Earth Day 2021

Today, April 22nd marks the 51st Earth Day celebration. Earth day, celebrated around the world, helps raise awareness to preserve and save the environment.

Each year, Earth Day is centered around a different theme. This year’s theme is “Restore Our Earth” to reflect on our current practices and encourage the use of natural processes and green technology to make Earth a better place.

Because Earth is the only planet known to support life in our solar system, it is incredibly important that we protect its existence.

Harms to Our Planet

Climate Change

Due to rapid technological developments and greenhouse gas effects, however, climate change and other environmental degradations have caused unprecedented effects.

When a polar bear’s icy arctic habitat is melted, it’s from the effects of greenhouse emissions that trap heat in the environment. Specifically, more than 90% of heat from these gases is absorbed by Earth’s seas.

Climate change increases ocean temperatures, which leads water to expand and sea levels to rise. As a result, destructive erosion, wetland flooding, aquifer soil contamination and lost habitats occur. 

In Jakarta, Indonesia, they have responded with a $40 billion project to build an 80-foot-high seawall to protect their city.

Extinction

Extinction threatens roughly one million animals and plants. By 2030, it’s predicted that the red wolf, maui dolphin, sumatran rhino will no longer be. 

The vaquita, the world’s smallest and most rare marine mammal, may go extinct this year due to illegal fishing practices. There were only a handful of them left in 2019.

Deforestation

One of the largest areas of environmental destruction is deforestation. 

Forests cover 30% of the world’s land surface while the remaining is water-covered. Almost all of the world’s forests are already damaged from fires, unsustainable timber logging, agriculture clear-cutting and ranching and development.

According to One Tree Planted, “every 1.2 seconds man destroys an area of forest” equal to the size of a football field.” This leads to about 80,000 acres of nonexistent forests each day.

Forests, and trees themselves, provide bountiful resources such as habitats, biodiversity, water, food and medicinal natural remedies. 

Not to mention trees help us breathe. Trees clean carbon dioxide out of the air and filter air pollutants. They produce oxygen to keep us alive. 

Burning and chopping down trees in tropical forests doesn’t just lead to temperature swings for plants and animals who rely on the forest canopies, but it’s also accounting for 20% of greenhouse gas emissions.

Vellabox Donations to One Tree Planted

With all this in mind, Vellabox is donating 15% of proceeds to One Tree Planted today on Earth Day!

This non-profit organization plants one tree for every dollar donated. They focus their global reforestation projects in North America, Latin America, Africa and Asia.

Specifically, they are actively restoring forests in many U.S. states including California whose 2020 wildfire season. This season consumed close to three million acres–with hundreds of millions of trees needed to be restored.

Our Commitment to Sustainability

At Vellabox, we are committed to supporting eco-friendly and sustainable ways. 

All of our candles come from small-batch artisan candle makers, so they produce what’s necessary without wasting resources. Some of our sustainable candle makers include Bare Candle Co, Brooklyn Candle Studio and Goodness Candles.

The packaging itself our candles are delivered in are minimalistic with intention. You won’t find bubble wrap, packing peanuts or any unnecessary waste.

Courtesy of @classycasita

91 percent of waste from plastic packaging ends up in landfills and/or the environment. 

We work to minimize plastic waste with:

• Recyclable boxes
• Glass jars
• Muslin and canvas bags
• Lifestyle products from brands that offer natural, eco-friendly products

The cotton muslin drawstring bags, which contain our lifestyle brand product, are lightweight, stylish and practical. We choose to use these bags over other plastic packaging because we encourage you to reuse what’s in our boxes and recycle what you can’t.

Our drawstring bags can be used for the following packaging and storage:

• Jewelry
• Cosmetics
• Skincare
• Gift bags
• Kids toys
• Dog treats
• + more

To celebrate Earth Month, we featured Bentley Seeds as our April box lifestyle brand product. They curated the perfect mongolia seeds to reuse our candle jars for planting.

Check out our Earth Day Instagram post on how to transform your Vellabox glass jar into a home from your Bentley seeds to grow plants!

Our glass jars can even be used for other purposes such as storage for your goods!

Earth Day & Sustainable Activities You Can Take Part In

In a typical year, Earth Day events may include river cleanups, community trash pickups, removing invasive plant species and more group projects.

Last year, Earth Day went virtual with Zoom environmental lectures, workshops and films.

No matter where you live and with social distancing in mind, you can still celebrate Earth Day! Here are a list of ways to start promoting a sustainable lifestyle today:

• Grab a trash bag and collect plastic and trash in your neighborhood
• Swap out plastic bags at the grocery store and bring reusable bags with you on your next trip
• Plant a tree
• Use reusable cups and products
• Donate unused items
• Eat less meat
• Try plant-based milk in your next coffee
• Walk or bike instead of driving

Courtesy of @classycasita

Incorporating these ways to live a sustainable life reduces the amount of Earth’s resources used.

These sustainable practices don’t just end today. To be the change in restoring our Earth, we must hold ourselves accountable in exercising these practices each and every day. And remember, a little goes a long way!

As we grow as a company, Vellabox is committed to exploring carbon footprint and ways to reduce it.

Shop or gift a box to help us donate to One Tree Planted, which plants a tree for every dollar donated. Again, Vellabox is donating 15% of proceeds to One Tree Planted today on Earth Day!