Earth Day
Earth Day is celebrated each year worldwide on the 22nd April. It is a day to appreciate the natural world around us, all the flora and fauna, as well as bringing awareness to protecting this sacred and important environment. First held in 1970, Earth Day started as a day to demonstrate and protest against deforestation and activities with a negative impact upon nature. Today, it is equally considered time to support local and global conservation efforts, and a shift towards more eco-friendly living.
Sustainability is an important part of our Harriet and Rose ethos. We pride ourselves on providing an environmentally friendly experience, from our fully recyclable packaging (even including our stickers!) to stocking brands that are B-Corp, or for smaller businesses, those which have a similar green policy to us. A lot of our cards, too, come with minimal packaging. Some have biodegradable cellophane covers, but most of our cards are ‘sans plastic’. We are all about buying more thoughtfully, and buying things to last. Which is why all the gifts you’ll find in our shop have been carefully chosen by their durability, longevity and environmental footprint.
So this Earth Day, we thought we’d shine the spotlight on some of our favourite and most sustainable items in the shop.
Of course, we could not discuss sustainability without first referencing our selection of local gifts. Not only are they beautiful - and tasty (Ganache and Jersey Sea Salt!) - these local small businesses have thoughtful environmental policies that are focused upon a sustainable approach. The fact that too, these items are made on Island, means that they have less travelling and carbon footprint! From jewellery, candles, skincare, and consumables, we stock lots of lovely local items.
Bees are essential for the biodiversity and pollination that we all rely on, as they are the primary pollinators for around 75% of all our crops, and around 90% of other flowering plants too. Not only that, bees help to preserve certain ecosystems and play an important part of their cycles. The Great British Bee Co (a more recent stockist) uses a 100% British sourcing policy. This means that their soaps and balms are made in collaboration with British seed oil growers, artisan craftspeople and suppliers, as well as the Bee Farming Association. The locality of the production of these goods support not only the nearby economy but also raise funds to support the protection of bees. As there is a decline in the number of bees around the world, present in Jersey and the UK too, such ventures are even more important to support and be aware of.
Just as much as local brands and smaller businesses, items that we stock from larger corporations have sustainability at their heart too. Elizabeth Scarlett pledge 2% of every sale towards supporting wildlife and conservation missions. These include (but are not limited to) re-wilding areas for leopards, adopting and caring for orphan elephants and their return to the wild, supporting the Blue Marine Foundation which creates safe passages for turtle hatchlings. So far, they’ve raised and donated around £750,000 to these important causes. So if you’ve ever bought yourself an Elizabeth Scarlett pouch, coin purse, wash bag or cosmetics bag from us, you’ve directly contributed to these causes too!
Barner, the corporation behind our brilliant sunglasses and Blue Light glasses, plant a tree (through the organisation Tree Nation) for every order, and are carbon-negative. Every tree that is planted from every subsequent order is another tree towards combatting deforestation. Deforestation results in 17% of all CO2 emissions, and therefore a large contributor to climate change. Trees play a key role in our ecosystems, and deforestation leads to species extinction, flooding, desertification and pollution - so planting more trees is of the utmost importance!
Candles have always been very popular in the shop, and for good reason. Whether scented or coloured taper candles, they make great gifts (for yourself and others!). When stocking candles, we are always very aware to choose brands whose candles are as sustainably made as possible. Our candles that we stock wherever possible are soy or vegetable wax based. With candle brands such as Seven Seventeen and Lollyrocket, their vessels (amber glass and glass with a printed message, respectively) can be reused as pots or jars for all sorts. We’re big on re-using items, so these are perfect!
In the nature of recycling, in particular, it would be amiss to not showcase our cashmere fingerless mittens by Turtle Doves. Although a little out of season, the cashmere mittens are not only plush and keep your fingers warm - but they are made from 100% recycled cashmere. The cashmere is thoughtfully sourced, often in the form of preloved cashmere jumpers, and consciously crafted by artisans ensuring minimal waste. Turtle Doves are a great example of keeping things ‘circular’ and limiting waste that often ends up in landfill, which is especially prevalent with clothes. Whilst coming into summer cashmere mittens are perhaps are not at the forefront of your mind, they make wonderful gifts for those that love the outdoors, especially for sea swimming as a way to warm your fingers up!
So this Earth day, embrace all of the goodness of nature. And when you shop with us, you can know that you’re embracing the goodness of nature too (albeit a little differently!). We’ve had sustainability at our heart since the very beginning, and it is a policy that will continue to be the foundations of the items we stock, for the future.