The aim of World Environment Day on June 5th is to help raise global awareness about the need to always think about the environment and how our personal and work lives impact it.
Similar to Earth Day, which is celebrated each April, World Environment Day was specially designed by the United Nations (U.N.) ‘to stimulate worldwide awareness of the environment and enhance political attention and action to protect it’.
According to Stephen Ashkin, president of The Ashkin Group and CEO of Sustainability Dashboard Tools, World Environment Day was started in 1972 and is sponsored each year by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).
‘Each year, World Environment Day follows a different theme. For 2013, the theme is ‘Reduce Your Foodprint’ and focuses primarily on encouraging people and countries to minimise food waste and food loss.’
In many countries around the world, it is often celebrated with rallies, parades, concerts, tree plantings, and cleanup campaigns, says Ashkin.
“We are getting to the point in many parts of the world where World Environment Day is honoured every day,” says Ashkin. “It is becoming part of our culture and we see more and more businesses, industries, and individuals question how their actions today will impact the environment in the future.”