Earth Day
22 April marks #EarthDay2023, and with it a day of reflection and re-focussing on the actions we can take as a community to fight for a clean environment.
What is Earth Day?
The recognition of Earth Day began in 1970 to mark the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement. Today, the day is a worldwide call to action for a change in human behaviour and policies to protect against climate change.
The Earth Day 2023 theme is focused on engaging governments, institutions, and businesses to recognise our collective responsibility towards protecting the planet and to help accelerate the transition to an equitable, prosperous green economy for all.
Our work
Every action has an impact and Hodge Jones & Allen are committed to taking positive action, both through our legal work and within our offices.
The law can be a powerful instrument for change. We have a number of leading solicitors in the fields of Human Rights, Environmental Challenges and Protest Law who act for clients trying to make a positive difference in the world. Judicial Review and civil claims have increasingly become a useful tool for those at the frontline of the fight against climate change and other environmental issues, holding both public and private bodies to account for their damaging action (or inaction).
Closer to home, Hodge Jones & Allen recognise the need for action on an individual basis, taking small yet impactful steps to improve the sustainability of our offices and daily practices. In order to properly #InvestInOurPlanet, Earth Day reminds us that we must dedicate time, resources, and energy to reducing our own carbon footprint and pave a path towards a sustainable future. We are a part of the Mayor of London’s Business Climate Challenge to help reduce business energy consumption, to accelerate building decarbonisation efforts in London.
The future
Over the years we have taken many steps to limit our waste and energy usage in both our London and Liverpool offices. These include taking part in the ‘Cycle to work’ scheme, an increased attentiveness to shutting down electrical appliances when not in use and reducing waste from single use products in our staff kitchens.
However, we are mindful that there is always more that can be done. This month, we have launched the HJA Green Initiative to identify further action we can take to improve our impact on the environment. Our team of Green Ambassadors will work alongside senior management to implement these actions and encourage business-wide participation. After an initial open forum, we are excited to take forward some of the brilliant and creative ideas our colleagues have suggested. Just a few examples include reviewing our suppliers for various goods, altering our internal communication practices to reduce the energy used to power our servers, supporting more environmental charities and schemes, and investigating a possible B-Corp Certification. Watch this space!
For further information on how YOU can get involved with Earth Day, see: https://www.earthday.org/