Not Earth Day

Earth Day slipped by last month while we were busy walking the talk!

🌍 At Dante Media, we treat everyday as Earth Day and take active steps to care for and cherish the world we live in.

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How did it all begin? 

Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22nd. People take part in activities such as planting trees, picking up litter, volunteering, etc. to take care of our beloved earth. This day acts as a reminder to protect the world from unsustainable practices. 

The seeds of Earth Day were planted in 1969, at a UNESCO Conference where peace activist John McConnell proposed to have a set day to honour the Earth. The following month, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson suggested having a nationwide environmental teach-in on April 22, 1970.  And so began the day that celebrates the earth we live in. 

But none of us really think one day is enough right? 

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Internalising Purpose

A day to commemorate the earth is important. But there is a point we tend to miss; Earth Day shouldn’t be a day assigned to do good but rather should be a day to celebrate all the work we have been putting into conserving and protecting the world we live in everyday. It shouldn’t be an excuse to do something but rather a yearly celebration of action. 

It is all about internalising a purpose and letting it guide everything you do. Doing good cannot be limited to one day only; companies and individuals alike have to take responsibility for their actions everyday. 

So in the simplest terms, if you are collecting trash once a year and throwing it all over the streets the remaining 364 days, the point will be lost.  

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Green Washing: Risky Business 

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Some companies tend to use Earth Day as a facade; promoting their ‘green agenda’ that does not go beyond creating a communication campaign centred around April 22nd and nothing more. Buzzwords, vague statements and false information can cause misconception Greta Thunenberg summarised it perfectly in a tweet from 2022:

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According to ESG Dive, 25% of climate-linked risk incidents between September 2022 and 2023 were made by greenwashing companies. 

An Environmental claims in the EU report published in 2020 by the European Union revealed that “53.3% of examined environmental claims in the EU were found to be vague, misleading or unfounded.” 

These practices undermine the valuable efforts of others to tackle the climate crisis and reduce emissions. 

Earth Day becomes a stage for companies who partake in harmful practices everyday to create a narrative of doing good while the reality is a lot grimmer. 

At Dante Media, we try to do good everyday by working with companies who have positive systems change at their core. We try to be active participants towards the movement to make the world a more sustainable place by working with organisations that lead with purpose and act on an internalised goal of systems change.

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