Earth Day 2021: mitigating pollution just isn’t enough

Earth Day 2021 is almost upon us again – and this April 22, campaigners from around the world are pushing a fresh message: Restore our Earth.

The theme of Earth Day 2021 is shifting focus from slowing down the damage being done to our planet to working on actually reversing the impact.

And one Earth Day 2021 initiative is something that we at SunSkips are especially passionate about…

The Great Global Cleanup: picking up waste to mark the occasion

Environmental experts argue that simply mitigating the damage humans have done to the Earth is not enough, we need to be more ambitious and work towards undoing it.

And one of the ways Earth Day 2021 organisers are taking action is through The Great Global Cleanup, a collection of events around the world in which volunteers get together to clean up their local communities.

So while we’re busy booking skips for our own spring cleans or garden clear-outs, it’s also important to think about what we can do to tidy up the planet.

Organisations in and around the area that SunSkips operates (Suffolk, Norfolk, and East Cambridgeshire) are stepping up to do their bit.

Students and staff at Elveden Academy primary school in Thetford near Bury St Edmunds are spending the morning picking up litter in the local area. Staff say their proximity to the A11 and Thetford Forest Park means they’re faced with a lot of rubbish on the school grounds and have decided to take action themselves.

Meanwhile, AstraZeneca staff in Cambridge will be taking a break from saving the Earth from COVID-19 when the R&D and IT teams head out into the local community for a litter-picking session. Colleagues in India and the US will be joining them for a truly global effort.

And if you’re staying inside this Earth Day, the University of Suffolk in Ipswich is hosting the webinar Earth Day 2021: Making Nature Your Business, which explains how environmental threats are directly impacting the world’s GDP.

SunSkips’ top tips to celebrate Earth Day 2021

This year, Earth Day is actually taking place over three days from April 20 to 22, so there’s plenty of flexibility for you to do your part. Here are a few ways we suggest you get involved:

• If you’re staying indoors, be conscious of the amount of waste you generate at home and think of ways you might be able to reduce it (composting, for example).
• Take part in a Great Global Cleanup event near you. If there isn’t one, why not start your own. You can even try your hand at a bit of plogging!
• Think about the products you buy from the supermarket. Could you make the switch from paper to washable cloth napkins? Are you making the best use of leftovers? Do you really need to buy bottled water when you could get a nice glass or metal flask?
• When doing a big clear-out, choose an accredited skip hire service that’s committed to minimising the amount of waste that’s sent to landfill.
• After you’ve got the hang of being more environmentally conscious for Earth Day, challenge yourself you keep it up throughout the year – and beyond!

SunSkips managing director Mathew Stewart added, “Cleaning up our planet is something SunSkips is especially passionate about.

“We’re dedicated to making cleanups go even further by diverting as much rubbish away from landfill as possible with a rigorous recycling process and sending other waste to be converted into useful fuel.”

For a list of Earth Day 2021 events near you, take a look at this handy map. And if you want to know more about how SunSkips is turning waste into fuel, read our post about SRF (solid refuse fuel).