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 day's agenda is to:
- Give a human face to environmental issues;
- Empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development;
- Promote an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues; and
- Advocate partnership which will ensure all nations and peoples enjoy a safer and more prosperous future.
2009 World Environment Day Theme: 'Your Planet Needs You - Unite to Combat Climate Change'.
The aim of this years theme is to encourage each individual to do their bit in combating climate change. “Your planet needs you —not tomorrow, not in 40 years, your planet needs you today!"
The theme provides the opportunities for nations to acknowledge the importance of our environment, promote sustainability and reduce the impacts of climate change. It also reflects the urgency for nations to "UNite" and agree on a new deal at the curial climate change conference in Copenhagen in December 2009.
Each year Logan City Council hosts events in celebration of World Environment Day aimed at the city's youth.
Logan City Council World Environment Day 2009 Competition
Logan City Council's 2009 World Environment Day Competition closes on Friday 8 May 2009.
Council invites all primary school students of Logan City to create an A3 poster based on the international theme. Students should include with their poster a brief description of what they are depicting in the poster. This can be done by a brief paragraph, a poem, or simply one sentence as long as it accurately describes what Combating Climate Change means to them.
To enter please fill in the World Environment Day Competition 2009 Entry Form (PDF).
There will be 13 Overall Winners which will feature in the 2010 World Environment Day Calendar (available FREE from Council in late 2009) and each will receive a prize, certificate and prize bag.
Other outstanding entries will also receive highly commended awards and prize bags.
All registered entries will receive a prize also.
The winning and highly commended entries will be on display in the Logan Art Gallery from 26 May to 27 June 2009.
The award ceremony for winning entries is scheduled to be held at the Logan Art Gallery on Friday 5 June 2009; with all winners, runners up and highly commended entrants, their associated schools and families invited to attend.
Some of the issues that may be addressed are:
- Changes in weather patterns: drought, storms, rising sea levels, increased temperature, etc.
- 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.
For more information on Logan City Council's 2009 World Environment Day competition please see the World Environment Day Competition 2009 Fact Sheet (PDF) or contact the Council's Customer Service Unit on (07) 3412 3412 or email council@logan.qld.gov.au.
For more information on the 2009 International World Environment Day theme visit United Nations or UNite to Combat Climate Change.