World Environment Day can be celebrated in many ways. The following are a selection of inspiring examples of how World Environment Day was celebrated in 2004 with the theme/slogan: Wanted! Seas and Oceans – Dead or Alive?; in 2005 with the theme/slogan: Green Cities: Plan for the Planet!; and in 2006 Deserts and Desertification: Don’t Desert Drylands!
For more than 30 years, Canadian Environment Week has been held during the first week of June to coincide with World Environment Day. In 2004, the Government of Canada launched the Commuter Challenge – a competition between Canadian communities to encourage people to use sustainable and active modes of transportation. All one had to do was make a commitment to walk, jog, cycle, in-line skate, take the bus, carpool or telework during Environment Week.
Brampton, Ontario
In 2005, as part of its commitment to reduce pollution and waste prevention, the Community Environment Alliance hosted Let's e-cycle days in Peel. The event focused on reducing e-waste, which has become a prime concern in the community. Individuals and businesses dropped off their used equipment at specific locations and got an overview on the issue of e-waste and its potential impacts. As students constitute the primary consumers of electronic gadgets, they were engaged in discussions on what the problem is and how it can be addressed to make the community safer, healthier and more sustainable. In this vein, there was a student contest entitled: Electronic waste: Present and future: Am I Doing It Right? Students identified key concerns about e-waste and provided viable solutions to deal with it. They submitted entries in visual, collage or written form. Three winners selected from three categories – elementary, middle and high school – received prizes.
New Brunswick
In 2005, the New Brunswick Climate Change Hub and the Cape Jourimain Nature Centre hosted Our Climate - Our Change on 4 and 5 June. The event coincided with Canadian Environment Week and Clean Air Day marked on 8 June. The public was invited to take part in a weekend of informative, interactive and fun-filled activities on climate change, at the Cape Jourimain Nature Centre – an environmental education and eco-tourism facility that offers programmes for a variety of audiences about natural and human history, green technologies and energy efficiency. The Falls Brook Centre's Climate Change Bus, a traveling exhibit on climate change and energy efficiency, which has its own onboard wind turbine and solar panels, was at the Centre for the weekend. Interactive exhibits from Science East, as well as various environmental presentations, film screenings and a mini-trade show on energy efficiency were offered. The event also encouraged Canadians to take the Government of Canada's One-Tonne Challenge.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Atlanta
In tribute to World Environment Day 2005 and its theme Green Cities: Plan for the Planet! the Captain Planet Foundation compiled a DVD, containing four episodes of Captain Planet and the Planeteers, the world-renowned children's animated television series that educates while it entertains children of all cultures about critical global environmental and social issues.
Berkeley
In 2005, the organization Architects Designers Planners for Social Responsibility presented the 2005 Lewis Mumford Awards for Peace, Environment and Development.
Connecticut
At its convocation on 2 June 2005, Quinebaug Valley Community College gave a tree sapling to each graduate of the college to plant.
Nevada
In 2006, Father Darrell Rupiper, was in residence at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Incline Village from 27 May to 4 June to preach at weekend masses, conduct workshops, and to lead a spiritual ritual. The first workshop on 31 May focused on The Earth as Sacrament: Finding God in Things Created. The topic of the second workshop on 1 June was Finding Our True Place in the Earth Community. On 3 June, Father Darrell led a spiritual ritual celebration entitled Our Sacred Creation Story, and in late afternoon, a Eucharistic mass was conducted. In collaboration with religions around the world, St Francis of Assisi Parish used the period 27 May-4 June to learn what Catholics can draw from their depository of faith and put their faith into action.
New York City
The Sea Turtle Restoration Project organized the free screening of two documentaries: Last Voyage of the Leatherback? (East Coast premier) and Deadly Sounds in the Silent World. The screenings were followed by a panel discussion concerning the role of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in preventing the extinction of endangered leatherback sea turtles and marine mammals. The event addressed the theme 2004 theme Wanted! Seas and Oceans - Dead or Alive? on the eve of the UNCLOS meeting held on 7-11 June.
Providence, Rhode Island
The Ocean Project (TOP) is a relatively new and unprecedented public awareness initiative among more than 520 aquariums, zoos, science, technology and natural history museums, as well as conservation organizations and government agencies. The aim is to significantly increase the success of ocean conservation by creating in people a lasting, measurable, top-of-mind awareness of the importance, value and sensitivity of the oceans. TOP launched this new initiative on the occasion of World Environment Day 2004 (5 June) and World Ocean Day (8 June).
Sacramento
In 2006, the Sacramento Area Earth Day Network organized the River City Run – a 10 km run/walk that benefited local sustainable living projects. The event started and finished in Old Sacramento and traveled along the two major rivers. Last year, the money raised was awarded to eleven local sustainable living projects.
San Francisco
Organic Bouquet Inc., the world’s first organic floral company, based in Marin, California commissioned the legendary gospel singer Edwin Hawkins (four-time Grammy winner and writer of O Happy Day) to write the theme song for World Environment Day 2005. The song, entitled United Nations, Together We Can, was donated to promote the event and future World Environment Day events around the globe. In 2005, National Public Radio (NPR) promoted World Environment Day on its broadcast Living on Earth. Announcements were heard on KQED radio as of 16 April and were aired on more than 320 stations throughout the United States. The broadcast continued until the first week of June. In 2005, The Vote Solar Initiative showed visitors the Moscone Convention Center's 675 KW solar electric rooftop – one of the largest solar electric rooftops in the United States. The presentation focused on solar success stories and on innovations in solar energy from around the world, as well as on the leadership role of cities in promoting clean energy.
On 5 June 2004, the City of San Francisco organized the showing of the movie Ocean Wonderland at the local SONY IMAX/3d film theatre in the downtown area.
Sausalito, California
In 2005, eCycling Day by the Bay was declared on 4 June. Businesses and the public dropped off unwanted or unused electronic items, such as: computers, mainframes, monitors, printers, cables, telephones, printed circuit boards, and consumer electronics. The day was an opportunity for residents and businesses of the nine Bay Area counties to work with the city of San Francisco and the international community to prevent adding to our already over-extended landfills.
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