The World Environment Day celebration began in 1972 and has grown to become one of the main vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and encourages political attention and action.

It takes only a few simple steps to easily green your daily routine and make good eco behavior into a habit!  Check out these A-Z Tips (found on UNEP.org‘s website).

Act now. Make the decision to become more aware of issues related to food waste.

Adopt as many eco-friendly lifestyle choices as you can and make them habits for WED! 

Add it up. Our impact is exponential when the global chorus sings together.

Buy locally! Flying food across continents increases global transportation emissions. 

Bring a cloth bag to do all your grocery shopping.  A reusable bag will last for years and only needs to be used 5 times to have a lower environmental impact than a plastic bag.

Bring a mug with you whenever you go for take-out beverages, so you avoid using paper cups. 

Consume locally. You will help reduce the demand for cutting down forests in foreign countries to meet export demands.

Choose naturally grown foods. They have less of an environmental impact and are much healthier.

Compost your organic food waste.

Don’t buy more food than you really need. 

Discover an alternative to using traditional wrapping paper for holidays and birthday gifts.

Engage in an environmental activity, like school or neighborhood beautification or tree planting. 

Eat organic and locally grown foods and help reduce the clearing of forests for agricultural land. 

Educate your friends on how individual actions can have an exponential impact and motivate action for WED.

Form a group of peers or colleagues to oversee the food waste at your school, neighborhood or workplace. 

Form a tree-planting group with family and friends and commit to planting and maintaining these trees together.

Green your office: print double-sided, turn off monitors, start an office recycling program.

Grow an organic garden and your own delicious food.

Give seedlings as birthday gifts. 

Go electronic for bills and payments: at home, in the office, at the bank etc.

Host a World Environment Day celebration. 

Have a vegan (no animal products) dinner party!

Identify the nature that surrounds you — take note of the beautiful plants and animals that you may not always appreciate. Learn about the amazing ecosystem services they provide.

Improve the insulation of your home – it will really help your energy consumption…and your monthly bills!

Join a local environmental or conservation group. You can team up with those around you and make a real difference for your community.

Jog outside and save the energy you would have used on the treadmill!

Kick the habit! Don’t print unless it’s absolutely necessary. And when you do print – always print double-sided! 

Keep your cup! When traveling on airplanes, ask to reuse your plastic cup.

Learn more about the environment impact of food production. Did you know that it takes 1,000 litres of water to produce 1 litre of milk?

More food in your pantry increases the risk of food going bad before you consume.

Mobilize your networks! Message your friends about WED — facebook, twitter, orkut, SMS, text, phone, email — it doesn’t matter how, just get the word out!

Notify your friends on how their action against food waste could have a huge impact. Even if just one-fourth of the food currently lost or wasted globally could be saved, it would be enough to feed 870 million hungry people in the world.

Optimize the use of your washing machine – use the cold-wash option and significantly save energy and reduce your daily carbon emissions.

Offset your travel whenever possible – most airlines provide an option to offset your travel when you book your tickets.

Opt for public transport whenever possible.

Order small food portions first. Better to add on than waste.

Plan in advance. Know what you will need before you go grocery shopping so not to end up buying more food than what will be consumed in your household.

Pile up! Lay the grounds for a compost pile and start sorting your garbage.

Quantify how much money you could save each cold winter if you lowered the temperature inside your home by 2 degrees Celsius. It could reduce your energy consumption by 14 percent!!!

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. 

Register a WED activity at www.unep.org/wed!

Sacrifice something small each month – eat locally grown vegetables instead of imported vegetables; do without steak as cattle ranching is high impact!; carpool with co-workers; take your bike to work etc.

Save! Every year, consumers in rich countries waste almost as much food (222 million tonnes) as the entire net food production of sub-Saharan Africa (230 million tonnes).

Support and motivate companies that use certified materials and operate in ways that are environmentally responsible.

Switch your light bulbs to energy-efficient LED’s. You will see substantial savings on energy bills!

Tell your friends about the enormous amounts of food waste we are creating. A third of global food production is either wasted or lost.

Think before you buy food. What is the environmental impact of your choice?

Think outside of the bottle! Bottled water costs 1900 times more than tap water

Tweet about #WED and spread food waste tips to the world!

Understand your options. Learn about the small ways you, as an individual, can make a positive impact on the environment.

Use rainwater for your indoor plants – they love it, and you’ll save water at the same time.

Visit the WED website  regularly and see how you can get involved!

Waste not food! 1 in every 7 people in the world go to bed hungry and more than 20,000 children under the age of 5 die daily from hunger. 

X-plore the World Environment Day website. Find out more about food waste.

You can make a difference – individual actions, when multiplied, can make an exponential difference to the planet! 

Zip around town on your bike, on public transport, or walk to a restaurant near you. It’s cheaper! 

Following a conservation campaign from The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) and the Iruka & Kujira [Dolphin & Whale] Action Network (IKAN), Michinoku Farm, a Tokyo-based company, stopped selling their “low calorie, low fat, high protein” snack made from North Atlantic fin whales.

NOTE: Icelandic fin whale has been sold in Japan for human consumption since 2008, but its use in pet food suggests that new markets are being explored. Iceland is currently preparing to hunt more than 180 fin whales in 2013 for this export market.

For more info, click here.

Turtle Day encourages you to discover the world of turtles and tortoises, and to learn how you can help protect turtles and tortoises and their disappearing habitats around the world.

Ways To Help:

Donate to Turtle Conservancy.

Adopt a Sea Turtle.

Get involved in research and conservation efforts. 

The United Nations has proclaimed May 22 The International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues.

At the Center for Biological Diversity, they believe that the welfare of human beings is deeply linked to nature — to the existence in our world of a vast diversity of wild animals and plants. Because diversity has intrinsic value, and because its loss impoverishes society, they work to secure a future for all species, great and small, hovering on the brink of extinction.  Through science, law and creative media, with a focus on protecting the lands, waters and climate that species need to survive.

Jungle Jenny and The Center For Biological Diversity wants those who come after us to inherit a world where the wild is still alive.

Say NO To Offshore Oil Drilling!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwCIOUbt8SY&width=375&height=500feature=share&list=UUd9ZZ3PB_k1djrCbHsuaIuw

Hands Across The Sand has been a global success with thousands of events in all 50 states and nearly 50 countries worldwide from New Zealand to Hawaii.

Join Hands to end our dependence on dangerous, dirty fuels. Join Hands to end global warming and climate change. Join Hands to embrace Clean Energy.

“It’s the most important thing we can do as human beings” Dave Rauschkolb, founder.

10 Easy Things You Can Do At Home To Protect Endangered Species

1) Learn About Endangered Species In Your Area Teach your friends and family about the wonderful wildlife, birds, fish and plants that live near you. The first step to protecting endangered species is learning about how interesting and important they are. Our natural world provides us with many indispensable services including clean air and water, food and medicinal sources,  commercial, aesthetic and recreational benefits. Check out these endangered species pages For more information about endangered species, visit endangered.fws.gov 2) Visit a National Wildlife Refuge, Park or Other Open Space These protected lands provide habitat to many native wildlife, birds, fish and plants. Scientists tell us the best way to protect endangered species is to protect the places where they live.  Get involved by volunteering at your local nature center or wildlife refuge. Go wildlife or bird watching in nearby parks. Wildlife related recreation creates millions of jobs and supports local businesses. To find a wildlife refuge near you, visit www.fws.gov/refuges/ To find a park near you, visit www.nps.gov To find a zoo near you, visit www.aza.org 3) Make Your Home Wildlife Friendly Secure garbage in shelters or cans with locking lids, feed pets indoors and lock pet doors at night to avoid attracting wild animals into your home. Reduce your use of water in your home and garden so that animals that live in or near water can have a better chance of survival. Disinfect bird baths often to avoid disease transmission. Place decals on windows to deter bird collisions. Millions of birds die every year because of collisions with windows. You can help reduce the number of collisions simply by placing decals on the windows in your home and office. For more information on what you can do, check out these tips from the US Fish and Wildlife Service. 4) Provide Habitat For Wildlife By Planting Native Vegetation In Your Yard Native plants provide food and shelter for native wildlife. Attracting native insects like bees and butterflies can help pollinate your plants. The spread of non-native species has greatly impacted native populations around the world. Invasive species compete with native species for resources and habitat. They can even prey on native species directly, forcing native species towards extinction. For more information about native plants, visit http://www.plantsocieties.org 5) Minimize Use Of Herbicides and Pesticides Herbicides and pesticides may keep yards looking nice but they are in fact hazardous pollutants that affect wildlife at many levels. Many herbicides and pesticides take a long time to degrade and build up in the soils or throughout the food chain. Predators such as hawks, owls and coyotes can be harmed if they eat poisoned animals. Some groups of animals such as amphibians are particularly vulnerable to these chemical pollutants and suffer greatly as a result of the high levels of herbicides and pesticides in their habitat. For alternatives to pesticides, visit http://www.beyondpesticides.org 6) Slow Down When Driving Many animals live in developed areas and this means they must navigate a landscape full of human hazards. One of the biggest obstacles to wildlife living in developed areas is roads. Roads divide habitat and present a constant hazard to any animal attempting to cross from one side to the other. So when you’re out and about, slow down and keep an eye out for wildlife. 7) Recycle and Buy Sustainable Products Buy recycled paper, sustainable products like bamboo and Forest Stewardship Council wood products to protect forest species. Never buy furniture made from wood from rainforests. Recycle your cell phones, because a mineral used in cell phones and other electronics is mined in gorilla habitat. Minimize your use of palm oil because forests where tigers live are being cut down to plant palm plantations. 8) Never Purchase Products Made From Threatened or Endangered Species Overseas trips can be exciting and fun, and everyone wants a souvenir. But sometimes the souvenirs are made from species nearing extinction. Avoid supporting the market in illegal wildlife including: tortoise-shell, ivory, coral. Also, be careful of products including fur from tigers, polar bears, sea otters and other endangered wildlife, crocodile skin, live monkeys or apes, most live birds including parrots, macaws, cockatoos and finches, some live snakes, turtles and lizards, some orchids, cacti and cycads, medicinal products made from rhinos, tiger or Asiatic black bear. 9) Report Any Harassment Or Shooting Of Threatened and Endangered Species Harassing wildlife is cruel and illegal. Shooting, trapping, or forcing a threatened or endangered animal into captivity is also illegal and can lead to their extinction. Don’t participate in this activity, and report it as soon as you see it to your local state or federal wildlife enforcement office. You can find a list of state wildlife departments at http://www.fws.gov/offices/statelinks.html 10) Protect Wildlife Habitat Perhaps the greatest threat that faces many species is the widespread destruction of habitat. Scientists tell us the best way to protect endangered species is to protect the special places where they live. Wildlife must have places to find food, shelter and raise their young. Logging, oil and gas drilling, over-grazing and development all result habitat destruction. Endangered species habitat should be protected and these impacts minimized. By protecting habitat, entire communities of animals and plants can be protected together. Parks, wildlife refuges, and other open space should be protected near your community. Open space also provides us with great places to visit and enjoy. Support wildlife habitat and open space protection in your community. When you are buying a house, consider your impact on wildlife habitat. To get involved, contact the Endangered Species Coaltion staff. or find a group near you on the  ESC member organization list. Thanks for caring about our nation’s wildlife and wild places!  Info found on Stop Extinction. Org

According to wildlife officials, seventeen armed poachers invaded the protected sanctuary Dzanga-Ndoki National Park on May 6 killing at least 26 elephants, including four calves.

The elephant carcasses were found around Dzanga Bai, which is an open area where anywhere from 50 to 200 elephants gather to drink daily.

For the entire story, click here.

Illegal poaching is “raging out of control” and pushing radiated and ploughshare tortoises to the brink of extinction, according to a statement from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

It was reported that more than 1,000 of the animals have been confiscated from smugglers in the first three months of 2013 alone!   A total of 54 ploughshare tortoises were intercepted in Thailand, and the species is “now the most common tortoise for sale in Bangkok’s infamous Chatuchak wildlife market,” according to the statement.

For the complete story, click here.

The Formosan clouded leopard, a clouded-leopard subspecies native to Taiwan, has been driven to extinction by habitat destruction and illegal hunting for their skin and bones.