Today on Wednesday 22 April 2020 it is the 50^th anniversary of Earth Day, an international recognition of the celebration of our beautiful planet.

Where it all began

The concept of Earth day originated from an oil spillage in February 1969. The beaches of Santa Barbara in California turned black as an oil rig situated around 10 kilometres off the coast had ruptured.

It is estimated that 200,000 gallons of crude oil escaped, and for 11 days it spewed across the sea floor, covering a 35-mile stretch of California coastline and any marine wildlife in its path.

The disruption caused sparked an outrage in America and a turning point. A strong voice was formed as groups that had been fighting individually against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps and the extinction of wildlife all united together (earthday.org) and in 1970 Earth Day was officially born.

Earth day impact

The first Earth day had a long-standing impact. Following this united voice to stand-up for the planet, the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency was formed, as well a number of environmental laws such as the Clean Air, Clean Water and National Environmental Policy Acts were passed.

A united globe

The movement has since swept across the world, with the majority of countries now recognising Earth Day as a significant day in the calendar to celebrate nature and voice concern over the dangers to the planet.

Earth day 2020

The theme of Earth Day for 2020 is climate change. There are so many large corporations that contribute massively to the damaging effect of climate change.

We have highlighted the fashion industry in particular in our video (click here to watch), as cotton production in Western Asia caused the Aral Sea to disappear. This had extreme distress for not only the environment, but also to the local residents as they watched in horror the world around them drastically change, all in the name of business and consumption for a Western market.

Social Enterprise and Earth Day

In our blog ‘The Social Enterprise Business Model’, we explain how ‘Planet’ is an integral part of the triple-bottom-line, as Social Enterprises strive to protect the planet through their business.

We often talk of the social issues we face in society and our environment, that affect both people and the planet that Social Enterprises could help solve, but today we are going to celebrate.

Today on Earth Day 2020, we are reminding ourselves that there is so much beauty and joy in our universal home and all is well.

It is just as important to appreciate and show gratitude to our planet just the way she is, as well as highlight all the problems that need solving.

Thank you Mother Earth

Our Happy Mother’s Day to Mother Earth blog post highlighted that during the global pandemic of Covid-19, it has forced us stop and really appreciate the earth, as she continues to provide for us, even though we have not been treating her with the respect she deserves.

We appreciate it is a difficult time as we battle Covid-19, but we are sharing stories of the positive things that have occurred due to our human lockdown.

Take a look below:

What does normal look like?

Once the world comes out of lockdown, which inevitably will happen, although no timelines are at play, we need to ask ourselves – what is ‘going back to normal?’ and if ‘normal’ is behaviour that continues to destroy our planet, is that the way of life we want to have. Do we really want to go back to the way things were and un-do the earth’s healing?

Shouldn’t a new normal be creative and compassionate social entrepreneurs, that create businesses for the good of society and the planet? This will allow more ethical and conscious choices for consumers too.

Keep learning. Whether you want to be a social entrepreneur, or just to simply learn more about Social Enterprises, the time is now, because going back to normal should not be the same. The earth would not be able to cope if all the toxic air pollution returned.

Learn now online with lifetime access to ‘Social Entrepreneurship: How to Build a Social Enterprise’. You can use the coupon code ‘EARTHDAY’ for over 65% off. This will give you lifetime access for £13.99. Learn at your own pace, in your own time and bring momentum to the Social Enterprise Revolution.

If there is one thing we have learnt from the strange times of 2020, it is that the earth does not need us. Without our interaction, it will continue to spin, the sun will still rise, the moon will still shine. But we could not survive without the earth. Without our mother earth, we have no life, no home.

Now let us move forward with a new normal. Loving and respecting ourselves, each other and most importantly our earth.

Happy Earth Day.

Please check your ‘Junk’ folder to accept the confirmation that you would like to sign up to our latest news!