Your Planet Needs You! What to do and where to be for World Environment Day 2009

World Environment Day 2009 is just 6 months before the U.N. climate convention meeting in Copenhagen. As millions of people around the world prepare to celebrate the event, and in the spirit of the slogan ‘Unite to combat climate change’, the U.N. has launched the Seal the Deal campaign to call for world leaders to agree on a climate change deal that will protect people and the planet.

With a presence in over 100 countries around the globe, World Environment Day is one of the main vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and boosts political attention and action.

With thousands of events in UNEP’s six global regions including North America, Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean and West Asia, World Environment Day is considered one of the largest environmental events of its kind.

Building on the idea that climate change is everyone’s individual responsibility, "Your Planet needs You! Unite to combat climate change" demands action in the face of a potential new climate change deal this coming December. It is a chance for communities throughout the world to show how much they care about the planet.

"On this World Environment Day, I encourage all people to take concrete steps toward making the planet greener and cleaner," said United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. "Switch off the lights. Take public transportation. Recycle. Plant a tree. Clean up your local park. Hold corporations responsible for their environmental practices. And urge your government representatives to Seal the Deal in Copenhagen."

While World Environment Day is a truly global event, playing the role of host to the main festivities in this third year is Mexico – a leader in global carbon market participation, reforestation campaigns and natural resource management.

"I am delighted that Mexico and its people will be the 2009 global hosts of the annual United nations celebrations on 5 June under the theme ‘Your Planet Needs You! Unite to Combat Climate Change’," said Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program. "Mexico is among a group of nations showing real leadership on the challenges of our age – from climate change to bringing environmental goods and services into the mainstream of national and international economics."

Headling the festivities in Mexico will be a series of events in Quintana Roo, in the Yucatan Province, includi a conference on the Green Economy with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mexico’s Environment Secretary Juan Elvira Quesada, and Achim Steiner, the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).

There will also be photo exhibits, an art competition, a Maya "Healing the Earth" ceremony, and a Symphonic Visual Concert entitled "The Shield of Nature" by the Philharmonic Choir and World Heritage Orchestra.

‘HOME’ around the world

The global premiere of the new film ‘HOME’, by world-renowned photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand, will be one of the major worldwide events taking place at over 100 locations around the world. Screenings – including star-studded premieres at the Eiffel Tower and in New York City’s Central Park – will be free of charge, and the film will also be available for free download on YouTube.

Using the stunning aerial footage that is Arthus-Bertrand’s trademark, the film – shot in more than 50 countries – makes an urgent appeal for the planet in peril and all its treasures, arguing that we have barely ten years left to reverse its destruction.

Climate Heroes

Another highlight this year will be the launch of the Climate Heroes project – a new UNEP initiative that supports individuals who are undertaking exceptional personal feats, high-profile expeditions, and other acts of environmental activism to demonstrate their commitment and to raise awareness of the "Your Planet Needs You" theme.

This year’s Climate Heroes include:

• Roz Savage, who is rowing across the Pacific Ocean to inspire people to take action on CO2 levels by walking more and driving less
• Charles and Sho Scott of Ride Japan, a father-and-son team cycling through Japan to raise environmental awarenes
• David de Rothschild, who is building a boat out of recycled plastic to cross the Pacific and visit the Pacific Garbage Patch and raise awareness of the gigantic problem of waste and overconsumption
• Project Kaisei, a team of innovators who are studying how to capture waste in the ocean, detoxify it, and recycle it into diesel fuel

The North American front

Meanwhile, Omaha, Nebraska will the U.S. host city for WED 2009, in a reflection of the city’s commitment to environmental and sustainability issues.

Ever since Earth Day (April 22nd) events throughout the community have been highlighting resources, initiatives and methods that promote low carbon economies and lifestyles, such as improved energy efficiency, alternative energy sources, forest conservation and eco-friendly consumption.

The city will also hold its own premiere of the film ‘HOME’, and youth events will include an award ceremony for the North American winners of the International Children’s Painting Competition and an interactive environmental workshop for Omaha students.

Here, there and everywhere else

Thousands of other activities will take place around the world for World Environment Day 2009:

Tree plantings around the world: WED 2009 will see a wave of tree planting around the planet as part of UNEP’s Billion Tree Campaign, which aims to see 7 billion trees planted by the end of 2009. New partners who have recently come on board include the Scout Movement and the UN’s Department of Peacekeeping Operations. Tree plantings will range from the massive to the local, with 20,000 mangroves to be planted in Keddah (Malaysia) as well as small-scale plantings by communities around the world, from Sierra Leone to India.

Even more: Twitter campaign: UNEP will plant one tree for every person who follows its new Twitter page www.twitter.com/UNEPandYou by 5 June.

Youth video conference: A videolink will unite youth across three continents – in Nairobi, New York, Panama and Vienna – to discuss their role in promoting awareness and actions on climate change.

World Environment Day events around the world

• Russia: UNEP will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the organizers of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, whereby UNEP will advise the Olympic organizers in their efforts to green the Games – including issues like sustainable transport, renewable energy, ecosystems management, and green procurement among others.
• Afghanistan: A neighbourhood clean-up will take place in Kabul on World Environment Day, along with a series of awareness-raising campaigns through schools and mosques.
• Bosnia and Herzegovina: In Sarajevo, the ‘Run to the Hills’ 10-km race will take runners from around Europe up the beautiful forested paths of the Olympic Mountains.
• Nepal: An ‘Ecofootball’ match entitled ‘GOAL-against Climate Change’ will bring together celebrities, politicians and environmentalists, with the aim of raising awareness on climate change and the need for a united response.
• Brazil: An online campaign will call online volunteers to produce, translate and disseminate information and advice on environmentally-friendly lifestyles.
• Kenya: A seafront clean-up will be organized on the island of Lamu with schoolchildren, students, community and government representatives.
• Belgium: The EchoFestival in Brussels’s Royal Park will include a picnic, exhibits, a concert and a fair for a "shared eco-cultural experience".
• Republic of Korea: 30,000 children will take part in a painting competition on the environment.

For more information on World Environment Day 2009, visit www.unep.org/wed/2009 as well as www.sealthedeal2009.org.