Proudly supporting - Earth Day 2020
What is Earth day?
Earth Day is an annual global movement celebrated on April 22nd that lifts environmental issues onto a world stage. First celebrated 50 years ago in 1970, Earth Day is widely credited with launching the modern environmental movement and contributing to the passage of ground breaking laws including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act.
Earth Day 2020 is expected to be celebrated globally by more than 200 million people in more than 190 countries around the world, and digitally coordinated by the Earth Day Network.
Why is it so special?
We all know that our planet is facing a climate emergency, an unprecedented global crisis and - put simply - heading for humanitarian disaster. The mission of the Earth Day Network is to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide; to drive change that benefits both people and the planet.
Here at Tom Raffield we’re no strangers to discussing the climate emergency we face and spreading the word about one of our biggest passions: sustainability. That’s why we’re proud to support Earth Day and join forces to help everybody make important, earth-saving changes.
“If we do not act now, extinction may be humanity’s most enduring legacy".
- Earth Day Network.
This Earth Day is unlike any other…
Since we currently can’t all be outside supporting Earth Day due to the Corona Virus pandemic, this year Earth Day is going digital. You can follow the events along with our team here - a marvel and testament of how far we’ve come in the last 50 years when smart phones, the internet or computers simply did not exist.
And whilst there’s a certain sadness about this anniversary not being celebrated together in our communities by enjoying mother nature and her beauty, we can’t help but focus on the positives.
Whilst we adjust to homelife in lockdown our towns and cities are deserted, roads are scarcely being used, places of work are empty. Air pollution and CO2 emissions have been slashed and wildlife has reclaimed our urban streets. It’s clear that when you take human activity out of the equation, nature bounces back rapidly. It shouldn’t take a pandemic for these changes to become necessary and for the world to heed warnings.
How we can help…
Connecting
We all need to come together as a united force to drive change. Albeit online, spreading the message about climate change and how our actions as humans are damaging our planet is of utmost importance. If we educate ourselves and others, we can all do our bit to make a difference, no step is too small.
Some of our favourite local charities doing their bit to educate and spread the word can be found here: Surfers Against Sewage, Cool Earth, Cornwall Wildlife Trust.
What we’re doing at TR
- We feel passionate and incredibly lucky to be in a position to educate others about the changes they can make to their lifestyle which will inadvertently benefit the planet. We are proud to use our voice to make a difference.
- We’re also committed to the UN Global Compact corporate social responsibility initiative, this means that we are constantly striving to become more active in our local community to support environmental charities and groups.
Preserving
Now more than ever before we need to look after our local environments to preserve their natural beauty and shield them from harm. From tree planting to beach cleans, in every community there are organised events and groups that focus on preserving our natural environments, which in turn, will protect the health of our planet.
"Trees do so much for us every day. They give us oxygen, store carbon, improve air quality, conserve water, preserve soil, support wildlife and are a key solution to climate change. They also make our communities more beautiful and improve our well-being".
- Tree Council.
What we’re doing at TR
- We exclusively work with responsible partners who supply sustainably sourced wood from reputable, traced and trusted locations.
- We're partners with the Tree Council and Woodland Heritage, working together to preserve natural environments and create exciting projects that preserve wildlife.
- Taking time out of our usual schedules to go tree planting. Our team recently participated in an organised local event at Enys Gardens, hosted by TEVI, to celebrate National Tree Week.
Protecting
Preventing future harm and damage to our planet is of paramount importance. We need to make conscious decisions based on the long term and not the here and now. Adapting our individual daily routines and outlook on life will have the biggest impact overall. Working from home more, not taking excessive trips, working towards a plastic free lifestyle and making investment purchases that don’t negatively impact the planet will all play a key part in driving changes.
What we’re doing at TR
- Every decision we make is centred around the planet. Handcrafting heirlooms of the future, being conscious with designs and not mass-producing goods that will go to waste. We make to order, no assembly line just quality handcrafted goods that will last over a lifetime.
- Since we moved our workshop and studios from the woodland surrounding Tom and Danie’s Grand Designs Home across to a purpose-built BREAM Excellent design studio and workshop in Falmouth, we’ve been prioritising planting trees in the woodland space we once called home. In the absence of our workshops and storage units, nature has begun to reclaim the site and there’s been some amazing developments in a relatively short space of time.
"Now the workshops have moved, there’s more open space in our Nanskerris Valley and we’ve seen nature take back the man-imposed places we had been operating the business from. Letting nature do its thing and roam wild has been an incredible process to watch. We’ve got Goat Willows shooting, Beech and Sycamore saplings, coppiced Oak and Ash trees putting out new growth and an abundance of brambles protecting them against rabbits and deer. We’ve seen Jays in the trees, badgers, foxes and owls; it just goes to show that if you let nature do its thing, it fights back and reclaims what was once its own".
- Tom Raffield.
Ways to get involved at home...
In the current climate we appreciate it’s a little more difficult to get involved in Earth Day celebrations, so we’ve come up with a few ideas to help you connect with nature and celebrate at home:
- Tree spotting on a daily walk. Keep a journal of the different species you see on different routes and their distinguishing features and properties. Spring is an excellent time to tree spot!
- Plant native wild flowers from seed. Most supermarkets are still selling flower seeds - growing plants that are native to your local ecosystem helps to support and attract the local insect population. Wildflowers are easy to care for and will also grow in an indoor environment if they are given the proper amount of light and care. If you can, get out in the garden this Earth Day and try making your own bee-friendly habitat with our top 10 plants to attract bees.
- Get creative with the family by drawing, painting and printing pictures of favourite trees you can see out of a window or, from a photograph.
- Reduce your plastic consumption. Topical, easy to do and can make an incredible difference. See how we’ve been dong out bit to become a plastic-free work place here.
- Appreciating nature – we’ve recorded some bird song from the Nanskerris woodland for you to enjoy here. We find it’s the perfect accompaniment to a little meditation or downtime to begin/end your day.
Posted: 22.04.20
Updated: 13.01.23