As with all special occasions marked throughout the year, a small voice may pop up in your mind saying “shouldn’t we celebrate that every day, not just today?”. The answer is “of course and absolutely”, but sometimes it takes the marking of a special day to remind us of its importance.
Operating expedition yachts in the Galapagos, we are reminded every day of the wonderful world in which we live. But having a day like Earth Day helps us focus efforts and ensure that we are doing everything possible to protect the planet.
Challenges can, will and must be solved
This year, 2020, is of particular importance as it marks its 50th year anniversary of Earth Day – and what a lot we are dealing with as we pass this milestone: the global coronavirus pandemic and the pressing issue of climate change.
“We can, will and must solve both challenges”, says the team behind Earth Day. “The world was not prepared for the novel coronavirus. But we still have time to prepare — in every part of the world — for the climate crisis.”
One life lesson that many of us learn the hard way, is that often its the hard times that teach us most and afterwards we look back upon them with gratitude.
“The coronavirus pandemic does not shut us down,” continues the Earth Day team. “Instead, it reminds us of what’s at stake in our fight for the planet. If we don’t demand change to transform our planet and meet our climate crisis, our current state will become the new normal — a world where pandemics and extreme weather events span the globe, leaving already marginalised and vulnerable communities even more at risk.”
Change starts at home
When the unthinkable has occurred and we find ourselves unable to travel freely, our thoughts are turned to those around us. As such, the Ecoventura team is collaborating with the Galápagos Shipowners Association in order to work with local authorities to help alleviate the needs of the population.
Healthcare in the Galapagos Islands is being stretched, and we have been working to ensure that hospitals in Santa Cruz, Isabela, San Cristóbal and Floreana have received provisions of essential medical supplies to fight this current global emergency.
A shipment of 2.3 tons of medical equipment arrived on the islands at the end of March, ensuring that local health centres have at least 1,500 pairs of surgical gloves, 700 gallons of antibacterial gel and 2,000 units of face masks for medical personnel.
In addition, a new space was set up on Santa Cruz Island that will operate as an isolation and patient care center, an initiative financed through members of the Galapagos Shipowners Association.
Ecuador has been under mandatory quarantine since mid-March and all Galapagos ships are at anchor. A silver lining to these tough times is that everyone is pulling together to support local hospitals and care for the Galapagos people.
Protecting the planet comes first
As we take this time to regather our thoughts and sort our priorities, we are more aware than ever of the importance of our conservation work. From supporting research and conservation projects carried out by the Charles Darwin Foundation, to helping reforestation efforts on Isabela Island, sustainability has always been at the core of Ecoventura’s raison d’être.
We encourage everyone to do their part, big or small, to mark what is arguably the most important day in the calendar. See the Earth day website for further details on how to get involved.
“The earth is what we all have in common” – Wendell Berry.
