World Environment Day

Last weekend many people across the country celebrated the Jubilee Bank Holiday Weekend, but this wasn’t the only important day in our diary for the weekend, as World Environment Day was on the 5th June.

World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated every year on 5th June, and was first established in 1972, and first held in 1974 by the United Nations Environment Programme, as a means to encourage awareness and the need for protection of the environment, raising issues around pollution, global warming, wildlife crime and sustainable consumption. Every year, it is celebrated by millions of people from countries all over the world.

This year, hosted by Sweden, the campaign slogan was “Only One Earth”, and the focus was on living sustainably and in harmony with nature. This same theme was promoted for the 1972 Conference in Stockholm, and half a century later, it still holds true, as this planet is our only home.

“#OnlyOneEarth advocates for transformative environmental change on a global scale. The campaign shines a spotlight on climate action, nature action and pollution action while encouraging everyone, everywhere to live sustainably.”

The United Nations Environment Programme has published a guide for this year’s theme, which can be found here. The guide outlines some of the transformative actions that organisations and people can take, as while individual actions and choices around consumption can make a difference, we need collective action on environmental issues to create truly transformative and necessary change for a more sustainable and equal Earth.

Some of our favourite tips in the guide for us as individuals are below:

• Use your voice: spread knowledge, start conversations, and ask for action by your local government, schools, and businesses.
• Make sustainable choices: choose natural products, choose local, buy reusables, and reduce your waste where possible.
• Choose experiences: consider spending more time and resources on experiences that add value to your life without leaving a heavy environmental footprint; this could be anything from taking part in sports, taking a course to learn a new skill or hobby, or volunteering.