Greener Days Prevail

Did you know that June 5th is World Environment Day? Because I didn’t! So, let’s learn about it together today.

Honestly, my first thought was to pretend I was well-acquainted with this day, but this page is about being honest on my environmental journey and learning as I go. If you’re reading this wondering how I never knew about it, well, it’s very likely I maybe have and have melded it in with Earth Day. I can blame the mom brain all I want, but regardless, this is the first year I’m properly acknowledging it.

So, what exactly is World Environment Day (WED)?

Trailing a few years behind Earth Day, WED was first recognized on June 5, 1973, which was the first day of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, Sweden the year before. Since then, over 150 countries have participated, connecting millions of people all over the world to bring awareness and action to protect the environment.

Each year is hosted by a different country with a different theme, and this year is hosted by Saudi Arabia with the theme focusing on land restoration, desertification and drought resilience. The slogan is, “Our land. Our future. We are #GenerationRestoration.”

I think it’s a powerful reminder that change starts with us. As much as those higher up need to be held accountable, most of them prove time and time again that they have no desire to change their selfish ways, and we as the collective community need to stop being so complacent, as that’s exactly how they want us to be. We need to be the change when it comes to making peace with the land, and every action, no matter how big or how small, counts.

If you are looking to get started, here are a few things listed in the UNEP practical guide that we as individuals can do that are aligned with this year’s theme:

• Support sustainable agriculture by using our purchasing power to support sustainable brands, as well as supporting our local farmers.

• Start composting at home to promote soil health (check your area, as my city collects organics, composts it, and then offers it back to the community to use in their lawns and gardens).

• If you live in an urban area, greenify your balcony, rooftop or garden to help restore urban ecosystems.

And, of course, we need to place pressure on elected officials at all levels of government to implement policies that support ecosystem restoration and conservation. This is something I need to gain more confidence in doing myself, so this is definitely an area I will dive into more in future posts!

You can also follow the live updates WED shares here, but whatever you get up to today, I hope you do it with kindness towards yourself, others, and the environment in mind.