Earth Day quiz: put your environmental knowledge to the test

There has never been a better time to learn more about our planet

Earth Day is an annual event that raises awareness of environmental issues. It takes place on 22nd April every year and aims to inspire people all around the world to take action. The theme of Earth Day 2022 is Invest In Our Planet. See what you can do to contribute to Earth Day this year! And why not put your knowledge to the test with our Earth Day quiz? 

After all, Earth Day is all about increasing our knowledge of our planet and the issues it faces.

Take our Earth Day quiz

Write down your answers and check them against our correct ones at the end. No peeking! We’ve also thrown in some facts about us, so you can learn as you go. Quiz yourself or form teams. May the greenest quizzer win…

Food waste

1. Approximately what percentage of food is wasted worldwide?

2. What are food miles?

3. Name some places/stages of food production and consumption where food waste occurs.

Net-zero

4. What does ‘net-zero’ mean?

5. The UK government has committed to making Britain a net-zero nation by what date?

Plastic waste

6. Is the world successfully decreasing its plastic production?

7. You may already know that if you want a plastic bag for your shopping in the UK, you’ll need to buy one for 10p. This was implemented as an attempt to reduce plastic waste — but has it worked?

Earth Day quiz answers

Food waste

1. Approximately 30% of food never gets eaten, it just goes to waste. This might seem like a lot — and it is! Food waste occurs at every point in the food supply chain.

We’re proud to recycle 100% of our food waste by-products from. What isn’t suitable for our Ugly But Good Bags is used to make other products. For example, leftover cacao shells go into our body scrubs and the pulp lets us make our cacao-infused spirits. And the rest? It’s turned into animal feed! Learn more about how we’re fighting food waste.

2. Food miles means the distance that your food had to travel to end up on your plate. How it’s transported is factored in, too.

How are we reducing our food miles? Unfortunately, as the UK doesn’t have the necessary tropical climate for growing cacao, we need to import it. However, to reduce our food miles, we use sea freight (instead of air). For us, this is the transport option with the lowest carbon footprint.

We also use minimal packaging to reduce weight and volume for transit. We pack our lorries as efficiently as possible to fit more inside (meaning fewer deliveries) and plan our delivery trips carefully to use the shortest routes to reduce carbon emissions. Learn more about our food miles policy.

3. Food waste occurs on farms, during food processing and packaging, on shop shelves, in restaurants, in the home, in the workplace. The list goes on.

At Hotel Chocolat, we aim to reduce food waste throughout our business — from our chocolate factory and shops to our restaurant, cafes and our Rabot Hotel in Saint Lucia. Even at step one of the cacao growing process on our Saint Lucia farm, we use all the old cocoa pods to make fabulous compost to nourish the trees.

Net-zero

4. ‘Net-zero’ means achieving a balance between the carbon that a company, country (or the world) emits into the atmosphere, and the carbon removed from it. Right now, global human activity is adding more carbon to the atmosphere than we are removing from it.

On a company level, a business has achieved net-zero emissions if its practices are not adding more carbon to the atmosphere than it is taking out.

5. The UK government has committed to making Britain a net-zero nation by 2050.

To show our support, we’ve also committed to making Hotel Chocolat a net-zero company by 2030. Learn how we’re reducing our energy usage.

Plastic waste

6. No, sadly plastic production is not decreasing. Quite the opposite. The world’s plastic production is set to double by 2050.

To us at Hotel Chocolat, this is concerning. To do our bit, we’re making all our packaging recyclable or reusable by the end of 2022 (that’s right, this year). We’re proud to be part of the UK’s first circular economy for plastic and we’ve removed all black plastic from our packaging.

7. Yes, a plastic bag charge is helping! Many people now carry reusable bags for their shopping. Though people are still purchasing bags for life made from thicker plastic, there’s strong evidence that the plastic bag tax has had a significant positive impact. It goes to show that strategic new rules can make a difference.

We ensure that where bags are used in our packaging, they’re either fully recyclable paper bags or reusable 100% natural jute and cotton bags — like those that carry our Pod Soap!

Ways you can help

Has our Earth Day quiz inspired you to take action? There are various ways that you can do your bit for the planet. Big or small, every step contributes to a positive change.

Food waste

Only buy what you need from the supermarket. Try to plan your meals ahead of time so food doesn’t end up going off in the fridge. If you think some of your food at home might go to waste, consider donating it to a food bank (though there might be a limit to the perishables that you can donate). Alternatively, you can offer it to a neighbour or friend.

Climate change

Why not make a personal climate change pledge to reduce your carbon footprint? Learn about your carbon emissions and consider some lifestyle changes. This could include actions as simple as driving less and cycling or walking more, switching to green power, making green investments, or cutting out fast fashion. Why not join your local climate action group?

Pollution

Minimise your contribution to pollution by driving less, buying less plastic, and shopping at zero waste shops where possible. Consider joining local clear-up groups if litter is an issue in your community. When you’re out and about, remember to respect the surrounding environment and leave no trace! Contact your local MP or councillors about changes you want to see in your community.

Our Planet Pledge at Hotel Chocolat

At Hotel Chocolat, we’re committed to conducting business in a way that’s sustainable for the planet and fair to our workers. We’re not here to make a quick profit. We want to be market leaders in sustainability and ethical business practices.

What are our biggest goals right now? We’re working towards having 100% sustainable packaging by the end of 2022 and achieving net carbon zero by 2030. Read about how we’re minimising our environmental impact.

We hope you enjoyed our Earth Day quiz and join us in marking the occasion on the 22nd of April this year!