Earth Day serves as a valuable reminder of the importance of treating our world with respect.

At RushOrderTees, we are constantly striving to improve our footprint on Earth by practicing more eco-friendly printing processes in our print methods, ink, product selections, and community outreach.

This Earth Day, we thought it was important to go further, so we organized a company event to clean our local area.

Before we dive in to what we are doing today and every day for planet Earth, let’s bring everyone up to speed on Earth Day with a quick history lesson.

How It Started:

1970’s America brought the age of industrial prosperity for America. It was also the same time that protests erupted all over the country against the Vietnam War. A senator from Wisconsin, Gaylord Nelson, was on a mission to infuse the public outcry for the war to end and the demand to protect the environment in 1969. Along with the fight for peace and no more war, Nelson brought together the masses to fight against oil spills, factory pollution, and wildlife extinction.

Nelson and his coalition gained national attention and just like that, America celebrated their first official Earth Day on April 22, 1970. More than 2,000 colleges and universities, 10,000 public schools, and 20 million citizens participated. Following the first celebration, congress passed several acts to protect the environment and endangered species. Years later in 1990, Earth Day turned into a global event that mobilized 200 million people across 141 countries to acknowledge the day and work towards a common goal in saving the environment on the planet we all inhabit.

Earth Day is a small reminder that this planet is a place we call home and we must always work hard to protect it. It’s a day where every human being can come together and focus on one common goal in bringing awareness to our planet’s health. It’s a time to educate others on sustainability and preservation. I know what you’re probably thinking there’s nothing that you can do to make an impact today, but I’m here to tell you that youcertainly can. No matter if you’re thinking big or small, any contribution helps.

Easy long-term ways to make an impact:

• Save Water
• Save Energy
• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
• Plant Trees
• Volunteer

What you can do today:

• Metal Straws
• Switch out plastic bottles for reusable cups
• Use rags instead of paper towels
• Switch to toxic-free cleaning supplies
• Pick up trash that you see while you’re outside

How It’s Going:

At RushOrderTees – we are constantly improving and making changes that will benefit our planet. We offer eco-friendly products such as the Hanes Eco-Smart T-Shirt, which is made from recycled plastic, and the Ecosmart Comfortblend t-shirt, which is made from Organic cotton. Our product catalog is endlessly expanding to include more eco-friendly options for our customers. Our product suppliers are also doing their part to produce goods that are more sustainable with environmentally friendly processes.

Bella + Canvas

Bella + Canvas uses newer, more efficient dye machines, which use 7x less water than the average for clothing manufacturers, allowing them to save 24 million gallons a week. Any water used goes through a filtration system that allows it to be recycled. They use solar energy to reduce co2 emissions and virtually have zero waste by reusing old fabrics and plastics, (https://youtu.be/ihQ5id5Ssrs).

Alternative Apparel

Alternative Apparel is committed to sustainability. They produce 80% of their products with sustainable materials and processes, using 60% less water on average, non-toxic dyes, and a line of organic fabrics. Contact one of our Product and Design Specialists today and ask them about the Alternative Apparel 1070 t-shirt. It’s a light-weight 100% cotton t-shirt and is perfect for everyday use.

American Apparel

Long-time front runners in providing eco-conscious, sustainable apparel, American Apparel continues to offer a line of environmentally friendly t-shirts and apparel. Our favorite is their Unisex Organic Fine Jersey T-Shirt, made entirely from organic cotton.

Product and Design Specialists

Digital Printing and Water-Based Inks:

On the printing side of things, we take ink disposal very seriously. We are increasing our production facility to use more digital printers, which use water-based ink rather than plastisol. Water-based inks are more environmentally friendly and have much less risk for printers, consumers, and the environment. Because the ink is water-soluble, there are no specialized chemicals required for cleanup. Plastisol ink does contain toxic chemicals, which is okay as long as they are disposed of properly, but the 100% biodegradable pigment water-based ink is definitely more friendly to earth.

Today’s Initiative:

Today on Earth Day, we are recycling old t-shirts to create and taking our company outside to clean up the community we live and work in seven days a week.

Our headquarters in North Philadelphia neighbor Benjamin Rush State Park. Our team, all wearing t-shirts that would have otherwise ended up in landfills, are out cleaning up our neighborhood, removing trash from the woods, park, and surrounding areas. We’re sorting through trash and making sure that anything that can be recycled and reused is in the right place.

Today and everyday, if you’re leaving a room, turn the light off. If you’re outside and see some trash on the ground, pick it up. If you have the option to throw a plastic bottle in the trash or recycle bin, make sure it’s going in the right one. Turn off water faucets. Grab a rag instead of paper towels. No matter what you do, think about your home, planet Earth. If we all took just three minutes out of our day to do something that will benefit the entire world, we can make a difference.

Save our Earth. You can’t get off. Yet.