Sustainable OREO

Mondelez, the global food giant behind Oreos, has promised that all of the cocoa supplied for Oreo cookies will come from farmers associated with the Cocoa Life program, which focuses on supporting sustainable cocoa production and the welfare of the people behind it.

“To bring the iconic Oreo brand under Cocoa Life is a special moment for us as we continue to expand the program and move closer to our target of empowering 200,000 farmers and reaching one million people in cocoa-growing communities by 2022. Through Cocoa Life, we want to become an accountable partner for our cocoa farmers, not just a buyer. Cocoa Life truly transforms communities by delivering real and measurable improvements for cocoa farmers.” Glenn Caton, president of Northern Europe at Mondelēz International

This news comes in the midst of warnings made by Scientists of a possible cocoa shortage due to the ever-growing demand. Climate Change has had a substantial negative impact in the Ivory Coast (Ghana) where is said that half of the world’s cocoa is harvested.

So, while it may not be the healthiest of snacks, at least whenever you are indulging one of these all time favorites, you can feel good about making a choice that supports sustainable practices.

Mondelez claims the Cocoa Life logo will be displayed on all Oreo products by the end of the year.

Bottle Source Collection: Recycling Water Bottles from 3 National Parks

The North Face has taken a share of responsibility to keep our national parks clean. Their new Bottle Source Collection diverts 160,000 pounds of plastic bottles from the waste stream and recycles them into tees and totes.

This initiative focuses on minimizing the impact of visitors in 3 National Parks: Yosemite, Great Smoky Mountains, and Grand Teton.

For every Bottle Source product sold, they are donating one dollar to the National Park Foundation to support recycling programs.

DISNEY [ Environmentally Friendly ] WORLD

Walt Disney has announced that by the end of the year, it will have a 270-acre solar farm to power two of its four theme parks.

The 50-megawatt solar facility will include half a million solar panels and it is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emission by more than 57,000 tons a year, Disney stated in a blog post.

TheWalt Disney Company has launched to deliver its 2020 goal of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent compared to 2012," Disney mentioned in the announcement.

Back on April 12, 2016 Orlando's Walt Disney World Resort, flipped a giant light switch to mark the highly anticipated opening of a 22-acre, five-megawatt solar facility. Cleverly designed to resemble the familiar "not-so-hidden-Mickey," the massive solar farm that is located near Epcot is clearly visible from Space.

Though producing green energy on such a large scale is a new endeavor, Epcot is no stranger to solar power. The futuristic theme park's Universe of Energy building has been the fueled by the solar panels fitted on its roof since October 1982!

In 2015, Disney reported that they had reduced their carbon footprint by 34% from 2012 levels and is planning to reduce it to 50% by 2020. In addition to switching to solar energy, the company has also been reducing the environmental impact of its operations with other innovations. This includes running Disneyland Resort trains on biodiesel made from recycled cooking oil obtained from the park's restaurants and hotels. The company, which already incinerates almost 50% of the trash generated at its various theme parks is gearing toward increasing that number to 60% so that even less of it ends up in our landfills!

The new solar facility will be near Disney's Animal Kingdom and construction is expected to begin in the coming months.

In addition, teams from Disney's Animals, Science and Environment and Horticulture will come up with ways to make the facility pollinator friendly, meaning wildflowers and vegetation maybe placed there, "creating a safe and welcoming habitat for butterflies, bees and other insects, including endangered and at-risk species," Disney explained.

WE LOVE FASHION. But we don’t want our clothes to exploit people or destroy our planet.

Fashion Revolution is a global movement calling for greater transparency, sustainability and ethics in the fashion industry.

Wanting to unite the fashion industry and ignite a revolution to radically change the way our clothes are sourced, produced and purchased, so that what the world wears has been made in a safe, clean and fair way.

Despite some steps forward since the Rana Plaza garment factory collapsed in 2013 killing 1138 people, not enough has changed. About 75 million people work directly in the fashion and textiles industry, and about 80% of them are women. Many are subject to exploitation, verbal and physical abuse, working in unsafe conditions, with very little pay. This is why the ‘who made my clothes’ question is still hugely important.

How to take part: 

·  Take a selfie showing your clothing label, tag the brand on social media and ask them #whomademyclothes

· Sign the Manifesto and share our vision for a safer, fairer and cleaner fashion industry

· Write to a fashion brand to ask them to be more transparent and to commit to paying living wages

· Write to your local politicians and tell them you want better conditions for workers and the reduction of environmental impacts in the fashion industry everywhere in the world

·  Try a #Haulternative: mend, reuse, recycle, customise or swap your clothing with a friend www.fashionrevolution.org/haulternative

· Check out the Fashion Transparency Index, which will cover 150 brands from April 2018

· Write a love story about an item of clothing that means a lot to you  www.fashionrevolution.org/lovestory

USE YOUR VOICE TO CHANGE 

THE FASHION INDUSTRY

Our Fragile Earth Needs You

This fragile Earth deserves a voice. It needs solutions. It needs change. It needs you.

International Mother Earth Day is celebrated to remind each of us that the Earth and its ecosystems provide us with life and sustenance. It provides an opportunity to raise public awareness around the world to the challenges regarding the wellbeing of the planet and all the life it supports.

It also recognizes a collective responsibility, as called for in the 1992 Rio Declaration, to promote harmony with nature and the Earth to achieve a just balance among the economic, social and environmental needs of present and future generations of humanity.

Environmental and climate literacy is the engine not only for creating green voters and advancing environmental and climate laws and policies but also for accelerating green technologies and jobs.

Education is the foundation for progress. We need to build a global group of citizens fluent in the concepts of climate change and aware of its unprecedented threat to our planet. We need to empower everyone with the knowledge to inspire action in defense of environmental protection.

What can you do right now?  

✔️Donate to Greenpeace
✔️ Join a volunteer group to clean your nearest beach 
✔️ Take  the BE ZERO Challenge
✔️ Read and educate yourself on climate change issues 
✔️Be a voice.

#NoActionIsTooSmall #EveryActionCounts #EarthDay