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Earth Day is celebrated on 22nd April, an annual event to raise awareness of protecting the environment and conserving our planet. 

Started in 1969 by Wisconsin Senator Nelson, the first Earth Day took place in 1970 and inspired the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Earth Day became a global event worldwide in 1990 and now spearheads awareness and environmental policy changes to protect our precious planet. Earth Day is  coordinated globally by EarthDay.org

This year celebrates the 52nd Earth Day and the theme is Invest in Our Planet but what can we do? 

Here’s are 10 ways of how we can help conserve our planet from our homes: 

1. 1. Reduce, reuse, and recycle. Did you know it can take 450 years for a plastic bottle to break down if thrown away to landfill!  Recycle or repurpose all plastics and cans and use reusable bottles instead of plastic bottles.
   2. Conserve water – little things make a big difference – turn off the tap while you’re brushing your teeth – it will save 12 litres of water a day per person! 
   3. Shop local – Shop a smaller carbon footprint – buying food and goods produced locally saves travel miles on the goods you’re buying and your own travel miles. Not only does it also support your local economy, local shops employ local people therefore reducing travel miles for all. 
   4. Conserving energy tips:
      • Shutting down a computer when it’s not in use cuts the energy consumption by 85 percent! 
      • Choose recyclable batteries
      • When replacing electrical goods, buy the best energy efficient goods you can afford
      • Switch to led light bulbs
      • Turn appliances off, don’t use standby
   5. Cleanup in your community – volunteer with a local clean up group or do your own litter picking. When you’re next going for a walk, take a bag, wear some gloves and collect rubbish you find along the way – you’ll be helping your local environment as well as the birds and animals that live there.
   6. Education – learn more and share your knowledge and passion for protecting our planet with friends and family. 
   7. Shop sustainably – Think more about all purchases you make – are they essential? Could you borrow the item you need? Check your wardrobe before buying another item of clothing.
   8. Plant a tree – is there a space in your garden, a friends or family member’s garden to plant a tree? Is there a community planting scheme you can join and partake in? Read more from the Woodland Trust 
   9. Limit food waste – in the UK we waste 6.5 million tonnes of food every year fuelling climate change! Let’s get creative with food, read more from Love Food Hate Waste  
   10. Packaging and bags limit your purchases of heavily packaged goods. Always use recyclable shopping bags, not single use plastic bags – it is estimated it could take up to 1,000 years for a plastic bag to decompose and then it won’t fully decompose. If you’re recycling plastic bags, take them to the special banks at supermarkets, they can’t go in your home recycling bin.

At Sky Park Farm we work hard to be environmentally friendly. We’ve planted hundreds of trees and shrubs over the past few years. 

We use paper straws, cups, packaging and recyclable products where possible. We have many recycling bins around the Farm and encourage recycling at all times. We use environmentally friendly products for cleaning.

We do not waste any food, for example any food leftover from the Farm Shop or Butcher is used by our chefs. All our coffee and tea is Fairtrade. We source a lot of produce and products from local suppliers reducing the carbon footprint. We get at least 40% of our produce from within 40% miles of Sky Park Farm and a further 40% from within Hampshire, Surrey and Sussex.