This year the theme for World Environment Day is “Only One Earth” with a focus on “Living Sustainably in Harmony with Nature”.
“Knowing that you love the earth changes you, activates you to defend and protect and celebrate. But when you feel that the earth loves you in return, that feeling transforms the relationship from a one-way street into a sacred bond.”
- Robin Wall Kimmera, Braiding Sweetgrass.
We all know there is only one earth (without going down the rabbit hole of black holes and multiple universes!). This is not news, but most of us don’t treat the earth or consider the environment as if we really believed this to be true!
Our role as individuals and for us as a business is to look at ways that we can contribute to not only reducing our carbon footprint but finding ways in our everyday lives to make a positive impact on our environment.
What can we do as individuals? There are simple things like walking, riding a bike or catching a bus instead of driving, turning off the tap when you brush your teeth, and reducing your intake of animal products. If you do have outdoor space, do some composting - it will help with carbon storage, it will nourish the soil and prevent food scraps and cardboard from going into landfill. Mulch your garden, it will form a blanket which will help promote a healthy microbiome and prevent erosion.
Support organic or regenerative farmers when purchasing produce if you can, grow your own, or even look into a Vegepod if you are short on space. Try and purchase locally grown or responsible and sustainably farmed produce.
Support petitions, write to your local MP and raise public awareness of the ‘sexiness’ of soil, the goodness of the brown stuff and how important it is for biodiversity and how huge the potential is for soil to be our ally in the climate and ecological crisis!
For Cloth & Co. as a business we believe we can have a positive impact, our mantra is to not only do less harm but to actually do good and change the trajectory of the climate crisis by taking action.
Cotton is our mainstay and for this, we are working on regenerative agriculture in our supply chain as a key priority. It will have a positive impact on community, biodiversity and circularity which will have a positive impact on climate change.
Regenerative agriculture is a philosophy, a methodology, and a scientific approach to land management - farming for produce and for the soil, it is about soil and ecosystem regeneration.
Our cotton for our collections is currently sourced through a certified organic supply chain, where every aspect is independently audited to ensure that the cotton is sourced and processed sustainably.
We are taking this a step further and supporting farmers in their transition to regenerative organic through traditional and regenerative farming practices for the production of cotton as well as food crops. In this way, we are supporting the cultivation and restoration of soils that will provide abundance in community and biodiversity.
Think of it as “How can we work in harmony with the land?” instead of “What can we get from the land?”
These practices are not new. While many western populations are now just scraping the surface of this wisdom and science, Indigenous communities around the globe have been exchanging with nature in a restorative, reciprocal manner for centuries.
More than anything, regenerative agriculture asks us to trust in nature and earth - “Only One Earth”, that is so much older than humanity.
So on this World Environment Day and every other day, let’s look at how we can truly live in harmony with nature and protect our precious planet.