Dates & Events: World Environment Day - June 5

by Smt. Anjali Ambekar

World Environment Day
World Environment Day (WED) falls each year on 5 June. It is a day when people focus on the environment and it is celebrated in over 100 countries.
World Environment Day is created to promote environmental issues to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development. It promotes an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues and advocates partnership that will ensure all nations and peoples enjoy a safer and more prosperous future. World Environment Day embodies this approach, raising awareness, encouraging people to voice their thoughts and do their utmost to improve the environment.
How did World Environment Day begin?
In 1972, the United Nations General Assembly established the World Environment Day to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on Human Environment. This led to the creation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for developing awareness, get political attention to environmental issues and stimulate public action. Over the years it has become an occasion to discuss environmental problems, at an intergovernmental forum, to take corrective actions towards the global environment.
How to celebrate World Environment Day
The United Nations dedicated a day to celebrate the world environment. But what exactly can we do on this day other than remembering that the earth is slowly succumbing to the effects of global warming. Before we get on our knees, its time we rise above the problem. Here are a few small things that you can do to make a big difference.

• Avoid shopping things you do not need
• Make use of car pools. Use public transport more often
• Prevent water wastage
• Lower use of air conditioners
• Follow the three R's. Recycle, Reuse and Refuse
• Buy eco-friendly things
• Save electricity
• Plant a tree
• Avoid wasting stationery
• Avoid littering. Use dust-bins, Separate garbage
• Say no to using and exchanging polythene bags
• Be a part of an anti global warming drive in your city, town or may be block

Anything that affects nature will inevitably affect us. The better we treat Mother Nature the happier we will be. You do not need to be a part of a big group to save the environment. Every individual can make a difference in small but important ways. You can play a vital role in the chain of events right from home, school or work. Celebrate World Environment Day with gusto, everyday. Begin your natural combat today!
Learn how to save our planet from the evil effects of global warming on World Environment Day. Let's make the planet worth living.
Have you been complaining often about the rising heat during summers? We cannot ignore the effects of global warming anymore. The seasonal changes, rise in temperatures, the shrinking biodiversity and animals on the brink of extinction are a stark reminder that something is wrong with our planet earth.
We owe a lot to the world we live in. That is why it becomes important to save the earth in any way we can. If we cannot do much for it than a conscious effort to prevent harm to the environment can help us all. Begin your fight against global warming today and make our world worth living.
As humanity moves toward the 21st century, we are left with no choice but to redefine the values and principles that underlie our relationship with the Earth. Clearly, a new approach is required.
Creating a Spiritual Culture: The industrial civilization has brought about an abundance of goods and services to humankind, but also an obsession for materialism and a distortion of human values.
Achieving Environmental Equity: Planet Earth is the common home for all of us. We must all strive to share equitably the benefits and burdens resulting from the use of the environment.
Greening Science and Technology: Science and technology have played a critical role in the development of human history and will be one of the key determining factors in shaping a sustainable future. However, the impacts of technological development and their applications have also become so serious that they threaten the stability of the ecosystem and human society.
Sharing Responsibilities: All members of human society are responsible for maintaining the integrity of the environment as a Whole-Life-System. Individual efforts can be enhanced through building networks within and among all levels of civil society and government, industry and business, and non-governmental organizations(NGOs).
Environmental Education: Education, especially at an early age, has a significant effect on how people form attitudes toward the environment, and is thus crucial. Educational programmes designed to enhance awareness of environmental issues and ethics must be developed and applied at all levels of society through all available and practical means.
International Cooperation: Nations share common responsibilities for preserving Earth's environment. This amounts to active involvement in regional and international cooperative efforts and joint implementation of environmentally-sound policies, while faithfully complying with established multilateral agreements.
Environmentally-Sound Lifestyle: All members of society must cultivate a lifestyle that accepts and is consistent with sufficiency rather than greed and excess. Bearing in mind that Earth's resources are limited, each person must avoid a culture of extravagant material consumption and pursue ways to preserve the planet by improving consumption patterns.
Active Involvement: Individuals are encouraged to participate both morally and politically in all levels in the decision-making process of environmental policies in order to improve the quality of decision-making, avoid corruption, and ensure that their interests can be properly represented.
Environmentally-Friendly Business Practices: The industrial sector must actively apply eco-efficiency principles in order to use less energy and materials for the same amount of output and to reduce emissions and waste. This requires the widespread adoption of environmentally-friendly production technologies, an increased use of recycled materials, and a greater emphasis on substituting goods with services. The financial and insurance sectors must also increasingly direct investment toward environmentally-sound projects.
Interdisciplinary Approach: Science and technology alone cannot resolve the impending environmental crisis. An interdisciplinary approach, which includes other branches of academic endeavors such as the humanities and social sciences, is needed to develop active research programs for a better understanding of the increasingly complicated environmental problems. The key is to recognize that humans and the natural environment are interdependent and part of a larger entity, the "Whole-Life-System."