World Environment Day was set up in 1974 to encourage all of us, including governments and businesses, to look after our planet. Countries take it in turn to choose a theme. The host of World Environment Day is Cote d’Ivoire with support from the Netherlands. The theme for World Environment Day will focus on solutions to plastic pollution under the campaign #BeatPlasticPollution 

The world is being destroyed through the vast quantities of plastic with more than 400 million tonnes produced every year, half of which is single use. And of the remainder only 10% can be recycled. It's shocking and very worrying. 

Did you know? 

Approximately 19-23 million tonnes of plastic ends up in lakes, rivers and seas. Landfill takes the rest and leakage from landfills means more plastics end up in our water courses and into the oceans. In turn microplastics end up in the food chain from water we drink and even from the air we breath, which is damaging to our health. 

On the plus side, there is a glimmer of hope in this very worrying situation. Very, very slowly we are making everyone more aware and steps are being made to reduce the use of plastic, reuse, and recycle but there is so much to do. When you look around you everywhere you go, everything you buy there is so much plastic! 

Our Business Commitment

As an independent business, we are continuing to take steps to do everything we can to reduce plastics, and have actively doing so since we started out in 2015. 

Our founder, Gilly Jenks, is a horticulturist, with interests in sustainable agriculture and has been an environmentalist for most of her life, following her families ethos of reuse, recycle and reduce. She is a member of the Soil Association, WWF, and other conservation charities, and was one of the first business owners to sell compostable plant pots in the UK as she was concerned about the vast number of plastic plant pots thrown away. 

Green & Jenks World Environment Pledge - What we are doing 

• We only offer paper bags or cardboard boxes for customers purchases 
• We only sell drinks in bottles or cans
• We sell milk in glass bottles which can be returned and reused
• We sell loose fruit and veg tor reduce use of plastic packaging and customers buy what they need so reduce food waste
• We sell detergents, liquid soaps and plastic free loo roll in our refill centre 
• We choose to work with suppliers who are making positive steps to ban plastic, such as Two Farmers Crisps. Many suppliers are B Corp and have a duty of care. 
• We sell vases made from recycled glass, our range of garden pots are made from Recycled Plastics. 
• We choose to work with suppliers who have sustainable credentials and offer plastic free products and packaging.

Actions speak louder than words. We were concerned about the impact fast fashion is having on the environment so wanted to promote sustainability and champion slow fashion in Cardiff. So, towards the end of 2022 we opened our preloved fashion shop The Clothes Circle which is located on the first floor above the deli. 

We take customers unworn clothes and sell them on their behalf. They receive vouchers to spend in Green & Jenks, a truly circular economy and with sustainability at its core. 

Share your story

What actions are you taking to reduce plastic? Tell us and we will share.

For more information

#BeatPlasticPollution #WorldEnvironmentDay

Join us over the Coronation Bank Holiday Weekend, when we will be offering some special food and drinks fit for a King. 

We will be making up Coronation Picnic boxes full of treats for you to eat in our redesigned "Coronation Garden" in Bangor Lane or to eat in the beautiful neighbouring Roath Park. 

Each box contains, sandwiches, cakes and you can choose a glass of Prosecco or non alcoholic drink to accompany it.

They will be available from Saturday 6th May. 

Find out more -- email cardiff@greenandjenks.com

Today is Earth Day when more than a billion people celebrate Earth Day to protect the planet from pollution and deforestation. Here at Green & Jenks we will be giving away compostable seed pots with sun flower seeds in to mark the day. 

In store, we are increasing our range of sustainable products here's a few: 

• Recycled glass vases
• Jewellery made from recycled sarees.
• Eco Pots made from recycled plastics - a beautiful range of light weight pots for large and small displays in your garden. 
• Compostable Seedling pots are designed so you can avoid transplanting into the ground and the pot composts down in the soil. 
• Reused preloved quality clothes store The Clothes Circle - slowfashion

Concerns about the environment are becoming widely acknowledged now but it is something we are making a priority and taking action here at Green & Jenks, and will continue to make changes throughout the year. 

As a responsible business owner, I am increasingly concerned about the impact my business has and at the same time aware of the good I can do to raise awareness of causes that I want to support and promote. Together we can start to stop the corrosive actions and ignorance that have a negative impact on the environment. 

Whilst green washing is common by some organisations, as the CEO of Green and Jenks I have been an active person caring for the environment in several ways for decades either through volunteering, supporting environmental organisations or setting up my own plant business to promote British growers and reduce imported plants. My passion and beliefs are based on reducing our negative impact on the planet and educating people to make the world better for future generations to enjoy and appreciate. 

This week I attended a meeting with Friends of the Earth in Abergavenny to listen to talk by Angela Jones and Kim Walters who are campaigning to save the River Usk which flows from the mountains of mid Wales, through Brecon, Crickhowell, Abergavenny where it meets the Bristol Channel at Newport. 

SAVE THE RIVER USK 

The River Usk holds a special place in my heart as it runs through the village where my father was born and our ancestors lived and farmed for centuries. He knew every nook and cranny in Pencelli and Talybont. He brought me up to understand nature, to listen and watch the birds, bats, spot holes in trees that were home to barn owls, and knew all the native flowers. He could even make a whistle from a blade of grass and loved nothing more than taking us to the pebble beaches of the River Usk and bounce pebbles across the clear fast flowing waters. He used to fish for brown trout on the River Usk, he loved it pan with butter and almonds. 

Fast forward and the beautiful river he knew is no more. The River Usk is dying due to huge amounts of releases of sewerage and this is across all rivers in Wales. In fact Dwr Cymru is at the top of the Poo List which is published by Surfers Against Sewerage. Not something Wales should be proud of. 

So at the talk this week we were shown scary statistics on the level of phosphates leaking into the rivers and the true state of the River Usk.

Angela Jones has been all over the press in recent years for her work to save the River Wye. She is a wild swimmer and in the last few years was noticing more pollutants in the river and decided to do something about it. So she set up volunteer groups on the Wye and now the Usk to start taking samples to measure phosphorus which is created by sewerage and from the over use of nitrates in farms. 

Kim Waters has set up an action group called Welsh Rivers Union to encourage communities to take action and improve their Rivers.  

Angela and Kim and have pledged to take action and raise awareness of the issues.

ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE 

April 26th 7pm The Sessions House, Maryport Street, Usk NP15 1AD 

May 26th 12pm - Brecon Canal Basin "Save the River Usk Protest " community action awareness 

For more information www.savetheriversk.org  or Facebook Save The River Usk 

There have been some good tv programmes about this issue too with Paul Whitehouse and Fergal Sharkey to name just too. 

Here are some useful links 

Angela Jones Swim Wild - www.angelajonesswimwild.co.uk

Welsh Rivers Union  - www.wru.org.uk

Surfers against Sewerage - www.sas.org.uk

Friends of the Earth -  www.friendsoftheearth.org

River Action Group - www.riveractionuk.com