What is Earth Day?

Earth Day was created in 1970 by US Senator Gaylord Nelson and inspired by the 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. It’s an annual occurrence that aims to raise public awareness about pollution and environmental issues. Over 20 million Americans participated in the first celebration. Shortly afterward was the passing of groundbreaking, protective laws such as the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act. Thanks to its increased popularity, Earth Day went global in 1990 (from 2009 known as International Mother Earth Day), with a vast number of conferences and projects organized by various countries. Now, over one billion people participate globally, making it the largest civic observance in the world.

During the 2016 Earth Day celebration, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asked world leaders to sign the Paris Climate Agreement. The agreement was focused on keeping planet warming below 2 degrees Celsius (3.5 degrees Fahrenheit). Needless to say, not just our leaders should work towards a better world: everyone can make a difference by taking action in daily activities. Here’s what we do at Cosabella, and a few ideas we’d love to share with you:

1. Ditch the bottled water

Water is a necessity, but the 38 billion plastic bottles that end up in landfills aren’t. Environmentally and economically, bottled water comes at a high price. According to BanTheBottle.com, it took 17 million barrels of oil (enough fuel for 1.3 million cars to run for a year) to create the plastic bottles. To drink the recommended eight glasses a day with bottled water would run you nearly $1400 (compared to 49 cents with tap or filtered water). At the Cosabella office, you’ll find a reusable cup, mug, or bottle at every desk. Reusable containers can be refilled from our shared water cooler, saving the world one sip at a time.

2. Shorten your showers

We’ve all done it. Start running the shower only to get distracted by a ringing phone or a conversation, leaving the water running in an empty tub. While seemingly harmless, every minute of a running shower equals 2.5 gallons of water – wasted. According to the EPA, this amounts to 1.2 trillion gallons of wasted water in the United States. Not only is this a waste of a precious commodity in an era where droughts are increasingly common, but showers are the largest uses of hot water in the average home – accounting for 17% of the energy usage. An easy way to reduce waste is to turn off the water when your lathering or shampooing your hair, only turning on the water to rinse off.  You’d be saving water and energy, Mother Earth will thank you.

3. Donate to environmental institutions

A very small contribution side can have a huge meaning for environmental institutions: consider an annual donation to a project you heartfully support, for instance, endangered species conservation via the WWF. Most of these activities imply tax deduction on donations, which makes them even easier to embark on. Here are some other impactful organizations that need your help:

• http://www.sierraclub.org/
• http://www.nationalgeographic.com/about/
• http://www.ewg.org/
• http://www.humanesociety.org/
• http://oceana.org/
• http://www.earthisland.org/
• http://earthjustice.org/features/docket-2015
• http://www.teensturninggreen.org/

4. Plant a tree

Deforestation is one of the planet’s worst plagues, but plenty of organizations are fighting against it by planting trees for each donation! Here at Cosabella, we are teaming up with the Arbor Day Foundation, who will plant a tree for every purchase made at Cosabella on Earth Day.

Taking action is the best way to celebrate Earth Day!