On April 22nd, billions of people worldwide observe Earth Day, and "Invest in the Planet" Is the theme for 2022.

This year's emphasis will be on accelerating solutions to address our most pressing challenge, Climate Change and enlisting the assistance of government, citizens and businesses to aid in the transition to a more equitable and prosperous green economy.

The Earth provides sustenance essential for survival. Humans, on the other hand, have severely depleted natural resources. As a result, our ecosystem has been thrown into chaos. There’s no time to lose for us to make every effort to achieve these objectives, while at the same time conserving resources as much as possible for future generations.

How can you play a part in helping Mother Earth? 

Reduce your carbon footprint

Your carbon footprint is all the greenhouse gasses that are emitted from all your activities. You can make a seemingly small but important difference by reducing your personal carbon footprint. Here are some ideas to try:

1. Modify your commuting strategy. Rather than driving your own car, carpool with friends, take public transportation, use shared electric scooters, walk or ride a bike.
2. Plan your meals ahead of time and think about portions to reduce food going to waste
3. Donate to a food bank, a homeless shelter or a soup kitchen.
4. Feed leftover scraps to animals
5. Start a compost heap with food waste to make organic fertilizer. 

Reduce your water use

Water is a precious resource. Less water going down the drain ensures more water in lakes, rivers, and streams. You can help reduce your water usage by changing your habits in your home. Even shortening your shower time by 2 minutes can save up to 24 liters of water!

 

Conserve energy

Just like changing your habits when it comes to water use, there are simple changes you can make around your home that can help to make an impact. You can also save money on your power bill!

Here are a few tips: 

1. Use light bulbs that are energy-saving. Think about installing solar panels 
2. Install energy-saving devices 
3. When you leave a room or your home, check that you’ve turned all the lights off! If you're going away for a while, turn off devices that won’t be in use.

Reduce your reliance on plastic

Plastic pollution is one of the most serious issues threatening ecosystems all over the world. Microplastics are non-biodegradable particles that can be found almost everywhere, from mountaintops to the deepest oceans, wreaking havoc on ecology and endangering flora, fauna and humans.

While the plastic waste problem can be overwhelming, there are some simple things you can do to help protect the environment:

1. Refuse single-use plastic bags in favor of reusable bags. 
2. Opt for a reusable water bottle instead of a single-use plastic water bottle. 
3. If you do use single-use plastic, check if it’s recyclable, and if so remember to put it in the recycling!

Reuse and recycle your clothes

Did you know that the fashion sector emits 10% of all carbon dioxide emissions? That’s more than the entire aviation industry. It also produces 20% of the world’s wastewater, which can go on to pollute rivers, streams, and groundwater. 

Your closet and shopping habits, while seemingly trivial in the larger scheme of things, can have a big impact on the earth. Creating a capsule wardrobe for each season, purchasing only the clothes you need, is a great place to start. Choosing clothing and shoes that you can reuse again and again is one way to help the environment.

Reuse and recycle packaging

Packaging is impossible to avoid and creates a lot of waste.  The good news is a lot of packaging materials are recyclable. Check for recycling labels, and recycle cans, bottles, cartons, and paper whenever you can.

 

Reuse and recycle packaging and household Items

Packaging is impossible to avoid and creates a lot of waste.  The good news is a lot of packaging materials are recyclable. Check for recycling labels, and recycle cans, bottles, cartons, and paper whenever you can. 

When it is time for a spring clean at home, think about donating any items that you no longer use to local schools or non-profit organizations. Before throwing something away,  could you find another use for it? Encourage your kids to be resourceful and help them to become more aware of their environmental impact too.

Involve the community

You can raise awareness about the importance of protecting our environment in the face of climate change by talking to your family, friends and neighbors. If you love gardening and have a green thumb, you can always make an impact there! Trees are the Earth's lungs, absorbing pollutants and filtering the air we breathe. Organize a tree planting weekend with your family or community. You could also organize a Green Day to clean up the area and pick up trash, or clear up a section of the neighborhood.

This Earth Day let’s not turn a blind eye to our Mother Earth. Let us show our appreciation for our planet by increasing environmental awareness. Her generosity is essential to our lives and future generations. Make positive changes wherever you go, no matter how small; they count, and this is your chance to make a difference in the world.

At Dooeys, we know that fashion industry is known for having a terrible impact on the environment, contributing to around 8% of annual global carbon emissions. That’s why this Earth Day we’ll be donating 8% of sales to the Canopy Project, which plants trees around the world as part of the reforestation effort to remove CO2 out of the atmosphere to tackle the climate crisis.

We also know Earth Day should really be every day. We use only plant-based and recycled materials to make our house shoes, we produce in small batches at our factory in Portugal, we use recycled cardboard and recycled paper for our packaging, our shoe box is also the shipping box, and we offset carbon emissions on every order shipped. Learn more.