Together, we can restore our earth

We recognise that climate change poses a threat to the economy, nature and society-at-large, and as part of our environmental policy and spearheaded by our Climate Action Voice Group we are finding ways to make changes and reduce our collective carbon footprint.

We’ve signed up to Giki Zero, a fantastic tool that we can use to measure our carbon footprint and create a pathway for meaningful action.

We’ve also joined the United Nations Race to Zero which commits us to reach ‘net zero’ by 2050, but we plan to do this much sooner. We’ve also committed to planting trees with Trees for Life, including a tree for every person at Torchbox, every year. We've planted 328 trees in our grove so far.

But what about this week in particular, how can we make even more commitment in recognition of Earth Day? We are asking everyone to commit to one of Giki Zero’s Planet Saving steps. These steps are bigger and tougher to do, so most people won't have signed up to them yet (for example changing to a green utility provider, switching to an ethical bank, cutting carbon by (at least) a tonne in 2021, or installing renewable heating).

According to Giki Zero, the UK average for carbon emissions is 9 tonnes of CO2 per person, per year, based on consumption. In order to stop temperatures rising to irreversible levels, the global target for 2030 would need to be 2 tonnes of carbon per person. So far, via Giki Zero we’ve committed to:

• 11,854kg reduction in carbon emissions
• Reducing our water by 454,053 litres
• 8,488 m2 reduction in land use
• And 531 fewer items of single-use plastic

And we won’t stop there. We’re committed to continuing to reduce our carbon footprint as an organisation and as individuals over the next year.

Also for this week, we are delighted to be joined by filmmaker and campaigner Ross Harrison, who will be talking us through the making of his new film, Forgetting Nature and why he’s urging everyone to join a conversation about remembering nature. Why? Because ‘sharing stories between generations can help inspire us to rewild our landscapes and our lives.’

We’ve got lots of other ideas and initiatives that we’re going to dedicate time to, including signing up for a Marine Conservation Society beach clean and other volunteering opportunities through the year.

We also believe that through climate education we’ll become more aware of what is at stake and will be even more inclined to adjust our lifestyles accordingly, so we’re starting a series of environmental talks, starting with Ross (as above) and we're also delighted to have Mark Lynas, lined up, author of numerous books, including his latest: Our Final Warning: Six Degrees of Climate Emergency.

How can you take part in Earth Day?

There are thousands of events taking place, both online and in person (within local Covid-19 restrictions) — find out what’s happening near you via this map.

You can also tune into Earth Day Live 2021, a live-streamed event that will include workshops, panel discussions and a series of guest appearances.