Each year on April 22, Earth Day marks the anniversary of a modern environmental movement that took hold back in 1970.
Earth Day is an opportunity for all of us to take to heart our impact on the environment, and to take actions that decrease any negative impact. For some, Earth Day has expanded into Earth Week or Earth Month. At Goodwill Central Coast, stewardship for the earth is part of our mission and what we do EVERY day of the year.
Despite the amazing efforts surrounding Earth Day, our planet sits on a tipping point. Unless we act very soon, climate change will deeply damage economies, increase scarcity, drain profits and job prospects, and impact us all in dire ways.
The answer involves innovation and sustainability in the business world. Studies show a direct correlation between sustainable business practices, share prices, and business performance. Companies who develop strong Environment Social Governance (ESG) standards have better profitability, stronger financials, happier employees, and more resilient stock performance.
Smart companies are discovering what Goodwill has long embraced: Sustainability is the path to success. It’s all part of what is called a “circular economy,” a model of production and consumption that involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing, and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible.”
When you shop or donate with Goodwill, you help the planet through sustainable shopping while helping your community through job training and placement.
It’s a pretty simple formula.
It’s going to take all of us — nonprofits, businesses, governments, and citizens. A partnership for the planet.
The Earth Day 2022 theme is “Invest In Our Planet.”
The mission of Goodwill Central Coast fits into this theme perfectly:
Goodwill Central Coast builds lives, families, and communities by helping people with employment needs become successful, supported by innovative enterprises that preserve Earth’s resources. We believe that everyone has the right to work, but for many individuals, the obstacles to employment are too high to surmount alone. Our goal is to ensure all of our community members know their worth and gain the skills and confidence to land a job that could turn their life around.
On Earth Day and every day throughout the year, our local donation centers stand ready to receive your clothes, toys, furniture, electronics, and other items. By donating to Goodwill, you know those items will be reused by someone else, rather than having them clog up our landfills.
In turn, the revenue from these purchases empowers others through employment, putting others in a position to help heal the world’s wounds.
Earth Day is the perfect time for everyone to think about how they can invest in our planet — and our community. It is the perfect time to establish a life-long value change and make positive decisions on what we buy. Sixty percent of global greenhouse gas comes from what we consume, so we need to seek out solutions that have positive impacts on our world.
Remember, reuse, repurposing and recycling take many forms, and can create jobs as well as helping the environment and the bottom line.
So the next time you stare at that new shirt or pair of shoes at the mall, stop and think before you buy. Most fast fashion brands have a huge environmental impact, and they aren’t made to last.
The average American purchases about 70 pieces of clothing each year, yet throw away about 70 pounds of clothing and other textiles during that time, according to the Council for Textile Recycling. The equivalent of one garbage truck of clothes is dumped in landfills or burned every second in the U.S.
When cleaning out your closets and cupboards, stop and think before you put those items in the dumpster. Go to your local Goodwill Central Coast store first. Drop off those items you no longer need. And while you are dropping off your donations, roam the aisles. You might just find an even better shirt or pair of shoes than the ones you thought you absolutely needed to have.