This Saturday, 5 June 2021, marks the annual international day of environmental awareness and action – World Environment Day (WED).

The annual event began in 1974 by the United Nations and each year it focuses on a different theme – the theme for 2021 being Ecosystem Restoration (#GenerationRestoration).

The United Nations calls us to ‘reimagine, recreate and restore’ this WED. Their website shouts a call to action:

“This is our moment. We cannot turn back time. But we can grow trees, green our cities, rewild our gardens, change our diets and clean up rivers and coasts. We are the generation that can make peace with nature.”

United Nations.

This WED we are called to be “active, not anxious; bold not timid” in joining #generationrestoration.

While there are many ways in which we can get behind WED, one way is by becoming more conscious shoppers and making smart decisions about what we do, eat and wear – that includes our eyewear.

One company that is said to be leading the way in supporting environmental causes with its numerous partnerships leading to planet-friendly eyewear is online eyewear retailer, VisionDirect.com.au.

The brand reportedly recently partnered with WWF Australia (World Wide Fund for Nature) to upcycle plastic commercial gill nets pulled from the Great Barrier Reef, which were a huge threat to marine creates and reef health.

These nets are then transformed into sustainable sunglasses as part of their ReefCycle collection.

This collection is said to support a net-free North, with 50% of proceeds funding further WWF conservation work to protect Australia’s marine wildlife.

Partnering with Eden Reforestation Projects, their Oh My Woodness! Eyewear collection uses natural wood and bamboo, and by partnering with the cause it aims to help plant life-saving trees in Haiti, Madagascar or Nepal to combat deforestation and provide essential employment to some of the most vulnerable communities.

It’s great to see brands getting behind WED and doing their bit to support the planet.

As the (perhaps now clichéd) saying goes: There is no planet B! We need to need to start make conscious decisions about the way we live now … our planet and future generations depend on it.

x G.