Earth Day takes place on 22 April each year, bringing people together worldwide to raise awareness of environmental issues and inspire action to protect the planet. The 2026 theme, “Our Power, Our Planet,” reinforces the role of collective action in driving meaningful progress.
This theme highlights how environmental protection impacts everyday life, influencing the cost of living, public health, infrastructure reliability, and long-term stability. It also impacts food systems, water resources, energy access, disaster resilience, and economic strength. Throughout history, community involvement has been central to these outcomes across countries and political systems.
First held in 1970, Earth Day began as a grassroots movement in the United States at a time when environmental concerns were gaining attention. Led by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson following a major oil spill in California, the inaugural event mobilised around 20 million people through rallies, teach-ins, and clean-up activities. This momentum helped drive landmark legislation in the USA, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act.
Since then, Earth Day has grown into a global movement. By 1990, it had expanded to more than 140 countries, engaging over 200 million people and highlighting climate change as a global priority. Today, it is recognised as the largest environmental event worldwide, with more than one billion participants each year.
With over 75,000 partners across 190 countries, Earth Day continues to educate, engage, and mobilise communities by creating accessible opportunities for involvement. The 2026 theme reinforces shared responsibility, particularly as increasing pressure on environmental systems highlights the need for coordinated, community-driven action.
Businesses also play a vital role, with growing expectations to reduce environmental impact, adopt sustainable practices, support local communities, and maintain transparency.
Earth Day 2026 encourages participation at every level, from local clean-ups and educational initiatives to advocacy and events throughout Earth Week (18–25 April). For more information on locating a community clean-up in your area, refer to earthday.org.
Personal actions you can do to get involved:
- Choose a greener commute: if you usually drive to work or the train station, you could bike/walk all or part of the way, to reduce carbon footprint.
- Go plastic free for a day (or more): challenge yourself to avoid single-use plastics, bring reusable bags, containers, and bottles wherever you go.
- Plant something: Whether it’s a houseplant, herb, or flower, even a single plant on your windowsill can support pollinators and improve air quality.
- Do a quick home energy check-up: turn off any unneeded lights, unplug unused electronics, and swap in energy-efficient bulbs to save both energy and money.
Mutually valuable banking for people and planet
As a member-focused, values-driven organisation, acting responsibly and ethically is at the heart of our operations. We are committed to the ongoing promotion and creation of mutual value and strive to make a positive impact for our members and the communities we are part of. It is this sentiment that underpins our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Strategy - Mutually valuable banking for people and planet.
We are always looking for ways to minimise the impact our business operations, and our products and financing have on the environment.
Our head office was refurbished to improve efficiency and wellbeing and as part of our commitment to waste reduction, we repurposed much of our existing furniture. Remaining items were made available to staff or donated to Barnardos Australia’s child and family centres and Planet Ark’s City Recycling program.
Newly installed water systems, upgraded lighting and presentation technology were selected to reduce resource consumption and improve energy efficiency. This complemented the office’s comprehensive four-bin recycling system for dry-waste, organics, recyclables, and paper - to help prevent contamination, reduce waste and minimise landfill.
We have also undertaken a Greenhouse Gas Assessment to better understand our emissions and identify reduction opportunities, completing our submission to Climate Active, an Australian Government program driving voluntary climate action. Last year, we offset 1,847 tCO2-e using 80% Verified Carbon Units (VCUs) and 20% Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs).
Our Responsible Banking Policy guides our approach to lending and investing with respect to our ESG Strategy. It outlines how our members’ money is being used to contribute to a positive, viable banking model focused on meeting human needs and sustainability.
We believe sustainable choices should also be affordable choices. Our Green Car Loan and Green Upgrades Loan are the latest additions to our impact product suite, making it easier for our members to take meaningful steps toward reducing emissions and saving on energy costs.
Through our ESG Strategy, we have delivered a number of impact initiatives including recycled PVC cards and environmentally conscious collateral, accessible and inclusive service enhancements, our Essential Worker Home Loan, and Worker Support Benefits.
