What is earth day? Earth Day takes place each year in April. In 2018 it was on 22nd of April, with the theme ‘End Plastic Pollution’.
David Attenborough’s chilling warning still rings in our ears; by 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans. Blue Planet’s wakeup call has provoked talk of banning many single-use plastics like straws and ear buds, so the message is clearly being heard, but what can we do to remain part of the conversation? If each of us makes one small step towards plastic-free living on Earth Day, such as buying a reusable water bottle, refusing a straw with our drink, or bringing our own bag to the supermarket, we could put a dent in the 8 million pieces of plastic that enter our oceans daily. At Make It Wild we offer a whole host of plastic-free alternatives, such as bamboo straws, toothbrushes and bees wax food wraps .
Earth day and its theme is important because …. A plastic bottle takes up to 450 years to degrade, which is why we have almost 270,000 tonnes of plastic currently floating in the oceans. Sadly, plastic pollution is now found in 100% of marine turtles, 60% of whales and 40% of sea birds, contributing to the death of 100,000 marine mammals and turtles, and a staggering one million sea birds annually. Plastic has now polluted every single beach in the world. If you’re by the coast, why not grab some friends and see who can pick up the most rubbish? Like we did! Knowing the answer to ‘what is earth day?’ could make a world of difference.
By Joe Frost and Lydia Neave
