World Environment Day 2025

World Environment Day (WED) is held annually on 5th June.

World Environment Day was established in 1972 by the United Nations at the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment, following discussions on the integration of human interactions and the environment.

One year later, in 1973 the first WED was held with the theme "Only One Earth". It is supported by governments, many non-governmental organisations and businesses, and is the primary United Nations’ day of outreach for supporting the environment.

This year WED is on a Wednesday, its theme will be Land Restoration, Desertification and Drought Resilience, and it will be hosted by Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. It will be the 52nd World Environment Day. 143 countries participate in WED. This truly is an international initiative. Now more than ever mankind needs to be united in working for the survival of our planet. We need to live by the words repeated many times in the Vedas: Vasudhaiva kuṭumbakam (All the world is a family).

While World Environment Day is officially “over”, there are still some ongoing things that you can do to celebrate World Environment Day and our Papatūānuku/Earth Mother:

• Plant a tree either in your garden or in an organised tree planting.
• Plant wildflowers and bee friendly plants in your garden, especially New Zealand natives. This will help our native flora to flourish and reestablish themselves. We also need to look after our pollinators, as we wouldn’t be able to survive without them.
• Connect with nature. Enjoy the beautiful sights and sounds of nature. Appreciating the beauty of nature will motivate us to look after our environment.
• Education about our environment is invaluable. Explore the natural world as much as you can. Watch wildlife documentaries. Switch to eco-friendly products wherever possible. This includes cycling and walking rather than going everywhere in a car.
• Involve the children in your household. They will enjoy getting out to the beach and the wilderness. Help them to learn as much as possible about the natural world. Children are also very good at keeping us grown-ups on track; they enjoy correcting our mistakes.

If you find this post similar to an earlier post, that is because it is. There is much in common between Earth Day and World Environment Day. My personal view is that Earth Day is about our planet, whereas World Environment Day focuses on the beautiful animals, plants, geological features and natural phenomena, which can be found on planet earth. The more we enjoy these things, the more we will look after them.

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