World marks 54th Earth Day

It is Earth Day, an annual event to show support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by Earthday.org including 1 billion people in more than 193 countries. The official theme for 2024 is “Planet vs. Plastics.” Choking our oceans, plastic waste makes up 80 percent of all marine pollution. Over 10 million metric tonnes of plastic end up in the oceans each year. Earthday.org has called for a 60 percent reduction in plastic production by 2040.

In Namibia, the Recycle Namibia Forum was established in 2011 as a non-profit membership organisation to coordinate projects that promote recycling, and the reduction and reuse of so-called waste. RNF is the result of Namibians who decided to support various environmental projects that were started in an informal way when Namibia Breweries Limited, the City of Windhoek, Rent-A-Drum, Collect-a-Can, 4H-Namibia, Plastic Packaging and Nuevas Ideas Consulting decided to promote and support activities that promote environmental integrity.