‘teach-in’, and Earth Day was born.
Earth Day is more important now than ever
Billions of tons of CO2 spew into the atmosphere every year from coal, oil and gas production. Greenhouse gas emissions are at a record high, and the last four years have been the four hottest on record. Glaciers in polar regions are melting faster than ever. Almost two-thirds of the world’s cities with populations of over five million are located in areas at risk from the resulting rise in sea levels. We cannot let this continue and must act now to avert disaster.
For Earth Day 2024 on April 22nd, EARTHDAY.ORG is unwavering in our commitment to end plastics for the sake of human and planetary health, demanding a 60% reduction in the production of ALL plastics by 2040.
To achieve a 60% reduction by 2040, EARTHDAY.ORG’s goals are:
(1) promoting widespread public awareness of the damage done by plastic to human, animal, and all biodiversity’s health and demanding more research be conducted on its health implications, including the release of any and all information regarding its effects to the public;
(2) rapidly phasing out all single use plastics by 2030 and achieving this phase out commitment in the United Nations Treaty on Plastic Pollution in 2024;
(3) demanding policies ending the scourge of fast fashion and the vast amount of plastic it produces and uses;
(4) investing in innovative technologies and materials to build a plastic-free world.
What are we doing for planet Earth?
At Healthy Supplies, we take our responsibility as an ethical company seriously. Not only do we operate in the most eco-friendly way possible, we make sure that we give back to our local community and the world community as a whole. We are always coming up with new innovative ways to do so.
In the last 12 months whilst the cost of living has been rapidly increasing we are trying to keep our prices as low as possible and we are donating 12% of our profits to a variety of charitable causes.
With our charity partners, we are so proud to given back to the planet For every order placed with us, we donate to charitible causes. So every time you shop with us, you help the planet. We have planted and restored nearly 100,000 patches of coral. We have also planted over 200,000 trees and cleared over 384kg of ocean bound plastic.
Healthy Supplies has been one of the pioneers of a more eco-friendly system of online retail. We made the decision a while ago to eliminate the use of plastics in our warehouse packaging department, swapping the bubblewrap for recycled paper protection for goods in transit, and giving up plastic packing tape in favour of a natural, 100% recycled (but equally strong) alternative. We recycle cardboard boxes whenever possible, and for when they are beyond use as boxes, we invested in a machine that turns them into protective packaging material. We always favour the reusable over the disposable.
At all times we are on the lookout for new, exciting products with lower carbon footprints, higher sustainability and greener credentials. It’s an exciting time for us, and we’re glad you’re on board to help us rise to the challenge of providing a service which respects our planet and its future. You can see a collection of some of the fantastic, innovative eco-friendly products we’re particularly proud to offer here.
What can you do for Earth Day?
You can download an Earth Day Action Toolkit here. People are also being encouraged to organise local cleanups and organise their own teach-ins. You can also download the Global Earth Challenge app, which empowers people around the world to monitor threats to environmental and human health in their communities, share the data, and take action to drive eco-friendly policy change. Earth Day also encourages everyone to switch to a climate-conscious diet.