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World Environment Day |
World Environment Day (WED) was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972.1 WED is hosted every year by a different city and commemorated with an international exposition through the week of June 5. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), also created in 1972, uses WED to stimulate awareness of the environment and enhance political attention and public action.
"Stockholm was without doubt the landmark event in the growth of international environmentalism," writes John McCormick in the book Reclaiming Paradise. "It was the first occasion on which the political, social and economic problems of the global environment were discussed at an intergovernmental forum with a view to actually taking corrective action."
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The theme for the 2005 World Environment Day was "Green Cities – Plan for the Planet!". From the official site:citation needed
Six really important Things I can do as a kid to help the environment
1.Shop locally: Walk to a store near your house, Go to one store for every need instead of driving all around town for 2 different items, if a store like that is to far away then ride a bike or a skateboard etc., By doing these you will already be saving the earth and tons of $.
2.Reduce Recycle Reuse: Reduce the amount of thrash by buying stuff with less packaging. Recycle used plastic, paper, aluminum, and Styrofoam. Reuse old leather, clothing etc.
3. Use less energy you will save Money and the earth: Turn off appliances when you are not using them. It might not make sense to a kid to turn off every light in their house before they leave their house, This is the biggest money saver of all 12, and by turning off all of the lights you will save the earth the sun and us.
4.Eating: If you learn to cook yourself a meal you will be reducing the amount of pollution in the world. Why, because most people in America buy fast food every day and half the people who buy fast food throw the thrash on the ground.
5.Saving trees: Use Sunday comics as wrapping paper.
6.Put rotten food in the Compost. Also if you don’t have a compost don’t buy one make one.
The topic for WED 2006 was Deserts and Desertification and the slogan was "Don't desert drylands".
The slogan emphasised the importance of protecting drylands, which cover more than 40% of the planet’s surface. This ecosystem is home to one-third of the world’s people who are more vulnerable members of society. The main international celebrations of the World Environment Day 2006 were held in Algeria.
The topic for World Environment Day for 2007 was "Melting Ice – a Hot Topic?" During International Polar Year, WED 2007 focused on the effects that climate change is having on polar ecosystems and communities, on other ice- and snow-covered areas of the world, and the resulting global impacts.
The main international celebrations of the WED 2007 were held in the city of Tromsø, Norway, a city north of the Arctic Circle self-styled as "The Gateway to the Arctic".2
The UNEP statement on WED 2007 states:
The day's agenda is to give a human face to environmental issues; empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development; promote an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues; and advocate partnership, which will ensure all nations and peoples enjoy a safer and more prosperous future. World Environment Day is a people's event with colourful activities such as street rallies, bicycle parades, green concerts, essays and poster competitions in schools, tree planting, as well as recycling and clean-up campaigns.
The host for World Environment Day 2008 was New Zealand, with the main international celebrations scheduled for Wellington. The slogan for 2008 was "CO2, Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy." New Zealand was one of the first countries to pledge to achieve carbon neutrality, and will also focus on forest management as a tool for reducing greenhouse gases.3 Activities based around the event have been planned in the Wellington region between the 28th of May and the 13th of June.
Volunteers appeared around the Auckland region in New Zealand on World Environment Day 2008. These volunteers were located primarily at major transport hubs (such as train stations)and advertised World Environment Day, as well as handing out eco-friendly products such as eco-friendly light-bulbs and eco-friendly shopping bags. Volunteers at public transport hubs also handed out stickers with the slogan I'm reducing my carbon footprint! World Environment Day, Thursday 5 June 2008 as well as providing free entertainment as an act of gratitude to public transport users.
A website has been set-up by the ministry of education to support in-school initiatives. efs.tki.org.nz. It encourages school pupils to make short term and longer term pledges to minimize emissions. The list of pledges can be found on a typical school profile's page
The Chicago Botanic Garden served as the North American host4 for World Environment Day on June 5, 2008. The daylong celebration featured activities for everyone in the family along with presentations by local and national organizations in the areas of food, shelter, energy, education, transportation, and public awareness.
A relatively new way of making environmental causes popular is through online games.
This trend has gained popularity in recent times.
An online game by an independent publisher was launched for WED 2008 with this year's theme "CO2, Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy." the game was called Carbon chomper and can be played for free at this link[2]. Similar envionmental issue related and conservation themed games can be found at cleanuptheworld.org[3] and gamesforchange.org[4]
World Environment Day celebrations have been hosted in the following cities:5
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