First declared by the United Nations Environment Programme in 1973, World Environment Day takes place each year on June 5. Since 1973, World Environment Day has become one of the largest platforms for environmental outreach in the world, with a goal of inspiring individuals, businesses, and governments to work together towards creating a more sustainable planet.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was selected as the host for World Environment Day. They commemorated the day with a focus on land restoration, desertification, and drought resilience, using the slogan "Our land. Our future. We are #GenerationRestoration." The theme acknowledges that current patterns of production and consumption are unsustainable and have caused damage to our environment, but that there are also steps that can be taken to restore balance to our ecosystems.
The theme of restoration was also selected for its connection to the United Nations' Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), which focuses on the recovery of ecosystems such as grasslands, urban areas, and oceans that have been degraded or destroyed and conserving ecosystems that are still intact.
Here are five ways that we can support ecosystem restoration on a daily basis!
- Support sustainable agriculture by changing the way you eat. Look for ways where you incorporate more local, seasonal, and plant-rich foods into your diet.
- Collect food scraps to use as compost in gardens. Learn more about composting in York Region by downloading their Composting Made Easy guide.
- Volunteer with an organization that is working on restoring our local ecosystems. Look for opportunities to join a tree planting initiative, join your local conservation group, or sign up for a plot at your local community garden.
- Learn more about the different ecosystems in the City of Markham. Did you know that Parks Canada offers free guided tours of the Rouge National Park that discuss the different features of the park?
- Green your space! Plant a pollinator garden filled with native plants – whether it's in your garden at home, your balcony, or a community garden, pollinator plants act as a source of food and shelter for pollinators such as bees and hummingbirds. Want to know what plants to plant in your pollinator garden? Check out the Find Your Roots tool from the Pollinator Partnership to learn about which plants are native to your area!
Further Reading
- Check out the guide to World Environment Day for more steps on how you, your business, or your government can make steps towards environmental restoration!
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