The World Environment Day is knocking the door to celebrate it along with its significance with the theme of “Beat Plastic Pollution”. As we know, the June 5th of every year observes the day with different theme and slogan. So, the day will be held on the assigned date in this year, 2018, as well. The day has some special expectation because through this occasion the United States (UN) try to create awareness of preserving the environment worldwide. Although the day gets the celebration all over the world, it’s not a public holiday. The aim of the day is to get the global action as well as resolution to keep the environment healthy for everybody. Besides, the day comes with the celebration of campaigns, parades, and processions. These all are to make the day eventful where the special focus is given to clean-up and tree-planting campaigns.
Moreover, the United Nations Environment Program focuses on creating a cleaner and greener environment so as we can create an eco-friendly environment. As a result, the activities carried out throughout the year under this initiative. But, the World Environment Day is one of the occasions when these activities go up to the climax. Whatever it’s doing but the UN has been taking the special program so that everybody can observe the day since 1972.
A host of World Environment Day 2018
The UN declares India as the host of 2018 World Environment Day under the United Nations Environment Program. Developing a green economy is the main aim of the day. So, its aim is to let India and other countries strive hard through the emergent process. The World Environment Day theme declares focusing on one thing largely and which should help people worldwide appreciate why forests are important. As it aims to help them indulge in actions to preserve the forests and as a result, we can get the green environment. The observing venues of the day in India are in the cities of Delhi and Mumbai. Just to make people aware of the positive aspects of a green environment, a number of activities will be held in these venues.
History of the World Environment Day
As you already we have said that the World Environment Day observes on every year’s 5th June. What the principal vehicle of the UN encourages worldwide action and awareness for the protection of the environment. Although it starts in 1972, the first flagship campaign for raising consciousness on rising environmental issues in 1974. It focuses on the day is from the human overpopulation, marine pollution, and global warming, to sustainable consumption as well as the wildlife crime. Currently, the day has grown to become a global platform for public outreach where more than 143 countries participate annually. Besides, its new theme that major corporations, NGOs, governments, communities, and celebrities worldwide adapt to advocate environmental causes every year.
The theme of the World Environment Day 2018
Every year the UN arranges the World Environment Day with a theme that focuses attention on a particularly pressing environmental concern. And this year’s theme is “beating plastic pollution”. The UN Environment is the leading global voice on the environment that controls the entire world environment. As it offers leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment inspiring, informing, and enabling nations. So, the people can improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. UN Environment works with governments, the private sector, civil society and with other UN entities and international organizations across the world.
Celebrations and Observances of the World Environment Day
People around the world celebrate this holiday in a number of different and personal ways aside from the scheduled events from the United Nations Environment Program. There are some suggestions on how to celebrate this day in your own unique way below:
Walk or Use Public Transportation: A great way to celebrate World Environment Day while promising to yourself that you are going to walk, bike or use public transportation more in your own life. Whatever you use but the best one is walking.
Design and Start a Garden: There is probably nothing as great as to celebrate this day, then taking the time to start your own garden, or to begin the practice of composting.
Practice Recycling: It’s better if you take the initiative to recycle your trash. So, you can start by separating your trash into aluminum, glass, and paper. You maybe can start one if there isn’t a recycling program in your area, then!!
Start Your Own World Environment Day Event: You can start your own event with some planning. As a result, you can either use the themes presents the UNEP, or create your own. Also, you can invite friends and family over and make it a celebration no one will ever forget.
Activities of the World Environment Day
In the World Environment Day, many different activities are done worldwide. Some of them are as below:
- Collect trash and clean up litter on roads in your community.
- Make a meal that is made up of locally grown products to eat organic food.
- Leave your car and drive bicycle.
- Talk to your parents so that you can come out with a plan that could help you to save energy.
- With different rows holding plants from different countries, plant a new plot in a community garden.
- Weed and fertilize public trees and gardens.
- Arrange an educational forum about global environmental topics and invite in speakers.
- As they could prove disastrous when disposes of openly dispose of hazardous waste like batteries, paint cans, old electronics in recycling centers.
- Learn how composting works. Also, the organic waste that finishes up in landfills would be a great source of nutrient for your plants and it can help them grow as well as shine.
- Research more about the environment issues (air, water, and land pollution) and come out with your own ideas to control them.
- Buy items made up of the recycling products. Look out for recycle symbol on the packaging goods.
- Create beautiful handicrafts from recycled material and gift it to your friends or relatives.
- Make a commitment to yourself, like a New Years’ resolution, to do one thing differently to increase how you benefit the environment.
So, what you can do in this day is as below:
- All you can start the day from your home and build a little garden or start with a sapling.
- Say ‘NO’ to plastic
- Say ‘YES’ to public transportation and carpooling
- Buy items made from the recycling products.
- Clean the roads around your house
- Fertilize public trees and gardens
Plastic Pollution Facts of the World Environment Day 2018
The facts of the plastic pollution have become an epidemic. We throw away enough plastic to circle the Earth four times every year. Although much of that waste doesn’t make it into a landfill, instead ends up in our oceans, where it’s responsible for killing one million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals every year. It’s time to rethink how we use plastic for the good of the planet.
The world uses 500 billion plastic bags every year. At least 8 million tonnes of plastic end up in the oceans, every year, which is the equivalent of a full garbage truck every minute. We produce more plastic than in the whole last century in the last decade. We use is single-use or disposable 50 percent of the plastic. In every minute we buy 1 million plastic bottles. And this is plastic that makes up 10% of all of the waste we produce
Plastic Pollution Facts
Fact #1: 8.3 BILLION Metric Tons (9.1 BILLION US Tons) of plastic produced since plastic was introduced in the 1950s. The amount of plastic produced in a year is roughly the same as the entire weight of humanity.
Fact #2: Virtually every piece of plastic that was ever made still exists in some shape or form (with the exception of the small amount that has been incinerated).
Fact #3: 91% of plastic waste isn’t recycled. And since most plastics don’t biodegrade in any meaningful sense, all that plastic waste could exist for hundreds or even thousands of years.
Fact #4: 500 MILLION Plastic straws use EVERY DAY in America. That’s enough to circle the Earth twice.
Fact #5: Nearly TWO MILLION single-use plastic bags are distributed worldwide every minute.
Fact #6: 100 BILLION plastic bags are used by Americans every year. Tied together, they would reach around the Earth’s equator 773 times!
Fact #7: ONE MILLION plastic bottles are bought EVERY MINUTE around the world — and that number will top half a TRILLION by 2021. Less than half of those bottles end up getting recycled.
Fact #8: 8 MILLION METRIC TONS of plastic winds up in our oceans each year. That’s enough trash to cover every foot of coastline around the world with five full trash bags of plastic…compounding every year.
Fact #9: There is more microplastic in the ocean than there are stars in the Milky Way.
Fact #10: If plastic production isn’t curbed, plastic pollution will outweigh fish pound for pound by 2050.
Conclusion
So, these were all about the World Environment Day 2018, which is coming with the expectation of “Beat Plastic Pollution”. As we all are responsible to pollute our environment, so we have responsibilities to take care of it. As a result, if you find any use of the content, share it with your friends and family. This way, they also would be a part of this mission to keep clean our planet.
