13 Apr 2026
Our Power, Our Planet
Earth Day turns 56 years old on April 22nd this year. It started in 1970 when 20 million Americans took to the streets in what became the spark for today’s global environmental movement. Today, it reaches one billion people across 193 countries. The scale is huge, but what does it really mean for communities in the UK?
This year's theme
The theme for Earth Day 2026 is "Our Power, Our Planet." The point is that environmental progress shouldn't depend on any one government, policy, or election. Communities, families, workers, and teachers make choices every day that keep it going. The improvements we've seen in air quality, water safety, and waste reduction over the decades came from constant pressure from the public, action by local people, and millions of ordinary decisions adding up over the years.
Eco-perfectionism fuels guilt and burnout, whereas imperfect, collective action creates real environmental progress, and that’s so important. The paralysis that comes from feeling like your own actions are too small to count is one of the biggest things that stops people from doing anything at all.
What community power looks like
The Bexley Eco & Wellness Festival (which returns this year at Lesnes Abbey) is an example of exactly what Earth Day is describing. It started in 2019 as a conversation with Bexley Council about how to raise awareness on environmental issues. It grew because people showed up, got involved, and brought others along. Over 2,500 people attended in 2024. That's community power and we’re hoping to replicate it across other boroughs.
The same goes for the groups that organise and participate all year round. Some communities have re-users clubs that meet regularly to restore and upcycle tired furniture, passing on skills and keeping more out of landfill. We’re also trying to get schools involved in environmental projects. These aren't just headline-grabbing moments. They're the slow background work that actually shifts our behaviour over time.
Our own contribution at Cory connects local action to a much larger picture. In 2024, we diverted 916,000 tonnes of waste from landfill, saved 363,000 tonnes of carbon, and exported enough electricity from waste to power 213,000 homes. We also generated £232 million of social value to the UK beyond profit and income. None of that happens without a community that's engaged with the “why” behind it.
What you can do around 22 April
Earth Day is a prompt, not a deadline. But prompts are useful. Here are a few things worth considering this week:
- Get outside: Taking time to be out in nature is a reliable way to remember why it’s worth protecting.
- Look at what's going in your bin: Not as an exercise in guilt, but genuine curiosity. Most households have at least one recycling habit that could be improved with five minutes of checking their council's guidance.
- Talk about it: With neighbours, colleagues, and children. The "25% Revolution" concept that earthday.org references suggests that once around a quarter of people in a community hold a new norm, it starts to spread. Conversations are how norms change. Start chatting.
If you have a skill relevant to sustainability, whether that's sewing, repair, growing, or cooking from scratch, consider sharing it with local repair and reuse organisations, which are always looking for people who can add to what they offer.
The bigger point
Earth Day 2026 lands at a moment when a lot of people feel uncertain about the direction of environmental policy globally. The "Our Power, Our Planet" theme is partly a response to that.
Local systems, cities, schools, and community organisations keep moving regardless of what's happening at a national or international level.
The planet needs big structural change. It also needs people showing up at community events, sorting their recycling, fixing things instead of throwing them away, and passing those habits on. Both matter. The second one starts here.