BUSINESS: Going Green: In-Office Initiatives This Year’s Official Earth Day Theme Is ‘Planet vs. Plastic’ By Gwendolyn Plummer Thursday, March 28, 2024 8:30 AM NEW YORK—There is less than a month to go until Earth Day, April 22, giving us all plenty of time to prepare for the holiday. This year, the official Earth Day theme is “Planet vs. Plastics,” an initiative dedicated to demanding a 60 percent reduction in the production of all plastics by 2040. This goal is something the eyewear industry is already getting on board with, as more and more eyewear manufacturers switch to bio-acetates and other natural materials in place of traditional plastics.But there are ways we can get involved on the more local level, too—not everyone has to be mass-producing eyewear to make a difference to our planet, after all. The EPA has a useful, easy-to-navigate webpage dedicated to Earth Day, filled with resources that help us to celebrate and protect the Earth year-round. The page includes links to the EPA Explains series, a look at the history of Earth Day, educational resources and much more. While these resources are not specifically crafted for ECPs or the workplace, they are free and adaptable for all types of businesses. Earthday.org also has a bevy of resources available, many of which can be used in-office. These include toolkits and fact sheets. For the fashion-minded in our industry, earthday.org has a section of its website dedicated to fast fashion and the impact of the fashion industry on the planet. The page also includes action items and tips to help us all make sustainable fashion swaps. Earthday.org also launched its “How to Do Earth Day 2024” toolkit this month, which provides actionable steps for everyone. The free, comprehensive toolkit is available online here, and it offers more than 20 pages of ideas, action items and inspiration for this coming Earth Day. Now is also a great time to begin preparing the office for Earth Day—and there’s no reason the theme can’t extend for the entire month of April. The month of April is also the perfect time to set up a board dedicated to sustainable eyewear brands, or to spotlight any brands that have partnerships with environmental causes such as tree-planting or recycling. If your office doesn’t already participate in a contact lens recycling program, April is the best time to start getting involved—if you already do, there’s no better time than now to remind patients just how easy it is to recycle. Highlighting these brands and initiatives on social media ahead of Earth Day is also a great way to potentially bring in new patients and customers. Finally, Earth Day also provides the perfect opportunity to get involved with the local community. From planning group clean-ups of local beaches or parks to participating in tree or flower planting projects, there are countless community activities that benefit our planet. Getting involved as a team, with patients or with local community leaders is the perfect way to grow that all-important connection with the communities we live and work in.