The environment that we live in, is very important not only for our health but for our survival, so there is a huge need for us to protect it. We would not be able to survive if we do not have clean air and water and land to live on, so on June 5 of every year, we mark ‘World Environment Day’ so that we are reminded about how precious our environment is.
The United Nations designated 5 June as World Environment Day to highlight that the protection and health of the environment is a major issue, which affects the well-being of peoples and economic development throughout the world. The celebration of this day provides us with an opportunity to broaden the basis for an enlightened opinion and responsible conduct by individuals, enterprises and communities in preserving and enhancing the environment.
History of World Environment Day
In 1972, the United Nations General Assembly established the World Environment Day on the first day of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. Two years later, in 1974 the first WED was held with the theme “Only One Earth”. Even though Environment Day celebration have been held annually since 1974, in 1987 the idea for rotating the center of these activities through selecting different host countries began.
The day is celebrated by engaging governments, businesses, celebrities and citizens to focus their efforts on a pressing environmental issue.
Timeline of World Environment Day from 2010 to now
‘Many Species. One Planet. One Future’, was the theme of 2010. Hosted in Rwanda, it celebrated the diversity of life on Earth as part of the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity. The world environment day of 2011 was hosted by India and the theme was Forests—Nature At Your Service. World Environment Day 2012’s theme was Green Economy. The celebrations were held in Brazil. WED 2013 was themed on the footprint of food, under the slogan “Think, Eat, Save”. The UN reminded us that one third of all food produced fails to make it from farm to table, which means 1.3 billion tonnes of food, worth 1,000 billion dollars, are wasted. This amount would be enough to feed the 870 million people suffering from hunger around the world, as well as reduce CO2 emissions significantly. 2014 was dedicated to the sea, under the theme “Raise your Voice not the Sea Level!” in order to raise awareness on the problems island nations are facing due to rising sea levels. In 2015, WED was hosted by Milan, Italy, under the theme “Seven Billion People. One Planet. Consume with Care”. That year, WED was the most popular subject on Twitter in more than 20 countries. “Zero tolerance for the illegal trade in wildlife” was the theme of the 2016 edition, hosted by Angola, whilst the 2017 edition, was held under the slogan “Connecting People with Nature” to highlight the crucial role we play in protecting the planet, to which we are closely linked and depend on, with official celebrations taking place in Canada. Whilst the 2018 edition, hosted by India, aimed to “Beat Plastic Pollution”. In 2019, WED focussed its efforts to “Beat Air Pollution”, an issue chosen by China, a country deeply affected by this environmental problem.
Ways to make mother nature feel special on WED
- Did something nice to protect the environment? Talk about it! Show off. Share pictures and posts on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Let people know what you plan to do and do it this World Environment Day. You can use Facebook invites to invite your friends to participate. Use Twitter hashtags like #StayGreen or #WorldEnvironmentDay to spread your message faster.
- Create a compost in your garden or windowsill and grow some of your own produce.
- Take public transportation on World Environment Day and vow to take it more often than you do. If you’re already a public transport user, take a walk. Introduce the concept of public transport to your family or car-lover friends. Cycle. It’s fun and a great way to exercise.
- Reduce the consumption of meat and dairy.
- Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Renew, Recycle: If you’re not already into this habit, it’s a good day of the year to start. These 5R’s are magic mantras when it comes to environmental conservation and sustainable usage. The concept is already taught to students at school. The problem is that elders have forgotten about it. Take time on World Environment Day to learn about this concept. There are many things that you can do on a personal level, if you just keep these 5R’s in your mind.
- Turn off lights and electronics when not in use.
- Use art as a way to spread the message. Produce a podcast, video, virtual painting competition or a music challenge.
- Organize events, street actions or marches to advocate for governments to reduce nature loss, and demand bold decisions and concrete actions from decision makers.