MAKE A DIFFERENCE THIS EARTH DAY

Yes, you’re probably stuck at home thanks to Coronavirus, but we can still do our bit for the planet.

 

One bright spot in this coronavirus pandemic has been the apparent return of nature. We’ve seen fish-eating birds return to the clear waters of Venice, wild boar roaming the streets of Rome, and my particular favourite…the feral mountain goats of Llandudno.

Nature, it seems, is making a comeback. But the the sharp focus on the climate crisis and the changes we need governments to instigate is in danger of being lost as the pandemic and the ensuing global recession will take key resources and attention from these issues. It will continue to be up to us to keep making noise as activists and support organisations that organise to protect the natural world. Maybe you can’t take to the streets right now but you can  get onto Avaaz or Surfers Against Sewage to check out their petitions and grassroots campaigns.

 If you have cash to spare (even a tiny bit) consider donating it now to charities and Non Governmental Organisations making a difference in the world. There are still 790 million people worldwide without access to clean water and an estimated 1.8 billion people without access to adequate sanitation. The problem with plastic and the oceans also hasn't gone away.The people working for good still need money to keep operating and doing the great work that is so sorely needed. 

 As part of our pledge to donate 1% of our turnover, this year we are focusing on these three epic organisations; trees for cities, surfers against sewage  and

city to sea. Check them out and donate if you can! 

 

However the clothes industry comes out of this it isn’t going to be good news for the workers making the garments and who are taking the brunt of this pandemic. The pandemic is shining a light on how exposed these workers are. Asda has now confirmed that it is cancelling its clothing orders and paying between 30% and 60% on orders not yet finished. 

After growing criticism brands such as H&M and Zara-owner Inditex committed to pay in full for existing orders from clothing manufacturers. Read more here. There are many reasons to say no to fast fashion, this is sadly just another to add to the list.

There are so so many ethical and sustainable clothing brands out there right now, take this time for some sofa surfing so when you do want to get out of your loungewear and show yourself to the world again you can be sure that no worker was exploited in the process. A good place to start is the good shopping guide ethical fashion directory. 

 

It’s probably true to say that pretty much of all of us got a little bit twitchy in those first few weeks of lockdown. Empty shelves in the supermarkets and not wanting to go out shopping so often meant we were more careful with what we bought, we  planned meals and checked what was going south in the veg box more than usual! Let's keep it up. True - flour is a scarce resource nowadays so baking that bread might get tricky but there a ton of fun videos all over the internet so if you weren’t much of a cook before lockdown there’s no excuse not to emerge as a full blown Masterchef afterwards. Check out Eco chef Tom Hunt's instagram videos here.  

Top tip - organise your cupboards and fridges. did you know that you can use our steel containers in the fridge and freezer and oven?!  Check out Joy's videos on our instagram or facebook feed for lessons in using the Elephant Box to prep, store and cook your meals from scratch.