“In the universe are billions of galaxies. In our galaxy are billions of planets. But there is #OnlyOneEarth”
— UNEP
“Only One Earth” was the slogan for the very first UN conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, 1972. Fifty years later, Sweden hosted ‘Stockholm+50’ from 2-3rd June, and World Environment Day on the 5th June to spread awareness and continue its legacy.
Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), World Environmental Day has grown to be the largest global platform for environmental change. Just like the millions of people who celebrate it across the world, we are taking part in spreading the word for environment action and encouraging everyone, everywhere, to make changes to tackle our ongoing climate crisis.
Why do we celebrate World Environment Day?
“We must go from harming our planet to healing it.”
— UNEP
Our planet is currently tackling a triple threat: global warming, pollution and loss of habitat due to deforestation. Ecosystems are collapsing, forests are vastly disappearing and we are losing species 1,000 times faster than at any other time recorded in history. World Environment day aims to inspire more people to take action and raise awareness to the ever-growing challenges our planet faces.
So what in the world is going on?
Currently, we’re using the equivalent of 1.6 Earths to maintain our way of life; whilst this is a pretty terrifying statistic, we don’t seem to be slowing down our pace of consumption. UNEP explains, that despite our influx of climate agreements, it simply is not enough to prevent the global average temperature from rising. If this happens, we can expect to see devastating consequences such as increased flooding, a collapse in our ecosystem and a third of all life threatened with extinction—nature simply cannot keep up with all of our demands!
It is up to us to play a key role in raising awareness and urging each other to make large-scale, permanent changes. Through recognising the challenges our planet faces, we are able to implement change and prevent the disastrous effects that threaten to dominate mankind.
Purdy & Figg: Our sustainable mission
“Two years ago, an NHS nurse Purdy Rubin and a horticulturalist Charlotte Figg acted on a shared passion: to reduce the number of toxic chemicals we use on our skin and plastic waste around our homes.”
Since 2020, Purdy & Figg has aspired to change the way people clean by creating products that our eco-friendly, non-toxic and completely cruelty free. We believe that the choices we make matter. Starting with what we buy, and where we are choosing to buy from. Our mission is to give everybody the option to eliminate plastic waste, limit their toxic output and reduce their carbon footprint—it’s as easy as making one simple switch!
What can we do to help?
We have put together a couple of easy ways we can all become more eco-friendly...
Re-use: use refillable products as much as possible, whether that’s coffee cups, water bottles and even cleaning products!
Replenish: give back to the earth by planting your own herbs and vegetables. Tip: Attract bees into your garden by planting lavender, foxglove, abelia (bee bush) and blue borage.
Swap out: Swap out simple things such as replacing meat once or twice a week for plant-based alternatives, choosing to cycle/walk to work instead of driving, and choosing to buy ethical or second-hand clothing instead of feeding into fast fashion.
Educate: UNEP has put together a #OnlyOneEarth practical guide on how live sustainably in harmony with nature. Read more HERE.
We are living in exceptional times; times that have us facing the devastating impacts of international wars and the lasting effects of COVID-19. Nature is constantly reminding us to take care of ourselves. In return, we must learn to take care of the environment that sustains us.
There is Only One Earth, so lets take care of it!
