IF YOU ONLY DO ONE THING - WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 2015
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IF YOU ONLY DO ONE THING… WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 2015
WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 2015
ABOUT WORLD World Environment Day (WED) is the United
ENVIRONMENT DAY
Nations’ campaign for encouraging worldwide
awareness and action for the environment. Over
the years it has grown to be a global platform
for public outreach that is widely celebrated by
stakeholders in over 100 countries. It also serves
as the people’s day for doing something positive for
the environment, inspiring individual actions into
a collective power that generates an exponential
positive impact on the planet.
OUR PARTNERS
WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 2015
A MESSAGE BY BAN KI-MOON The theme of this year’s World Environment We can do this by shifting our consumption
Day is “Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. patterns towards goods that use less energy,
United Nations Secretary General
Consume with Care”. water and other resources, and by wasting
less food.
Humanity continues to consume far more
natural resources than the planet can In this year of transformation, when we
sustainably provide. Many of the Earth’s hope to see great advances on sustainable
ecosystems are nearing critical tipping development and climate change, let
points. It is time for us to change. us celebrate World Environment Day
by becoming more conscious of our
The goal of sustainable development ecological impact. Let us think about the
is to increase the quality of life for all environmental consequences of the choices
people without increasing environmental we make. Let us become better stewards of
degradation, and without compromising the our planet.
resource needs of future generations.
WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 2015
A MESSAGE BY ACHIM STEINER The theme for this year’s celebrations, Seven 7 billion tonnes in 1900. This will probably
Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with exceed the availability and accessibility of
UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive
Director of the UN Environment Programme Care, emphasizes that personal responsibility resources, as well as the carrying capacity
each one of us bears for enabling inclusive of the planet to absorb the impacts of their
and sustainable economic development while extraction and use. We simply cannot afford
stabilizing and reducing the rate of resource to waste, as resources are diminishing and
use. Today, unsustainable patterns of prices are rising. But there is still time to
consumption and production are one of the transform the challenges of dwindling and
major causes of the continued deterioration finite resources into opportunities that will
of the global environment. promote prosperous economies and a healthy
planet for generations to come.
There is no doubt that the “great
acceleration” of the last 50 years has I would like to invite everyone to imagine
seen a rapid transformation of the human what the world would be like if each of the
Living in an increasingly globalized world, relationship with the natural world – more so 7 billion people made one change towards a
inhabited by 7 billion people, it is easy to than in any other period in our history – with more responsible consumption of resources.
underestimate the power of individual action. escalating use of natural resources leading to I would like you to hold on to that vision and
The annual World Environment Day reminds environmental degradation. strive to make it reality—be it refusing to buy
people across the globe that it is our personal single-use plastic bags or riding a bike to
choices that shape the world around us. Our We must ask ourselves what the work. WED is the opportunity for everyone to
daily decisions as consumers, multiplied consequences of this pace of consumption realize the responsibility to care for the Earth
by billions, have a colossal impact on the and trajectory of population growth— and to become agents of change.
environment – some of them contribute to forecasted to reach nine billion by 2050—
the further depletion of natural resources, will be. Under current trends, global WED is the opportunity for everyone to realize
others help to protect fragile ecosystems. extraction of resources is set to reach 140 the responsibility to care for the Earth and to
Every time - the choice is ours. billion tonnes by 2050, compared to around become agents of change.
EXPO MILANO 2015
Italy is the global host for WED
2015. The celebrations are being
organised in Milan at the world
famous Expo Milano, a universal
exhibition that attracts over 20
million visitors.
Expo Milano 2015 will run from
May 1 to October 31 and is
expected to include over 140
countries plus a significant number
of international organisations.
© Marco Assini, CC BY 2.0
WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 2015
SEVEN BILLION DREAMS. This year’s theme for WED – Seven growth decoupled from negative
Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume environmental impacts.
ONE PLANET.
with Care – expresses the challenge
CONSUME WITH CARE. of creating opportunities for inclusive Many of the Earth’s ecosystems
and sustainable economic development are nearing critical tipping points
while attempting to stabilise the rate of of depletion or irreversible change,
resource use and reduce environmental pushed by high population growth
impacts. and economic development. Today
the human race consumes resources
There is an alarmingly high rate the equivalent of 1.5 planets (Global
of unsustainable consumption of Footprint Network, 2012).
resources, as exemplified in the areas
of food, water and energy. Largely If current consumption and production
driven by increasing household patterns remain the same, and with
incomes (particularly in cities), the a rising population, we will need two
current collective lifestyles of people planets by 2030 to sustain our ways
all over the world exceed our planet’s of living and consumption. By 2050,
regenerative capacity to replenish humanity could devour about 140
natural resources. Coupled with billion tons of minerals, ores, fossil
population growth, pressure on the fuels and biomass per year – three
planet’s resources is expected to times its current appetite – unless
increase exponentially if sustainable economic growth rate is ‘decoupled’
lifestyles are not adopted and economic from the rate of natural resource use.
WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 2015
8 THINGS YOU CAN IMMEDIATELY
DO TO SAVE OUR PLANET
1 2 3 4
DITCH BUY EGGS IN RECYCLE CONSIDER REUSABLE
PLASTIC CARDBOARD CARTONS GLASS SHOPPING BAGS
Most types of plastic are More than 260 species are Glass is 100% recyclable 50 percent of the plastic we
not biodegradable and can end already known to be affected and can be used again and use, we use just once and throw
up accumulating in oceans. by plastic debris through again. Glass that is thrown away away. Virtually every piece of
Many animals that live on or in entanglement or ingestion. and ends up in landfills will plastic that was ever made still
the sea ingest marine litter. never decompose. exists in some shape or form.WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 2015
5 6 7 8
TAKE SHORTER UNPLUG APPLIANCES BUY GIVE
SHOWERS AT NIGHT LOCAL STUFF AWAY
The world may suffer a … it will cut your electricity Consider how far your Before you throw something
fresh water deficit by 2030. usage by up to 11 percent. food has flown. Transport away, think of someone else
contributes 13% of global that might benefit from it.
greenhouse emissions.ONE LESS THING (WHY I STARTED CYCLING EVERYWHERE) A blog entry by Kara Brussen (winner) for the WED Blog Competition In my second year of university I was lucky enough to be involved in a design competition held by one of the big engineering firms. During our mid- semester break we pretended to be adults for a week as we worked with some of the engineers to design a self- sufficient green portable classroom. One of the engineers gave us a presentation on a concept they used when considering sustainability - one less thing. As important as new technology is, sometimes it is considering what can be removed that leads to the greatest innovations.
At the same time as applying it to our But it still bothered me that there are WHAT’S YOUR ONE LESS THING?
design work, they encouraged us to some emissions from public transport.
think about one thing we could minimise It seems that while travelling by public If there is something in your life that
in our everyday lives. At the time this transport does have less emissions than you have changed or are considering
made me quite indignant. I liked to driving, it’s still not the greatest. changing for the greener, we’d love to
think my lifestyle was already pretty hear about it… register your ‘one less
environmentally friendly - my family So I started to consider cycling. I thing’ as an activity for WED on our
composted and had solar panels. But had a bike, and sometimes went for website. unep.org/wed
one aspect I kept coming back to was leisurely rides but had never considered
transport. commuting. But one chilly morning my
dad helped me put some lights on it
Like all Australian 18-year olds, having and I struggled through the 3km ride
just obtained my drivers licence I was to work. But I survived, and I grew in
reluctant to stop driving and give up confidence. That summer I had the time
my hard earned freedom. Plus I had a and freedom to ride everywhere, and by
million excuses why I couldn’t: the time university started the next year
I was ready to tackle the daunting 20km
• I lived 20 km from university and commute.
taking public transport took at least
twice as long as driving Several years later, cycling has become
a habit that I love. It brings me so much
• I worked early mornings and late happiness to whiz past gridlocked cars
nights, getting there any other way and packed trams on my way to work.
would be dangerous It started as one less thing - but cycling
has had more benefits for me than I had
• I lived at the bottom of a massive hill! imagined.Did you know?
The next 40 years could continue to a
tripling resource use if the same
resource intensive development paths
are followed.
The 20th century saw
resource use grow
eight-fold 2005
2050
1900
International
Resource
Panel
www.unep.org/resourcepanelWORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 2015
Ever felt guilty about how you can’t recycle different materials. Most curbside recycling
the plastic of a toothpaste tube and then programs do not accept these tubes. Plastic
considered how everyone you know uses is not biodegradable and can take anywhere
them and throws them away? Ladies, have from 500 to 700 years to break down.
you ever thought about how many years your
lip balm or lipstick container will remain It was recently estimated that roughly 8
on the earth after you are done with it? million tons of plastic ends up in the ocean
Environmental packaging options for these annually (Science, February 13, 2015).
items have been stagnant (or non-existent, A large part of the problem is littered waste,
in fact) for quite some time, but I am happy but it’s worth considering how a switch
to say that there are options out there and from using plastic goods that require
you just have to know where to look. landfilling or specialized recycling to ones
that are biodegradable, compostable or
WHERE DOES THE PACKAGING GO? zero-waste could reduce the possibility of
Can you picture 400 million toothpaste polluting land and sea.
tubes stacked up in a pile for the landfill?
Well, 400 million is the approximate IT’S WHAT’S INSIDE THAT COUNTS
number of how many tubes of toothpaste are Is it what’s inside that counts or should
BRUSHING OFF discarded every year in the United States. we be paying more attention to how our
WASTEFUL PACKAGING That number is staggering considering that products are packaged? Lately I have been
it only covers one country’s waste for that disconcerted thinking about the vastness
A blog entry by Jane Dunne (runner-up) type of packaging. Some people may think of waste that comes from something we
for the WED Blog Competition that the tubes are recyclable, and they could all need to do: brush our teeth. I started
be if they were made of only one material, digging around on the Internet trying to find
such as aluminum or all plastic, however, a product that doesn’t involve a plastic tube.
toothpaste is packaged with a mix of After a bit of searching I was able to find aWORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 2015
product made by LUSH that is “toothpaste CRAFT IT YOURSELF Fortunately today we live in a world where
without the tube.” The product is called What’s better than compostable or we can access online recipes for homemade
“Toothy Tabs,” comes in different flavours, sustainable packaging? Craft your own toothpaste made with baking soda and
and can be ordered online. I tried these toothpaste or lip balm in a container that you other safe ingredients. I recommend the
tablets myself, which come in a paper box, already have in your home. Ancient Greeks One Million Women website, a movement
and was pleased to discover that the product and Romans made their own toothpaste with of women and girls fighting climate change
actually makes your teeth feel cleaner than added abrasives such as crushed bones and by taking practical action in their everyday
your regular run-of-the-mill plastic-tubed oyster shells. Back in the 15th century, the lives, for a recipe to try your hand at making
paste. Not only was I impressed with the Chinese are believed to have invented the your own paste.
packaging, the product met my requirement first natural bristle toothbrush made from
that it needs to work. pigs’ neck bristles attached to a bone or So when you can’t find what you want at the
bamboo handle, but you really don’t have store, packaged in a sustainable way, make
My next challenge was to find something to get that down-and-dirty to craft your own it yourself (hence no packaging) because not
to stop my chapped lips that didn’t involve toothpaste or tooth powder. only do good things come in small packages,
500 to 700 years of petrochemical good things come from packages that
degrading after my few months of using In 19th century Britain, the making of naturally break down and do not pollute our
the product. It did not take long before tooth powders at home was common and oceans, nor add to our landfills.
I found Fable Naturals that is made in mostly used chalk, pulverized brick, or salt
Vancouver, BC and can be ordered online. as ingredients. Toothpaste didn’t come in a WHAT WASTEFUL PACKAGING WILL YOU
I ordered a Vanilla-Orange Vegan Lip Balm tube until 1896 when Colgate & Company ‘BRUSH OFF’ THIS YEAR?
that comes in a 100% compostable tube. Dental Cream got the idea from seeing Register your activity for WED on our website
I have felt proud to use something that paint sold in tubes. These first tubes and share these ideas with others.
showcases its use of sustainable packaging were unfortunately made of lead. Can you unep.org/wed
every time I coat my lips. imagine? Bricks and lead? We’ve come a
long way and learned a few things as we
brushed our way to the future.Did you know?
The world may suffer 40%
fresh water deficit by 2030
Many water problems are
socio-economic and political, rather
than physical, and could be solved
by transparent and effective water
governance
International
Resource
Panel
www.unep.org/resourcepanelWORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 2015
#7BILLIONDREAMS… The 2015 WED theme is Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet.
SHARE YOURS! Consume with Care.
Dreaming is the first step towards actualising a Future We Want.
Imagine what seven billion dreams can do when they come true!
It starts with an individual action, which leads to collective power
and translates to exponential impact.
This year, the UNEP Goodwill Ambassadors have formed a Dream
Team to encourage the global community to share our dreams
for a healthier planet and to make pledges in support of the
environmental Sustainable Development Goals, focusing on the
main things we consume and waste – food, energy, water and all
other natural resources.
So this World Environment Day, join the Dream Team by sharing
your dreams and pledges today, and then inspire others to do the
same. Your efforts will help the world consume with care for a
healthier planet and happier people!
unep.org/wed/wedchallengeUNEP Goodwill Ambassador MY DREAM
Is a world where sustainability is an
IAN SOMERHALDER attitude, a way of life, the GO TO,
not a duty or hardship. It is a place
where governments and business
and educators make it easy for
us to make choices that create a
healthy planet and happy people.
We all know that this dream can be
realized if youth are empowered to
unleash their potential.
MY PLEDGE
My pledge is to empower the utilization
of our greatest natural resource on this
planet: YOUTH. Our youth operate
freely from the restraints, boxes and lines
of jaded adults, and therefore hold the key
to true innovation and tangible sustain-
ability. Their power propels us towards
massive shifts in global consciousness and
rippling waves of quantifiable change
worldwide. I pledge to encourage their
ideas, support their genius, and amplify
their infinite potential.UNEP Goodwill Ambassador MY DREAM
My dream is to see an end to the
LI BINGBING demand for illegal wildlife products
that is decimating many of the
world’s most beloved species like
elephants, rhinos, turtles, pangolins
and tigers. #7BillionDreams
MY PLEDGE
I will encourage all of my peers, fans and
social groups to avoid buying any products
that are contributing to the illegal wildlife
trade and to pass it on!UNEP Goodwill Ambassador MY DREAM
My dream is of a pure ocean that
JACK JOHNSON continues to support life on this
beautiful earth. In my dream waves
carry energy, not marine debris, and
high tide lines are filled with shells,
not plastic. #7BillionDreams
MY PLEDGE
I will reduce my use of single-use plas-
tics and will support businesses that are
leading innovation in product design to
reduce their plastic footprint.UNEP Goodwill Ambassador MY DREAM
I dream of a world where all people,
YAYA TOURÉ whether living in the cities or rural
communities, have access to clean
drinking water and that we all start
thinking smart about the way we use
the limited resources we have for a
healthier planet and happier people.
MY PLEDGE
I will conserve resources, including water
and power, on a daily basis, and will
encourage all of my peers, fans and social
groups to do the same.UNEP Executive Director MY DREAM
I dream of a world powered
ACHIM STEINER exclusively by renewable energy.
MY PLEDGE
I pledge to support Africa in its efforts to
make renewable energy THE FUTURE
SOURCE of access to energy on the con-
tinent.unep.org/wed
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