The world’s quite a stressful place at the moment, I know. We’re bombarded with bad news everywhere we look: a number of clients have told me that they’ve found themselves doomscrolling through social media at ridiculous hours, desperate to stop reading yet unable to tear themselves away.
So this month, in honour of Earth Day on April 22, I’d love for you to put your phone down and go outside!
I love nature and believe our energy and vitality comes from connecting to it. So I’m hugely passionate about raising awareness about climate change and taking inspired action towards conserving our natural environment.
As entrepreneurs and business owners, we have the power and potential to have a positive impact and change this world for the better. With my business Amor Cacao, it’s really important to me that it’s as environmentally conscious and sustainable as possible: I make every effort to use eco-friendly packaging. It’s biodegradable where possible and the rest is recyclable.
I source my cacao from the Peruvian Amazon rainforest and am proud to say that our cacao plantations are cooperatives working together to grow the cacao sustainably amongst trees or shrubs, using the agroforestry land management system. This method has much less environmental impact than the fertiliser-heavy plantations common in West Africa, which cause so much deforestation.
My Ceremonial Cacao gift boxes include the best frankincense to create a special ceremonial experience and chocolate bars to enjoy. I’ve partnered with The Frankincense Store for their amazing work in raising awareness about in the conservation of the Boswellia trees that the frankincense is harvested from. Conscious Chocolate are featured in all of my Amor Cacao gift boxes as they make the best raw vegan chocolate bars! I love that they also actively support the sustainability of the ecosystem of Peruvian-farmed cacao.
If all business owners chose one global goal that they were passionate about and raised awareness and contributed to this goal, we could really make a difference.
If you’re looking for inspiration, take a look at the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, “a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future”. To get you started, here are a few small, but powerful, changes you could make:
1. Use search engine Ecosia instead of Google – so your searches contribute to trees being planted!
Every time you use Ecosia instead of Google, search ads generate income which is then used to plant trees all over the world.
2. Turn the lights off!
One of the most important things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint is to conserve energy. Turning electricals off instead of leaving them on standby will make a huge difference, both to the environment as well as your household bill.
3. Cut down on your food waste
Food wastage is central to a number of the environmental challenges we’re all currently facing, including hunger and poverty, and the sustainability of agriculture and oceans. Hot on the tail of Earth Day on the 22nd, April 27th is ‘Stop Food Waste’ Day, committed to action in the fight against food waste. If you’re looking for inspiration, see what recipes you can make from your leftovers, or sign up to an app like Too Good To Go, which lets customers rescue unsold food from shops and restaurants to save it from going to waste.
4. Recycle everything
As I said above, all my Amor Cacao packaging is eco-friendly, and recycling is one of the easiest ways to make positive environmental changes. Chances are you’re already doing this, but before you put anything in the bin, double check that you can’t recycle it instead.
5. Cut out plastic
From carrying reusable bottles to remembering to take your own bags to the supermarket: a few small changes can have a huge impact on how much plastic you use on a day-to-day basis.