World Environment Day 2017 takes place on Monday, June 5th, and the fact that it falls on a weekday means that households and businesses alike can get involved in recognising the event and taking action to protect the environment in response to it.
This year’s WED has an overall theme of Connecting People to Nature, and although it follows hot on the heels of the two bank holiday weekends in May, it could be a good opportunity to take a day’s annual leave and spend some time outside instead.
Here are a few ways you can mark World Environment Day 2017 this June 5th, whether you are at work or at home.
Eco audit
Household and workplace waste are both big issues – quite literally, in terms of the number of tonnes sent to landfill each year.
An eco audit is a great way to improve your own awareness of how much you throw away, or to encourage the other members of your household or workforce to be more resource-efficient.
For even more visible insight into your household or workplace waste, hire a skip and put all of your rubbish into it for a week, before you take a good look at what you could try to cut down on.
It’s not just about keeping landfill sites emptier for longer – using new materials depletes our planet’s natural resources, and recycling takes energy with a certain carbon footprint too.
Plant the Planet
Any vegetation is good news for the planet, as all plant life removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and replaces it with oxygen – which is great news for humans and animal life, too.
That means you don’t have to plant a tree in order to do your bit; everything from a natural grass lawn, to a shrubbery, to window boxes and hanging baskets, all helps add to the amount of vegetation in the world.
If you have any flowerbeds currently lying empty, get some friends round and plant them out; workplaces can be brightened up with pot plants, with willing colleagues recruited to keep on top of feeding and watering them.
Eco Lunch
Get together with friends, neighbours or colleagues for an eco lunch – it could be a picnic in a city centre park, or a walk in the open air to a nearby cafe or delicatessen.
Avoid powered modes of transport along the way, and pick up any litter you see, if there’s a nearby bin to put it in.
Even eating in, rather than getting a takeaway for lunch, has eco-friendly benefits, as it allows the cafe to serve you on a plate, with reusable cutlery, instead of in a cardboard or polystyrene container.
Although it’s far from being a major lifestyle change in your efforts to be more environmentally friendly, it’s the kind of first step that anyone can enjoy, and potentially a great way to raise awareness among friends, family and co-workers who might normally not engage with environmental issues.