Earth Day is a global movement that started 48 years ago when millions of protestors took to the streets to bring to light the negative effects of the industrial revolution.

Earth Day 2018 is focused on plastic pollution, with many restaurants and bars in the Mother City pledging to go plastic free in solidarity.

President of Earth.org, Kathleen Rogers best sums it up: “In the US and around the world, smog was becoming deadly and evidence was growing that pollution led to developmental delays in children. Biodiversity was in decline as a result of the heavy use of pesticides and other pollutants.

“Now a global event each year, we believe that more than 1 billion people in 192 countries now take part in what is the largest civic-focused day of action in the world.

“It is a day of political action and civic participation. People march, sign petitions, meet with their elected officials, plant trees, clean up their towns and roads. Corporations and governments use it to make pledges and announce sustainability measures. Faith leaders, including Pope Francis, connect Earth Day with protecting God’s greatest creations, humans, biodiversity and the planet that we all live on,” she said.

In shocking footage released by BBC almost a year ago, it shows the world’s most polluted island, Henderson Island, located about halfway between Chile and New Zealand.

In 2017 the island had the highest density of plastic rubbish on its shores of any place in the world. This highlights the need to rid the world of plastic.

Watch the video below to see how polluted the island is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQCReet5oyA

 

At home you can start by being more eco-friendly:

1. Don’t use straws anymore
2. Start a compost pile or bin
3. Cut down the amount of electricity and water you consume daily
4. Use less paper and recycle more
5. Change your lightbulbs to energy-efficient ones



 

Here’s how the world celebrated Earth Day:

 


Picture: Twitter – @Sarah_SKG_1983

Article written by

Nidha Narrandes is a food-obsessed travel addict with 21 years of journalism experience. Her motto - Travel. Eat. Repeat. She is happiest on a road to nowhere without a plan. A masterchef at home, she can't do without chilli - because chilli makes the world a tastier place.