Friday, June 05, 2009

June 5 is World Environment Day, How did we fare?

Today, June 5 is World Environment Day (WED), according to the UNEP Homepage, it is the day when the United Nations stimulate people and governments to push for action on environmental issues. The theme for WED 2009 is 'Your Planet Needs You-UNite to Combat Climate Change'.

Climate Change has been in the forefront of environment related discussions for the past few decades, and numerous promotions have been made to try to address the issue. There is a particularly wonderful page on the UNEP Homepage about how to: "Easily Green your daily Routine" (and it rhymes too!) which details small adjustments to your lifestyle that will help in big ways. Things like "wear jeans more than once" or "usa a washable mug for your morning coffee" are very easily doable.

My question though is have we gone far enough to effect a slowdown of this inevitable future of climate change? How have we in our yearly Environmental Day celebrations been able to effect change and curb climate change? Or has June 5 become just another celebration we do, but not really affecting anything?

As an improvement, I think it would be good to know how we have as individuals uniting together have been able to make a difference. Or if we haven't, how we should do more. From my work I have learned that we can't improve on something we don't measure. So, so far, how have we fared? How far have we come? And what do we need to do more?

Although wonderfully clever to break down environmental friendly contributions to a doable daily task list, it's still difficult to imagine how my putting my printer on default "print on both sides" mode will effect the cutting down of trees in the thousands per day. So, my challenge to UN is... to help me imagine it better. :D If I see how I have been able to help, then maybe I will be inspired to help some more, and maybe other people will be inspired as well.

This is our world, we, the human race, are the biggest stakeholders in this worldwide project. And even if you do not care if I or any other person in the world will survive, even if your intentions are purely selfish, I don't care. As long as you do your bit to help.

Oh, and please plant a tree. :D

9 comments:

  1. here is how much it has changed us...i did not even realise it was today...no press. we recycle and garden, compost...plant trees. if we all did our part, if there was someone in leadership, is...i wonder would it make a diference?

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  2. Oh my I dont know didnt even hear/watch it in the news. anyway hope by this time people are realizing how important it is to conserve every natural resource we have to save this planet!

    Thanks for sharing!

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  3. Thanks for letting me know! I will remember it and it will be WED everyday.. :)

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  4. kailangan pa bang i memorize yan?

    bagsak tayo dyan!

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  5. Reyjr, same here, went by without as much as a squeak. This is the problem I think with the United Nations, the've lost their punch and don't publicise these things nearly enough except perhaps to the already converted. Like all things conservation will only be truly embraced when we have little choice Very sad. If you want to do something as an individual, try the UN's Daily Tips: http://www.unep.org/wed/2009/english/content/tips.asp

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  6. @Brian - i wonder as well. :p

    @Homer - tama ka! :p but what I really want to emphasize here is, the leaders should target their promotions to the majority, not the minority. if you can convince the majority to help, then maybe it will make a difference.

    @acrylique - lol! how about MON, TUE, THU, FRI, SAT and SUN? hehe.

    @abe mulong - bagsak nga! :p kaya dapat next year pasado na!

    @Baino - yeah! that's the same article I linked in the post.

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  7. Hi! Reyjr,
    I'am sorry! for being MIA!...but just like the previous commenters...I too! wasn't aware that it was World Environment Day on June 05 2009.
    I most definitely plan to check-out the UNEP Homepage. By the way, My father(père) is a gardener, and when he had to cut down a "diseased" tree, he quickly planted another tree...
    ...and it's growing rapidly! I too! do my part by recyling.

    "Your Planet Needs You-UNite to Combat Climate Change."

    I agree!...I "hope" that we can combat climate change.
    Reyjr, Thanks, for sharing!
    DeeDee ;-D

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  8. Hi Deedee! I did miss you for a while there! Thanks for visiting back! Hope to see you around again soon!

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