Earth Day has since its beginning on 22 April in 1970 mobilised an environmental movement aiming to build a healthy, sustainable environment and address climate change. One could argue that all days should be earth days but the engagement on social media before / during / after the day and the many tips you can find online inspiring you to live a more eco-conscious life still make it worthwhile, even if it just makes one more person consider their choices.
Living in a big city like I do has its obvious negatives when it comes to eco-consciousness as the city is fuelled by consumerism, transport and high energy usage. But those factors can be turned more positive if you consume local products, walk or cycle, and reduce your energy use where possible.
A majority of the world’s population live in urban areas and it’s estimated that the number will double by 2050. To keep improving the lives of all those living in cities, measures have to be in place to solve all sorts of issues around overcrowding, housing and employment. When it comes to environmental issues in cities, actions like increasing trees, parks, and rooftop gardens have a huge impact in terms of decreasing pollution and protecting local plants and animals.
London is currently covered in 47% greenery, it has 3,000 parks and 8.3million trees and there’s a campaign arguing for it to become a National Park City as that would mean there would be regulations around ensuring the wildlife and cultural heritage is conserved and enhanced. Innovative solutions such as the underground farm in a disused air raid tunnel from World War II are already developing an eco-conscious London and there are similar initiatives in cities around the world. The Lowline on the Lower East Side of New York is an underground park in the making, taking advantage of unused urban spaces. And artists like Anna Garforth and Patrick Blanc are using urban architecture as their canvas, adding greenery to our cities. Blanc is the inventor of Vertical Gardens and has created beautiful works such as a living wall in Paris.
On a small, personal scale, we can celebrate Earth Day by appreciating what our cities are giving us through Mother Nature – in London I would recommend visiting the beautiful Royal Botanic Garden in Kew or the Conservatory at the Barbican (see photo at top). We can also improve our most immediate environment by adding health benefits by adding houseplants. They clean our air, help us breath, boost healing, and keep us healthy and productive. At the moment I’m particularly enjoying air plants in copper diamonds by Ro Co and cactuses in concrete pots by Concrete Jungles (like the one above).
Happy Earth Day!