Earth Day 2021 – #RestoreOurEarth

Earth Day begin it’s life on April 22nd 1970 and since then it has grown into an international day to mark change and active decisions to help improve the way we live on this Earth and how we protect it.

This year, the focus is on Restoring Our Earth. The theme focuses on natural processes, emerging green technologies, and innovative thinking that can restore the world’s ecosystems. In this way, the theme rejects the notion that mitigation or adaptation are the only ways to address climate change. It is up to each and every one of us to Restore Our Earth not just because we care about the natural world, but because we live on it. We all need a healthy Earth to support our jobs, livelihoods, health & survival, and happiness. A healthy planet is not an option — it is a necessity.

I love this. There’s lots of things that we can do to support this and I think the easiest way to do this is by thinking about actions that you can take individually in your life. I like the idea of us each taking responsibility – if we all start making simple and easy changes, they will all add up.

I choose to litter pick. I love the warmer months and spend a lot more time out doors and because of that, I’m often seen with my litter picker on my walks. I used to get really annoyed with the amount of litter just thrown around and it really upset me. I walk most day with my husband and it’s a simple way for me to clean up the environment around me.

There are lots of other things that you can do though:

1. Donate to an environmental charity or cause that you care about: You’ve got charities like The Woodland Trust where you could plant a tree (With Plant a Tree, you will contribute to global reforestation efforts, restoring lost forests, repairing damaged ecosystems and mitigating climate changes) or Sea Shepherd – their mission is to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world’s oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species.
2. Organise a community clean up in your area: I mentioned that I choose to go and litter pick, you could create a community event that allows you to cover a large area with like minded supporters.
3. Start more sustainable habits: We all have habits that might not be the best for the environment. If you find yourself throwing away food – why not make smaller portions or freezer leftovers. If you used to be a big recycler and now find yourself being a bit lax, restart that habit.
4. Reduce your intake of meat and fish: by introducing me plant based options into your diet, you’re going to be making a big difference to the environment. I’d recommend you watch Seaspiracy if you want to find out more about how our consumption of fish is damaging the planet.
5. Shift to eco-friendly options: you’ve heard the debate about single-use plastics and you know that it’s better for the environment to reuse.. so start doing that. Stop buying bottles of water and take shopper bags to the supermarket rather than using plastic bags. You’re charged 5p or 10p per bag… that really adds up after a while.

The five ideas that I have listed above are so easy and simple but they will make a huge different.

So what do you pledge to reduce, reuse and recycle?