Every year on April 22nd, Earth Day marks the anniversary of the birth of an environmental movement that first took place in America in 1970. When more than 20 million people poured on to the streets forming part of the largest single-day protest in human history.
Where did the idea for Earth Day come from?
Earth day came to be, in part, as a response to the Santa Barbara Oil Spill in 1969 where over 3 million gallons of crude oil were spilled into the ocean killing seabirds, dolphins, sea lions and numerous other sea fauna.
Of course, prior to this tragic event, industrial complexes had been pumping out toxins and waste without fear of consequence or consideration for the environment for decades. Transport wasn’t as clean as today, with uneconomical gas guzzling vehicles pumping out a range of pollutants, adding their contribution to the burgeoning pollution matrix.
The Santa Barbara spill was the final straw that broke the camels back it seems, enough was enough and the World needed to wake up and recognise the damage that the recklessness and ignorance of unfettered pollution wasn’t just a danger to the unfortunate wildlife caught within its immediate wake, but to all life, including humanity.
Earth Day and the Call to Reduce Plastic Production
2024 is the 54th Anniversary of that pivotal day, and the theme this year is ‘Planet vs. Plastics’, with the Earth Day Organisation calling for a 60% reduction in all plastic production by 2040.
We have all seen the awful images of helpless animals ensnared in plastic wrappings suffering needlessly and cruelly. All these creatures and countless millions more are all victims of the massive quantity of plastic waste dumped into the oceans daily, forming huge entities such as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (an estimated 1.6 million square kilometres in size) and its smaller brother, the North Atlantic Garbage Patch.
The dedicated team at Ocean Cleanup have been researching and helping to tackle cleansing our oceans, seas, and rivers of plastic, a mammoth task they have bravely accepted, you can learn more about them HERE.
Plastics and microplastics are a clear and present danger not just to wildlife, but humanity as well, and their use needs to be curtailed, controlled, and ultimately replaced and we need to act now. It is estimated that by 2050 there will be more plastic waste in the oceans in physical weight than all the fish combined if something isn’t done now. Frightening.
Kempston Controls – Doing our bit for Earth Day, for Today and Tomorrow
Earth Day is a reminder of the importance of environmental conservation and sustainability, encouraging businesses and individuals alike to come together as one and act for a healthier planet and brighter future.
Like many other businesses Kempston Controls is taking firm steps to help reduce its environmental impact, including:
- Energy efficient long life LED lighting solutions across our premises
- Hybrid and electric vehicles for our sales teams with onsite EV charging
- Recycling cardboard for use as packing material
- Actively reducing plastic based packaging
- Zero to landfill manufacturing facility
- Choosing local suppliers where possible
- Reducing greenhouse gas and carbon emissions
Learning to Make a Difference
Every day is a learning experience, where more information comes to light and makes us and everyone else even more aware of the consequences of our actions. We are not perfect by any means, but we are learning and trying to make a difference. With perseverance and more importantly awareness, we can take action to ensure that what we do today as a business isn’t detrimental to the future of this beautiful blue planet called Earth and all life on it. There is no Planet B.
Earth Day -What can you do?
Every little helps. Whether you are a multinational business or an individual, there is something you can do to both raise awareness and reduce plastic pollution and help our planet, ourselves, and the life we share this world with have a healthier, cleaner future.
To learn more about Earth Day and what you can do to help, such as taking part in their activities, maybe purchase some merchandise, or become a volunteer, visit the earthday.org website HERE.
Kempston Controls is committed to finding you the ideal solution for your application. Call us today on +44 (0) 1933 411 411, email us at sales@kempstoncontrols.co.uk, or alternatively contact us here, we will be happy to help.
