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World Environment Day: There is a growing need to curb pollution be it air, water or soil, in order to improve your health as well as protect the environment. We as human beings have continuously exploited the environment for our own benefits. Now it’s time for us to act wisely and save the environment for our well being and for the development of the whole world.
There is a growing need to curb pollution be it air, water or soil, in order to improve your health as well as protect the environment. We as human beings have continuously exploited the environment for our own benefits. Now it’s time for us to act wisely and save the environment for our well being and for the development of the whole world.
When is World Environment Day Celebrated?
In order to protect and improve the human environment, the United Nations has chosen a day which is worldwide celebrated as World Environment Day. World Environment Day which is also known as Environment Day is celebrated worldwide on 5th June every year. 5th June is celebrated as World Environment Day to create awareness about the effect of pollution on the environment and enhance political awareness and action in controlling pollution to safeguard your environment.
World Environment Day is a day to introspect our deeds and think positively on how to improve our surroundings and our environment. World Environment Day gives us an opportunity to come together to fight for the cause of own environment. Every year United Nations comes up with a new theme, which gives us an opportunity to think and do something so as to improve the quality of our life and try to reduce pollution in our own small possible ways. World Environment Day 2019 is hosted by China and the theme for this year is ‘Air pollution’.
Due to industrialization and modernization, air pollution is increasing at an alarming rate. Every year millions of people are dying worldwide due to air pollution. It is our responsibility to improve the quality of the air we breathe. It is our responsibility as an individual, as an enterprise and a community to preserve and enhance the environment. The closer we are to nature, the better understanding we have about its biodiversity and the safety of our nature and environment for our well being.
Important and History of Environment Day
World Environment Day was first celebrated to understand and create awareness among people about the environmental issues such as food and water wastage, pollution, global warming, deforestation, harmful effects on industrialization on earth and so on. It is celebrated to make common people aware of an environmental issue and to bring people for all caste and communities together to work towards improving the environmental conditions and to help make our planet a better place to live.
World Environment Day was first established to run some effective campaigns from 5th June to 16th June 1972, in a conference on Human Environment by the United Nations General Assembly and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It was celebrated for the first time in 1973 with a theme ‘Only One Earth’. Then from 1974 onwards, every year World Environment Day was hosted in different countries with a particular theme each year. The anniversary of the Stockholm Conference is celebrated as World Environment Day every year.
This conference was held by the United Nations on Human Environment. This celebration was started by the United Nations General Assembly every year to engage more and more people from all over the world to think and work positively to implement some action plans for the betterment of our environment.
The main objective of celebrating World Environment Day is encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the environment. World Environment Day 2019, it theme being ‘Air Pollution’ will urge government, industry, communities, NGOs and individuals to come together and to find possible ways of utilizing a renewable source of energy and green technologies to globally combat air pollution and improve the quality of air.
How to Protect Environment?
With the alarming increase in pollution, the condition of our health and environment is deteriorating. Our thoughtless deeds have to lead to a drastic change in climate and environment. The air we breathe, the water we drink and soil on which our existence thrives has become contaminated. Now it high time that we think of an action plan to reduce pollution by making small changes in our lifestyles. Remember and keep in mind that even a small action can make a big difference.
Let’s discuss ways and means on how to protect your environment:
1. Use Reusable Bags
While going for shopping, always prefer to use reusable bags, instead of plastic bags which get thrown away into the dump and ultimately ends up in landfills. These plastic bags take hundreds of years to get decomposed and while remaining in the soil suffocates the animals which mistake them for food. Using reusable bags can save you on money as well as help save the environment.
2. Switch to E-bill
You can always ask for an e-statement from banks, e-tickets, e-bill for your utility bills, thus reducing a lot of clutter in your home. In this way you will be saving millions of trees from being cut each year, thus protecting your environment.
3. Recycle
Try to recycle cans, disposable cups and plates, which otherwise end up in the trash. Collect more information on recycling and instead of discarding things, try to recycle and reuse them.
4. Save Electricity
Try to cut down on your electricity consumption by using lights and fans only when necessary. Do not carelessly waste electricity as it is a source of energy. It will also help you to save on your electricity bills.
5. Avoid Plastic Water Bottles
Avoid using plastic water bottles, which are discarded after use. It is very important to keep yourself hydrated while going out, so while going out always carry a reusable water bottle as plastic bottles are harmful to the environment. Discarded plastic bottles end up in landfill or make their way into the food chain of aquatic animals which may suffocate them to death. So its always better to avoid plastic water bottles.
6. Maintain a Kitchen Garden and Grow Your Own Food
It is always a good idea to maintain a kitchen garden so that you can grow your own food. Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere which also helps to make your surrounding clean and helps you to breathe fresh air, which is beneficial for your health. By doing so you can consume vegetables and fruits which are grown organically instead of by it from the market which is loaded with pesticides and insecticides.
7. Plant as Many Trees as Possible
Plants are very important for your existence. Plants absorb harmful carbon dioxide from the environment and emit oxygen and help to keep our environment clean. So try to plant as many trees as possible, as it helps to curb air pollution, so that we can breathe fresh air.
8. Save Water
Avoid wastage of water by your careless deeds. The existence of all living beings depends on water. Understand the importance of water and save each and every drop of water. Never leave the tap open when not in use.
9. Avoid Using Plastic Garbage Bags
Plastic garbage bags get discarded and it ends up in landfill, becoming the main reason for soil pollution as these plastic bags take hundreds of years to degrade into the soil.
10. Save Non-renewable Sources of Energy
Non-renewable source of energy is a resource which cannot be readily replaced by natural means. Fossil fuels, natural gas and coal are some examples of non-renewable source of energy which is getting exhausted at an alarming rate. These non-renewable sources of energy take thousands of years to form and must be used with care.
How Is World Environment Day Celebrated Across India?
World Environment Day is celebrated with great enthusiasm in India. Irrespective of age, people from all communities come together and celebrate Environment Day. Many news channels are actively participating in World Environment Day by covering and broadcasting the celebrations in India and around the world so that more and more people become aware of the importance of this day. TV shows or chat shows are organised to create public awareness about the importance of protecting your environment. Many events and rallies are organised at the state level as well as national level.
At school and college level many activities like essay writing competition, speech and seminars on Environment Day is organised. Social media has become a platform for spreading the theme of World Environment Day- through banners, posters, short film and advertisement.
Many NGOs participate in the celebrations of World Environment Day by organising events such as rallies, campaigns, tree plantation, garbage recycling, cleaning of the surrounding area to draw the attention of the public and create awareness about the environmental issues and how it affects your health.
It is the individual responsibility of each and every individual to keep their surrounding clean and by making small changes in their lifestyle make a big contribution towards protecting the environment. Act wisely, to save your planet Earth and make it a better place to live for your future generation.
Environment Day Slogans
- “Fight to the bad habits to bring positive changes in the environment.
- Leave earth a better place to live.
- Save greenery, save the environment.
- Consume with care, we have only one planet and one environment.
- Raise the voice against environmental issues, not global warming.
- Include greenery but exclude bad habits.
- Save greenery to relax to future generations.
- Save environment save future generations.
- Plant tree to make environment pollution free.
- Work together to bring happy weather.
- Consume food not plants; don’t cut trees and forests.
- Follow environmental laws and spread them to others on world environment day.
- Celebrate the world environment day every day not only one day.
- Make the environment safe for a healthy life.
- Add greenery to the environment to make it fresh and live.
- Make the environment green and don’t trim.
- Safer environment better tomorrow.
- Make the environment your friend not enemy.
- Celebrate the world environment day daily and plant a tree to prevent environmental health hazards.
- Earth is our home and environment is its roof, save both.
- Greenery is natural scenery, retain it forever.
- Happy world environment day, do plantation to be free of pollution.
Environment Day Quotes and Sayings
- “Earth is our mother. In spite of our desire to harm our mother, she will always love us forever.”
- “I only feel angry when I see waste. When I see people throwing away things we could use.” —Mother Teresa
- “The Earth is what we all have in common.” —Wendell Berry
- “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” -George Bernard Shaw
- “Time spent on trees is never time wasted.” —Anonymous
- “He that plants trees love others besides himself.” —Thomas Fuller
- “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” —Margaret Mead
- “One of the first conditions of happiness is that the link between man and nature shall not be broken.” —Leo Tolstoy
- The environment is where we all meet; where we all have a mutual interest; it is the one thing all of us share.” – Lady Bird Johnson
- “The Earth will not continue to offer its harvest, except with faithful stewardship. We cannot say we love the land and then take steps to destroy it for use by future generations.” — John Paul II
- “Nature is painting for us, day after day, pictures of infinite beauty.”—John Ruskin
- “What’s the use of a fine house if you haven’t got a tolerable planet to put it on.”—Henry David Thoreau
- “A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.”—Franklin D. Roosevelt
- “The Earth is a fine place and worth fighting for.”—Ernest Hemingway
- “The proper use of science is not to conquer nature but to live in it.” —Barry Commoner
- “We have forgotten how to be good guests, how to walk lightly on the earth as its other creatures do.” —Barbara Ward
- “For 200 years we’ve been conquering Nature. Now we’re beating it to death.” – Tom McMillan
- “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” – Native American Proverb
- “Plant together.. let’s make the world greener.”
World Environment Day serves as a powerful reminder that each individual has a responsibility to protect and sustain the environment. The annual celebration, established by the United Nations, encourages people worldwide to adopt more eco-friendly habits, be it reducing waste, conserving resources, or promoting biodiversity. Recognizing that small, everyday actions have significant cumulative impacts, World Environment Day emphasizes collaboration across nations, communities, and industries to address pressing environmental issues like climate change, pollution, and deforestation.
Ultimately, the goal of this global observance is to foster an environmental consciousness that empowers people to advocate for change, driving momentum toward a healthier planet for future generations. By participating, learning, and acting, individuals and organizations contribute to a global shift toward sustainability and environmental stewardship.
