While you may be familiar with Earth Day, which is typically celebrated in April, a bigger environmental holiday is that of World Environment Day, which falls on June 5^th each year. Our blog post this week provides some background on this little known, but growing, movement that brings together a number of environmental and social issues to get support from the global community.

What is World Environment Day?

The United Nations established World Environment Day in 1972 as a means of drawing attention to many environmental issues that affected the entire globe, including climate change, pollution, food shortage, waste and diminishing natural resources.

By making it a global event, it was hoped that people would look beyond politics and cultural differences and work together on a local, regional, and global level to sustain our precious environment.

Today, it has become an annual celebration that grows every year with all types of events leading up June 5^th as well as celebrated on the special day. The website for World Environment Day as well as its Twitter feed and other social media platforms are full of information on what is happening around the world to recognize this important day. It is truly inspirational to see so many people working on caring for and sustaining our environment as well as creating a better quality of life for all.

What Can You Do on World Environment Day?

After learning more about World Environment Day, you may wonder what you can do in Albuquerque to help celebrate it and help others to get involved. Here are some ideas that can get you started:

• Add more greenery to your life by creating your own garden patch, growing your own vegetables, or joining an urban garden plot. If you have the means of providing financial assistance, you can even help other urban gardens keep going or you can create your own neighborhood garden collective.
• Be smart about your food consumption and waste. While we may have a lot, others have so very little, so it is important that we also think wisely about what we consume and how we get rid of any waste associated with it.
• Start a recycling program within your family or local community.
• Get kids involved by starting an environmental awareness program at home or at their school. Getting them started early will help create smart and sustainable actions in the future.
• Participate or start a neighborhood clean-up program. See what is available or simply create your own group.

Whatever you do does not have to be large to be significant. All it takes is a community spirit and individual resolve to make incremental differences that, when joined with others, does make a real difference!