June 5th Is World Environment Day
With the goal of “being the biggest and most widely celebrated global day for positive environmental action,” World Environment Day is an annual event held on June 5th of each year.
A result of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment held from June 5th thru 16th, 1972, the first World Environment Day was held in 1973, and has since become one of the main ways the UN helps to stimulate awareness of the environment the world over, while encouraging political attention and action. It’s also a day for people of all walks of life to come together as one and work towards a brighter, cleaner, and greener earth that will last for generations to come.
Through World Environment Day, the UN Environment Programme is able to personalize environmental issues and enable everyone to realize not only their responsibility, but also their power to become agents for change in support of sustainable and equitable development. [source]
The theme for World Environment Day 2012 is “Green Economy: Does this include you?”
It’s a two-part theme that first touches on the subject of the “Green Economy.”
The UN Environment Programme defines the Green Economy as one that results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. In its simplest expression, a green economy can be thought of as one which is low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive.
Practically speaking, a Green Economy is one whose growth in income and employment is driven by public and private investments that reduce carbon emissions and pollution, enhance energy and resource efficiency, and prevent the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services. These investments need to be catalyzed and supported by targeted public expenditure, policy reforms and regulation changes.
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The second part of the 2012 World Environment Day theme has to do with how each person is affected by the Green Economy on a personal level. The question is meant to encourage us find out more about the Green Economy, and assess whether or not you are included in it.
While the health of our environment and the Green Economy are heavy topics, and often hard to wrap your mind around, celebrating World Environment Day certainly isn’t!
The day is a light-hearted time to honor and encourage the continued inspirational power resulting from the actions of individuals, which can collectively become an explosive force for positive change.
World Environment Day is celebrated around the world in a variety of ways, including green concerts, bicycle parades, street rallies, tree planting, school essay and poster competitions, recycling events, local clean-up campaigns and much more.
Will you be celebrating World Environment Day? We’d love to hear how you plan on honoring the day!
