Making World Environment Day Every Day

World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated this year on June 5th. This year's event, hosted by Rwanda, is characterized by the theme of “Many Species. One Planet. One Future.” The focus of this year’s World Environment Day is to draw people’s attention to the importance of biodiversity and the fragile nature of life on our planet.

While this particular day may be targeted to be the people's day for positive eco action and demonstrates how individual actions can create an exponential impact, truly every day has an opportunity to expand eco awareness. As Albert Einstein said, "It is every man’s obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent of what he takes out of it." From a sustainability perspective, that can take many forms. As in, caring for the Earth's resources from a physical and material perspective, but also in how our individual thoughts and behavior shapes that caring.

What eco actions can you take for World Environment Day? Here are two ways you can actively participate in World Environment Day program:

Plant a tree. UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) currently has a Billion Tree Campaign running
Register your WED 2010 activity on the WED website and help “Take a Stand for the Gorillas“. UNEP has set a goal to raise $50,000 US to help protect the gorillas in Rwanda.

Here are two ways you can extend eco awareness into your daily life:

Discover you impacts here and take eco action today: PineMark
Discover how much land area it takes to support your lifestyle with Global Footprint Network

A first step in sustainable living is eco awareness of your environmental impacts. Life is dynamic, so reassessing your impacts, successes in reducing those impacts, and exploring areas for continuous improvement on a regular basis is encouraged for a truly sustainable lifestyle. Celebrate World Environment Day today and every day!