Earth Day 2023 - Let's Take Action!
Date Posted:11 April 2023
It’s Earth Month this April, a time to not only spotlight the issues our planet is facing, but also to champion action. According to Earth.org, here are the 14 biggest environmental problems of 2023:
1. Global warming from fossil fuels
2. Poor governance
3. Food waste
4. Biodiversity loss
5. Plastic pollution
6. Deforestation
7. Air pollution
8. Melting ice caps and sea level rise
9. Ocean acidification
10. Agriculture
11. Food and water insecurity
12. Fast fashion and textile waste
13. Overfishing
14. Cobalt mining
It can be so easy to dig your head into the sand and say ‘there’s nothing that I, as an individual, can do. It’s the big corporations that are doing the damage, and need to take action’.
But think about it this way:
Imagine you are a single use plastic bag, perhaps you were used to bag some fruit at the supermarket, or an innocent little sandwich zip lock for a school lunch. You get used once, twice, maybe even three times, but inevitably you’ll get thrown out. Perhaps you’ll make it to landfill, where you’ll sit for 500 years without breaking down. Or, unluckily, you find yourself floating down the drain pipe into the waterways and eventually out to sea. You spot a fish, who mistakes you for a jellyfish and gobbles you up. That fish then gets eaten by a bigger fish, then a bigger fish, and so on up the food chain. All the while, you’re being broken down into countless molecules of micro plastics, being passed along to each body who ingests you. Eventually, you end up back on the plates of people, whose bodies were not made to eat micro plastic, and… well we’ll let you fill in the rest of the story.
Yes we have a long way to go, but every little change we make is an investment back into our planet. And who knows who you’ll influence to do the same?
Here’s some suggestions of simple actions you can share with your customers, so they can make a positive impact!
1. Go plastic free - it goes without saying, single use plastics are not great, and in this day and age not necessary! There are so many plastic-free alternatives available, which save your customers money in the long run, not to mention so much more planet-friendly
2. Zero waste - food waste is such a huge contributor to greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, so why not compost instead? Certified compostable bin bags make it easier than ever to collect kitchen scraps. And a big plus, free uber nutritious soil for your garden!
3. Palm oil free - we all know palm oil devastates populations of already endangered species such as orangutans, but the deforestation process in order to plant these crops contributes so much carbon released back into the atmosphere. Provide palm oil free alternatives for your customers today
4. Support local - it’s no secret that freight accounts for so much pollution and harmful emissions. A great way to reduce this is to shop and support local businesses, farmers and growers. There are so many fantastic Australian made & owned businesses out there, there’s no excuse really!
5. Optimise energy efficiencies in the home - making sure your house is properly insulated, blocking off draughts, fixing water leaks, using LED light bulbs all help to use less resources.
6. Plant something - especially a native pollinating garden! The bees will love you for it!
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There’s no better time than right now to start (or continue) making those positive changes in our lives, so that our descendants can continue enjoying our beautiful planet!
If you’re ready to bring more earth saving eco-friendly goodies to your customers and clients, we’re right here and ready to help you. Simply sign into your wholesale account to start ordering to start making a difference. And if you don’t have a First Ray wholesale account, that’s no problemo at all. You can sign up for an account right here – it only takes a few minutes and you’ll have access to all our products at wholesale prices. Nice work eco-hero!