Monday 5 June 2017

Today we’re celebrating World Environment Day!

 

World Environment Day (WED) takes place on the 5th 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 5th 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/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