May 3, 2019 TNF Thinks the Earth Deserves a Break – Here’s why
Some of us may give it a passing “Aha! Is that today?” on Earth Day, as we then hurry on with our busy lives. A petition initiated by The North Face now demands Earth Day become a national holiday.
Worldwide, people get all sorts of days off for reflection on life, from the significant to the obscure. But it seems that contemplating the Earth – upon which all life depends – is still something we all have to do on our own time.
The North Face (TNF) hopes to change that. Ahead of the 2019 Earth Day, held on April 22, TNF initiated a petition seeking to make Earth Day a national holiday in countries across the world. At press time this petition has reached just under 200,000 signatures, and counting.
“We believe that when people take time to appreciate the Earth, they feel more connected to it and are more likely to protect it,” says Global General Manager for Lifestyle at The North Face, Tim Bantle.
Not ones to wait, The North Face called a holiday of their own on Earth Day and closed 113 of its stores in the US and Canada for the first time in the brand’s history to honor the planet and give employees time to explore it.
50 years of Earth Day
Earth Day was founded in 1970 on the first anniversary of an oil blowout in Santa Barbara, California, where more than three million gallons of spilled oil devastated the area’s marine wildlife and sea bird populations.
Since then, Earth Day has grown into a global celebration with 192 countries participating. According to the Earth Day’s nonprofit organizer, the Earth Day Network, Earth Day has now become the largest secular holiday in the world, celebrated by more than a billion people every year.
