THEN

At the time, there was no Clean Air Act, no Clean Water Act and no EPA (the Environmental Protection Agency). The use of a pesticide called DTT was polluting rivers and destroying the eggs of birds such as Bald Eagles, causing their population to decline rapidly.

And nothing was being done about it.

That is until 1969, when in the same year there was a huge oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara, California, that poured three million gallons of oil into the Pacific Ocean, and Cleveland’s Cuyahoga River caught fire, as it was used as a dumping ground for sewage and industrial waste. In some places, the fire reached five stories high.

Enough was enough, and the growing concerns of unchecked environmental destruction and pollution spurred Senator Gaylord Nelson, Congressman Pete McCloskey and activist Denis Hayes, as well as 20 million people across the US to take to the streets, demanding change.

Unable to ignore the urgency and the voice of the people, EPA was created just eight months later, and in the following years, the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act were put into place to protect Mother Earth.

This sparked a global movement that is still going strong to this day. But 53 years later, what does Earth Day look like now?

NOW

Now, International Earth Day is recognised by the United Nations as a day of activism dedicated to preserving our precious environment. People across the world join in to do what they can. Whether it’s litter picking, planting trees or protesting just like they did in the 70s, people are more aware than ever of the change that needs to happen to protect our planet.

But, the fight is far from over. We face devastating amounts of plastic pollution, habitat loss and climate change which threatens the biodiversity and life on Earth as we know it. We need to act now and act fast in order to preserve our wonderful home.

Where does Bandi fit in to this?

Many brands will use earth day to promote their green products, or their “sustainable section” whilst still creating 1000s of new clothes every day, creating huge amounts of water waste, pollution, and promoting overconsumption all while greenwashing their customers into thinking they’re helping.

We love clothes. We love the planet. But something has to change.

At Bandi, we recognise that as a sustainable brand, we have to be better than that.
Swapping your clothes is a small but very important step into making fashion sustainable.

No new pieces end up in landfill, we offer reusable shipping bags that can be repaired, upcycled or recycled at the end of their life, and all you have to pay is postage to swap. Individual change seems small, but together we can incite bigger change and make an impact.

Each week, 11 million items of clothing end up in landfill. We don’t need more clothes, but we do need to get them in the right wardrobes.

Let’s protect our planet, in our swapped clothes.

Happy Earth Day from Bandi. Let’s make this one count.