World Environment Day is a community awareness day which focuses on environmental issues on our planet. It is a day to celebrate our beautiful earth whilst recognising the importance of protecting it.
Every year on June 5th, World Environment Day highlights in its theme one vital environmental issue. This year the focus is on the importance of the world’s forests with the theme being,Forests: Nature At Your Service.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) forests cover one third of the earth’s land mass and support 1.6 billion people and their livelihoods. They are the green lungs of the earth and are vital to our survival.
Despite this, we are destroying the very forests we are dependent upon. The UNEP estimates that 13 million hectares of forest is cut down each year. It is due to this destruction that this year’s theme, Forests: Nature At Your Service, is essential.
World Environment Day celebrations this year will include a variety of festivals, bicycle parades, street rallies and clean-up-campaigns all aimed at raising awareness of the importance of our beautiful forests. Celebrations do not have to be grand, you could simply take your family or a favourite book to your nearest park and take a moment to both enjoy and appreciate the beauty and tranquillity our trees have to offer.
How do you plan on celebrating World Environment Day this year (Sunday June 5th , 2011)?
