Celebrating World Environment Day

Source: Your story

Today, on the 5^th of June, it is a particularly important environmental awareness day: World Environment Day (WED). The United Nations designated 5 June as World Environment Day. The United Nations became increasingly aware that the protection and improvement of the human environment is a major issue, impacting the wellbeing of people all over the world. They are the leading global voice on the environment.

It is a day that’s celebrated internationally to encourage awareness and action to protect our environment. Since its inception in 1974, it has grown exponentially as it is celebrated in more than 100 countries. In fact, it has become an imperative global platform for public outreach.

People from all over the world are invited to action to take care of our planet and raise awareness of the environment and specific environmental issues.

The host

This year's host is China, where the official celebrations will be taking place. As part of this, the host highlights the environmental challenges it faces and supports worldwide efforts to address them.

Theme

Every year, WED is organized around a particular theme drawing much-needed attention to a particularly pressing environmental concern. The theme and focus for 2019 is “Beat Air pollution”, a global concern impacting people and the environment negatively. “We can't stop breathing, but we can do something about the quality of air that we breathe.”

“Approximately 7 million people worldwide die prematurely each year from air pollution.”

“In particular WED 2019 urges governments, industry, communities, and individuals alike to come together to explore renewable energy and green technologies, and improve air quality in cities and regions across the world.”

What causes Air Pollution?

Source: NRDC

“Air pollution may seem complex, but we can all do our part to reduce some of it. Understanding the different types of pollution, namely agriculture, household, industry, transport and how it affects our health and environment will help us take steps towards improving the air around us.”

Air Pollution facts

·         92 per cent of people worldwide do not breathe clean air

·         Air pollution costs the global economy $5 trillion every year in welfare costs

·         Ground-level ozone pollution is expected to reduce staple crop yields by 26 per cent by 2030

·         More than 6 billion people – one-third of them children – regularly breathe air that is so polluted it puts their health and well-being at risk.

“Today, we face an equally urgent crisis. It is time to act decisively,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in his official message for World Environment Day. “My message to governments is clear: tax pollution; end fossil fuel subsidies; and stop building new coal plants. We need a green economy not a grey economy.”

References

https://www.unenvironment.org/events/un-environment-event/world-environment-day-2019

https://www.awarenessdays.com/awareness-days-calendar/world-environment-day-2019/

https://www.greeningtheblue.org/event/world-environment-day

https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/press-release/world-environment-day-world-turns-spotlight-air-pollution

World Environment Day 2018

World Environment Day

World Environment Day is celebrated on the 5^th of June each year and is one of the UN’s most important environmental days. It encourages worldwide awareness and action for the protection of our environment. It is the ‘People’s Day’ for doing something positive for the environment. World Environment Day has gained tremendous momentum over the years. Since its inception in 1974, it has grown to become a global platform for public outreach that is widely celebrated in over 100 countries.

Theme for 2018

Each WED is organised around a theme that focuses attention on a particularly pressing environmental concern. This year's theme "Beat Plastic Pollution" was chosen by the host country, India.

Plastic pollution is a defining environmental challenge. “Beat Plastic Pollution”, the theme for World Environment Day 2018, also ties in with World Oceans Day’s 2018 theme of “Prevent Plastic Pollution” that will take place on the 8th of June. The theme was chosen by India, the host country. 

It also is about considering how all of us can make changes in our everyday lives in order to reduce the burden of plastic pollution on not only our natural places and wildlife, but also our health. All partners raise awareness and inspire action to form the global movement needed to wholeheartedly combat plastic pollution. It promises to be the largest and most consequential World Environment Day ever. They are going to build on the global momentum to beat plastic pollution and use as a turning point to people worldwide to do more than just clean up existing plastics, but also focus their action upstream.

This year’s World Environment Day provides an opportunity for each of us to embrace the many ways that we can help to combat plastic pollution around the world. And you don’t have to wait until 5 June to act. Nor do you have to take only take action on the 5^th June; preventing pollution can be part of your green, everyday lifestyle.

Key actions and message

An important message the day tries to convey is in order to beat plastic pollution, we need to entirely rethink our approach to designing, producing and using plastic products. Their goal is to inspire solutions that will ultimately lead to sustainable behaviour change upstream. They are also calling on governments to enact robust legislation to curb the production and use of unnecessary single-use plastics. Its aim is to harness individual actions and transform them into a collective power that has a legacy of real and lasting impact on the planet. They are working with education partners to help them reconsider their plastic habits, generate solutions and raise awareness. They want to inspire children on how they can take action to protect the environment. Children can then spread this message to their parents and, importantly, the wider community.

Plastic’s impact on the environment and on humans

Although plastic has many uses, people have become too reliant on single-use or disposable plastic – with severe environmental consequences.

It is shocking to realize that:

·         Every year, 13 million tonnes of plastic enter our oceans, threatening marine and human life and destroying our natural ecosystems. It smothers coral reefs and threatens vulnerable marine wildlife.

·         The plastic ending up in the oceans can circle the earth four times in a single year, and it can persist for up to 1,000 years before it fully disintegrates.

·         Nearly one third of the plastic packaging we use escapes collection systems, which means that it ends up clogging our city streets and polluting our natural environment.

·         What is even more worrisome is the fact that, around the world, 1 million plastic drinking bottles are purchased EVERY MINUTE.

·         Every year we use up to 5 trillion disposable plastic bags. In total, 50 per cent of the plastic we use is single use.

·         Over 90% of bottled water and even 83% of tap water contain microplastic particles. Micro-beads from beauty products and other non-recoverable materials also negatively impact our environment.

·         Plastic also makes its way into our water supply – and thus into our bodies.

·         Plastics contain a number of chemicals, many of which are toxic or disrupt hormones.

·         Plastics can also serve as a magnet for other pollutants, including dioxins, metals and pesticides.

Other Global Plastic Pollution by Numbers

·         Up to 5 trillion plastic bags used each year

·         17 million barrels of oil used on plastic production each year

·         100,000 marine animals killed by plastics each year

·         100 years for plastic to degrade in the environment

·         90% of bottled water found to contain plastic particles

·         83% of tap water found to contain plastic particles

·         50% of consumer plastics are single use

·         10% of all human-generated waste is plastic

What needs to be done?

It requires a complete rethinking of the way plastic is produced, used, and managed. Simply put: Our manufacturing, distribution, consumption, and trade systems for plastic NEED to change. Items that are merely thrown away immediately after a single use must stop. Individual action alone cannot solve the problem of reducing our plastic footprint. It is important that the problem is addressed at its source. Manufacturers must be held to account for the entire life-cycle of their consumer products. Policymakers and governments must safeguard precious environmental resources and public health by encouraging sustainable production and consumption through legislation. Focusing on the next generation is central to addressing the plastic pollution issue.

What has been done to curb plastic use?

Individuals, companies, and communities have increasingly exercised their power as consumers. This has been evident especially in supermarkets where people have, instead of using single-use plastic grocery bags, have used recyclable material or paper bags. Many have also reconsidered their purchase habits in supermarket aisles. People have also continuously turned down plastic straws and cutlery and several restaurants have joined in a campaign to not give any plastic straws out anymore. Beach clean-ups have also taken enthusiastically place. While clean-ups may only address the plastic issue at the end of its life cycle, they are a wonderful way to see the extent of plastic waste first-hand and rethink their behaviour.

Is there something else I can do, though?

Consumers must not only be actors but drivers for the behaviour change that must also happen upstream.

The main idea that this day wants to bring across is:

If you can’t reuse it, refuse it.

Furthermore, there are so many things that we can do:

·         Ask your restaurants to stop using plastic straws

·         Bringing your own coffee mug to work

·         Pressure your local authorities to improve how they manage your city’s waste.

·         Bring your own shopping bags to the supermarket

·         Pressure food suppliers to use non-plastic packaging

·         Refuse plastic cutlery

·         Pick up any plastic you see the next time you go for a walk on the beach

On social media platforms you can share your ideas on social media using the hashtags #BeatPlasticPollution #WorldEnvironmentDay #WED2018 and inspire other people to also get involve.

Download the Litterati app to track the plastic waste that gets collected. Click on www.litterati.org and register what you collect so that it is included in the global total.

There is also a guide to help you develop your promotional materials for World Environment Day 2018. Click on the link to learn more: http://worldenvironmentday.global/en/get-involved/toolkits.

Encourage another institution to make a plastic-reduction pledge: Make a commitment to reduce your school, university, or organisation’s use of disposable plastic.

#BeatPlasticPollution game of tag

Join the global #BeatPlasticPollution game of tag: Invite students and staff to take a selfie with their canvas shopping bag, metal straw or any other reusable product and tag five friends, telling them to do the same. The person tagged should post a photo with their reusable item within 24 hours. You can also challenge other institutions to join you in cleaning the planet: Announce that your school, university, or organisation is cleaning up plastic litter in a park or public space for World Environment Day. Challenge other to do the same.

You can also host your own event and make it as fun, inspiring and interesting as you would like.

You, as citizens, must act as both consumers and informed citizens, demanding sustainable products and embracing sensible consumption habits in your own lives. To Beat Plastic Pollution, everyone needs step up and think about how they can not only reduce, reuse and recycle, but seek to inspire behavioural changes.

Only when we all come together, can we successfully combat one of the great environmental challenges of our time.

Remember: IF YOU CAN'T REUSE IT - REFUSE IT!

Kids, there is also a video just for you:

REFERENCES

http://worldenvironmentday.global/

https://www.unenvironment.org/events/un-environment-event/world-environment-day-2018

http://worldenvironmentday.global/sites/default/files/toolkit_with_nature/wed_key_messages_english.pdf

http://worldenvironmentday.global/sites/default/files/toolkit_organizations/WED2018_Education_Kit_030418.pdf

Today we’re celebrating World Environment Day!

 

World Environment Day (WED) takes place on the 5^th of June every year. This is a very relevant and important environmental day, especially in light of the current environmental situations around the world. The environment is currently in a dire state and is being degraded at a tremendously fast pace.

It is the United Nation's principal vehicle and is the biggest, most globally celebrated environmental days in terms of positive environmental action. WED places an imperative spotlight on protecting the environment and to inspire and motivate individuals, communities, and organisations to reconnect with Mother Nature. The day is all about imploring people to get outdoors and into nature so as to appreciate its stunning beauty as well as nature’s importance. It is a day on which people can reflect on their dependency on nature and how we are part of nature. It’s about ensuring a cleaner and greener future. Essentially it is about deepening public awareness of the need to preserve as well as enhance the environment. It’s about doing something positive for Mother Nature. WED provides an ideal opportunity for people to realize that they have a responsibility to care for the Mother Nature. The day promotes ways to improve the planet's environment as well as taking forward the call to protect the Earth that we share. It’s all about stimulating awareness of the environment as well as enhancing political attention and public action. It calls on people to show their love and affection for our shared natural world. World Environment Day is in spring in the Northern Hemisphere and fall in the Southern Hemisphere.

It is about being engaged in activities that serve to educate and improve people’s environment locally. WED is “the ‘people’s day’ for doing something to take care of the Earth or become an agent of change. That ‘something’ can be focused locally, nationally or globally; it can be a solo action or involve a crowd – everyone is free to choose. Through WED, the UN Environment Program (UNEP) enables everyone to realize not only the responsibility of caring for the Earth, but it also reminds people of their individual power to become agents of change. Every action counts, and when multiplied, it has the potential to become exponential in its impact. This observance provides an ideal opportunity to sign or ratify international environmental conventions.

The main colors featured in many promotions are natural colors (softer shades of green, brown and blue), representative of Mother Nature and its natural resources. WED is for everybody; it doesn’t matter where you live, albeit in cold or sunny areas, in the city or the countryside.

History

In 1972, World Environment Day was designated by the UN General Assembly on the first day of United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, resulting from discussions on the integration of human interactions and the environment. In 1974 the first WED was held.

Since its inception, citizens from all over the world have organized thousands of events, from neighborhood clean-ups, to replanting forests. Thus, for more than four decades, WED has essentially raised awareness and supported action and change. More than 143 countries participate in this important day. It commenced as a result of efforts of leading environmentalists who recognized the need for there to be a coordinated global focus to begin to make conserving the environment and our natural resources a priority.

The Host

Every year, WED has a different global host country where the official celebrations take place. This is to ensure and highlight the environmental challenges it faces, as well as supports the effort to address them. This year’s host country, Canada, chose the theme and will be at the center of celebrations around the world. 

Theme for 2017

There couldn’t be a more fitting theme for 2017 than ‘Connecting People to Nature - in the city and on the land, from the poles to the equator’. For the youth, this theme has particular relevance as children frequently don’t spend enough time in nature anymore. Similarly, adults also, nowadays, don’t seem to spend quality time outdoors. Corporations, NGOs, communities, celebrities, and governments use this theme to adopt to advocate environmental causes and organize events around the specific theme. Also, stakeholders and interested parties are encouraged to add activities related to the environment for saving it and to motivate people for taking initiative to achieve it too. This year, UNEP will strive to make WED epic. In support of the 2017 celebrations, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the #NatureForAll campaign have helped inspire people to get out into nature and record what they see.

In our modern world few of us take enough time away from our daily lives to appreciate and engage with our natural world. By celebrating this day surrounded by nature, we'll be able to rediscover the importance for caring for the environment so that it can care for us. 

Why is World Environment Day so important?

There's a closing window of opportunity to safeguard Earth’s capacity to support future generations. Meeting the immediate needs of growing human populations is threatening the equilibrium and viability of local and global ecosystems. Without public awareness of the importance of the environment on a global scale, politics won’t pay attention to changing legislation to govern practices that may be hurting the environment. When you create a group for World Environment Day, it’s a year round commitment to advocacy and action in your local area, and on a global scale to promote and encourage environmental responsibility and the conservation of natural resources.

The value of nature

The value of nature is truly expansive. As the official World Environment Day website notes: “Scientific advances and growing environmental problems (for example global warming) are helping us to understand the countless ways in which natural systems support our own prosperity and well-being”. It further explains that “the world’s oceans, forests and soils act as vast stores for greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane; farmers and fisher-folk harness nature on land and under water to provide us with food”. Rural communities from all over the world are well connected to nature as they spend every working day conscious of the fact of their dependency on natural water supplies and are appreciative of the fact that nature provides their livelihoods in the form of fertile soil. As a result of this dependency, they are the first to suffer when ecosystems are threatened and degraded due to factors such as pollution, climate change, and over-exploitation. Furthermore, nature’s value cannot only be measured in monetary value only. Just like clean air, it’s often taken for granted, at least until they become scarce. Nature is a wonderful setting for fun and adventure, it promotes health and well-being, it acts as a laboratory for limitless scientific exploration, and connects young and old generations to cultural roots. 

Up close with nature

When people forge personal connections with nature, the benefits to individual and societal health are endless and lay a foundation for lifelong support of nature conservation. Connecting to nature doesn’t have to involve only one of your physical senses. Take off your shoes and get your feet (and hands) dirty; take a night hike at night; and rely on your ears and nose to experience nature. Luckily, for people in cities, major parks can be seen as a green lung and a hub of biodiversity. In this manner, people can still feel connected to nature. You can green your urban environment too, by greening your street or a derelict site, or planting a window box. Nature is there to be enjoyed all-year round.

So, how can you be part of this memorable day?

There are a myriad of different WED activities in which all people can participate in. Here are just some ideas:

·         By reconnecting with our beautiful planet!

·         Go outside! Enjoy some of your country’s national parks.

·         Head to the beach

·         The WED website suggest that while you’re there to set a challenge for yourself by seeking out a rare mammal, identifying different butterfly species, and reaching the remotest corner of the park. It will be worth your while.

·         Join a growing number of citizen scientists: Today, more than ever, smartphone apps help you log your sightings and connect with others who can identify the species. These records feed into conservation strategies and assist in mapping the effects of climate change on biodiversity.

·         Weed and fertilize public trees and gardens.

·         Eat organic food and make meals from locally grown products.

·         Collect trash in your vicinity.

·         Think about how you can help save energy and reduce your monthly electricity bill.

·         Instead of driving with your car, why not drive a bicycle instead?

·         Hold a local educational forum about global environmental issues and invite in speakers.

·         By investing time in green spaces, Mother Nature will become more important for people. So, thus, get out into a local green space.

·         Think about what you can do reduce your carbon footprint as well as to be environmentally friendly as possible.

·         Be green – literally! Wear green clothes to show Mother Nature that you truly care for her and her wellbeing.

·         Learn more about environmental issues by conducting researching on these issues. Why not go a step further by coming up with your own ideas on how you can control them.

·         Buy items that are made up from recycled products. Look out for recycle symbol on the packaged goods).

·         Organise clean-up campaigns, art exhibits, tree-planting drives, and concerts, recycling drives, and social media campaigns.

·         Do one thing differently to increase how you benefit the environment.

·         Show that you’re #WithNature 

·         Use other hashtags such as: #WED #WorldEnvironmentDay #WED2017 #ILoveNature #ProtectMotherNature 

You don’t have to only partake in celebrations on the 5^th of June only – make every day a #Nature day! Mother Nature (and your health) will infinitely be happy! It’s so important to remember that “by keeping our planet healthy, we keep ourselves healthy too”. Evidently, we need harmony between humanity and nature in order for both to thrive.

What will YOU do to make this day count?

References

http://worldenvironmentday.global/en/about/connecting-people-nature

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Environment_Day

http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/what-is-world-environment-day.php

http://worldenvironmentday.global/en/latest-%E2%80%A8world-environment-day

https://www.cute-calendar.com/event/world-environment-day/21731.html

https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/un/world-environment-day

http://www.greeningtheblue.org/event/world-environment-day

http://worldenvironmentday.global/en/about/what-is-it

https://europa.eu/capacity4dev/unep/event/world-environment-day-5-june-2017

http://worldenvironmentday.global/sites/default/files/toolkit_organizations/WED4_Lessons%20EN_FINAL.pdf
http://worldenvironmentday.global/sites/default/files/toolkit_organizations/WED1_IUCN_04.pdf
http://www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org/?q=en/events/world-environment-day-connecting-people-nature