World Environment Day is an international celebration commemorated every year on June 5 to recognise the first United Nations Conference on the Human Environment at Stockholm in 1972.
The purpose of this conference was to formulate 'A Global Agenda for Change'! It envisioned and promoted the notion of Sustainable Development – to ensure that development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
The full environmental implications of our current actions will not have a tremendous impact on today's decision makers. It is the youth that will be left with the consequences of environmental degradation. Educating for the environment is extremely important to prepare the youth for environmental decisions of tomorrow and to ensure a healthy and sustainable future.
Each year Logan City Council hosts events in celebration of World Environment Day aimed at the city's youth.
International Theme: 'Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy'.
The aim of this year's slogan is to encourage the world to 'focus on greenhouse gas emissions and how to reduce them'. Celebrations around the world will aim to 'highlight resources and initiatives that promote low carbon economies and life-styles'.
Logan City Council World Environment Day 2008 Competition
Logan City Council's 2008 World Environment Day Competition closes on Friday 16 May 2008.
Council invites all primary school students of Logan City to create an A3 poster based on the international theme.
There will be 13 Overall Winners which will feature in the 2009 World Environment Day Calendar (available FREE from Council in late 2008) and each will receive a cash prize, certificate and prize bag.
The 15 highly commended students will each receive a prize bag and certificate.
All registered entries will receive a prize also.
The winning and highly commended entries will be on display in the Logan Art Gallery from 27 May to 28 June 2008.
The award ceremony for winning entries will be held at the Logan Art Gallery on Thursday 5 June 2008; with all winners, runners up and highly commended entrants, their associated schools and families invited to attend.
Some of the issues highlighted by the Primary School students of Logan
- Improved energy efficiency: turn the lights off when you leave a room; turn appliances off at the power point when not in use; use the sun to dry your clothes (instead of the clothes drier); take shorter showers (you'll save water and greenhouse gas emissions!).
- Alternative energy sources: we currently use mostly only fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) for energy, but burning these creates a large amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Alternative or renewable sources of energy such as wind energy and solar energy need to be utilised more regularly if we are going to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.
- Forest conservation: deforestation is the second largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. When trees are cut down they release carbon into the atmosphere. By conserving forests we'll save the animals that live in them and greenhouse gas emissions!
- Sustainable consumption: to reduce the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere we can do things like: buy locally produced products (this eliminates tones of carbon emitted used in transportation); buy energy and water efficient appliances; and buy recycled products when ever possible.
More information about our World Environment Day Competition is available on our fact sheets page.
For more information on Logan City Council's 2008 World Environment Day competition please contact the Council's Customer Service Unit on (07) 3412 3412 or email council@logan.qld.gov.au.
For more information on the 2008 International World Environment Day theme visit the United Nations web site.