World Environment Day 2014

"The Planet is our shared island", we salute the 2014 World Environment Day

World Environment Day, known as WED World Environment Day , is the global event of June 5 that draws public attention and political actions on the issue of environmental sustainability, celebrated in more than 100 countries worldwide since 1972.

This year it is dedicated to the islands and it is held in fact in Barbados, notoriously at the forefront in the fight against climate change. Meetings, conferences and debates are all aimed at raising the issue of small island developing states and the climate changes connected to them.

The United Nations designated 2014 as the International Year of Small Island Development (SIDS) and decided to focus on climate change and its impact on the islands. It is a choice that aims to protect small vulnerable realities from ever increasing risks, a result of climate changes, with the cry of "Raise your voice, not sea level!" .

The phrase that has become the symbol of World Environment Day 2014, launched by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, is "Planet Earth is our shared island, let's join forces to protect it", literally "Planet Earth is our shared island, let us join forces to protect it. "

Read also the initiatives of the European Week for waste reduction

What do you do in the (Italian) island Pen?

There are really many small islands in Italy, there is even a city, Venice, built on 120 small islands. The Peninsula has said that it is ready to play its part with long- standing cooperation initiatives and new political commitments.

There are also many messages on the web of individuals who feel they are participants in the initiative and choose, for example, to go to work by bicycle, to walk more kilometers than usual, to plant a tree or clean the neighborhood.

Let's see some of them, which can be consulted directly on the Italy page of the official website.

In Sicily, in evidence for the various initiatives, works and projects, in Bagheria, in the province of Palermo, will be held the closing Conference of the Environment and Citizen project, On the Net, Together Responsible for the Territory . In Cammarata, in the province of Agrigento, the final day of projects for school children on World Environment Day 2014. The Circolo Arci Link of Monreale, province of Palermo, in collaboration with Arci Palermo, Comitato Poplar Municipality, the Circolo Arci Tavola Tonda, Arciragazzi, the exhibitors of Corso Pietro Novelli and twenty-one artists, intends to take advantage of the spaces of Corso Pietro Novelli and its windows this year as a veritable art gallery through the realization of the exhibition Works in Progress by Marcello Buffa and Tiziana Pantaleo in order to promote public awareness of environmental and sustainability issues. Creative recycling and urban furnishing workshops are also planned with the aim of bringing out a different vision of the reality that surrounds us, all supported by traditional dance shows and territorial animation activities.

Ancona and its project " The magic trees i", which invites us to seek deeper meanings, which go beyond the superficiality of living, to embrace a sense of spiritual connection and inner listening in harmony with Mother Earth.

Bassano del Grappa will focus on carpooling and the use of bicycles in everyday life to the cry of "burn fat, not oil!".

Biella, in collaboration with the Italian Touring Club, will organize workshops on biodiversity in agriculture, pastoralism and sustainable practices in general. In addition, the " Andar per natura " project is planned, special walks to discover some of the rarest species in the world in the Oasi Zegna.

La Spezia, playing on the term "island", was instead given to doing projects that validate the concept of "pedestrian island" within the city, thus turning attention to the recovery of areas destined for limited traffic, in order to redevelop urban spaces and to restore their social function.

Milan. Here conferences and congresses will be held on the subject at the Museum of Science and Technology. Worth noting is the initiative " Enough cigarette butts ", an awareness campaign against the release of cigarette butts in public spaces. Furthermore, KPMG EMA CR Network organized a photo competition on the subject.

Modena . During the Festival of Modenese Associations of International Cooperation, on Saturday 7 June there will be a conference on environmental conflicts and the role of international cooperation, at 6 pm at the Casa nel Parco Amendola.

Rome Here the "CompostDay I love you! " Is organized, to raise awareness and inform citizens about the importance of recycling and the possibility of using waste material, a valuable resource for other uses and functions.

In Trieste the " Trieste loves the environment " event, in the main square of the city will see young and old as protagonists.

Turin . Continue with the edition of the Cinemambiente Festival, with more than a hundred films on the subject, retrospectives, debates and meetings. When the cinema is close to man and the planet.

Also read the interview with Luca Mercalli, author of Prepare ourselves for a world with less natural resources

This and much more. In memory of this day, here is the winning video of the UN competition on the topic " Raise the voice, not the sea level " for the 2014 World Environment Day. It was created by 21 year old Canadian Fatin Chowdhury, a student of the University of Waterloo, Ontario.