April 22nd is Earth Day 2018. We think it's a really important day for us to be \more conscious about what we do and how we do it. Our planet is stunning and we really need to keep it that way so when did Earth Day start and what can we do to help?
Earth Day started 48 years ago on April 22nd 1970 and it started when millions of people protested about the changes happening in America caused by 150 years of industrial development.
Smog was heavy, pesticides were widely used without thought of the consequences and people had had enough. Luckily their action had impact and three months later, in July, the Environmental Protection Agency was established. The Clean Water Act was passed amongst others.
Close to 50 years on and this day is now a global phenomenon with more than a billion people taking action across the globe. People have beach cleans, street cleans, commit to make change, stop using plastic and petitions are signed.
Earth Day Network, the organization that leads Earth Day worldwide, announced that Earth Day 2018 will focus on ending plastic pollution. This includes creating support for a global effort to eliminate single-use plastics along with global regulation for the disposal of plastics. EDN plans to educate millions of people about the health and other risks associated with the use and disposal of plastics, including pollution of our oceans, water, and wildlife, and about the growing body of evidence that decomposing plastics are creating serious global problems.
This multi-year campaign is to End Plastic Pollution. The goals include
1) Ending single-use plastics
2) Promoting alternatives to fossil fuel-based materials
3) Promoting 100 percent recycling of plastics
4) Corporate and Government accountability
5) Changing human behavior concerning plastics.
These are not goals that will be achieved overnight and we all have our part to play. You can help in many ways and we have a Plastic Free category at Flora & Fauna where you can find products without plastic.
