diva creative - social marketing specialists

June 2009

ENVIRONMENT DAY 2009

Rotherham school pupils were amongst millions of people across the globe who recently celebrated World Environment Day (WED) on June 5st . In Rotherham activities were concentrated inside the world’s first mobile solar powered cinema – The Groovy Movie Picture House. The Keep it Cool event, delivered by Social Change agency diva focused on raising awareness of climate change issues whilst encouraging young people to think creatively about and make community pledges to actively help reduce carbon emissions. This event was timed just six months before the crucial United Nations climate change talks in Copenhagen.

WED, commemorated each year on 5 June, is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action.

The day's agenda aimed 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;
• Advocate partnership which will ensure all nations and peoples enjoy a safer and more prosperous future.

The theme for WED 2009 was 'Your Planet Needs You-UNite to Combat Climate Change'. It reflects the urgency for nations to agree on a new deal at the crucial climate convention meeting in Copenhagen some 180 days later in the year, and the links with overcoming poverty and improved management of forests.

BBC Climate Change correspondent, Paul Hudson was on-hand to demonstrate how climate change had adversely affected weather conditions in the South Yorkshire area and highlighted the terrible floods that hit the region in 2008 through film archive and photographs.

Delegates were also able to participate in the Environmental Challenge interactive quiz which posed questions relating to both global and local environmental issues. Hosted by Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalist Sophie-Mae, prizes were awarded to teams answering correct questions using pda’s on energy, healthy living, heritage, built environment, transport, waste and recycling, wildlife and biodiversity.

To complete the experience, school groups prepared pledges linked to the Local Democracy Agenda, that they could put into place in their own communities upon their return to school, that would impact positively upon the climate change agenda.

About World Environment Day

World Environment Day (WED) was established by the UN General Assembly in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment.

Commemorated every year on 5 June in more than 100 countries around the globe, World Environment Day is one of the principal 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.