The International Mother Earth Day, also known simply as Earth Day, is observed across the Globe every year on 22nd April with different activities, aimed at protecting the environment. The UAE is joining nearly 200 countries marking the annual event with an initiative for raising awareness among elementary and high school students.
Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970 after peace activist John McConnell proposed the day of the Vernal Equinox, or 21 March, to recognize and honor our planet and the idea of peace at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco. Later, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson founded the Earth Day on 22 April 1970. Since then, many people have celebrated it around the March Equinox, while the official day for the observance has remained 22 April. The annual event aims to raise awareness of and appreciation for Earth’s environment with outdoor performances and different initiatives. Typically, people gather and plant trees, clean roadside trash, promote recycling, conservation and using renewable energy.
Today, the event is organized by Earth Day Network and celebrated in over 192 countries. Earth Day 2014 is focusing on green cities, mobilizing millions of people worldwide to create and strive for healthy and sustainable environment. According to the United Nations, more than half of the world’s population lives in cities. This worsens the effects of the climate change by increasing the carbon emissions and the consumption of energy. The planet’s resources are depleted every minute as a result of our need for warmth, ease and convenience. The humanity’s impact could be reduced, ecologists say, by changing our habits and doing seemingly little gestures, which however, are aof great importance. For instance, one of the easiest ways for countries to help Mother Earth is switching to energy-efficient lighting.
For the 44th edition of the event, the UAE is raising awareness among students. The Emirates Environment Group (EEG) is organizing an Interschool Public Speaking Competition, which is held at the Dubai Knowledge Village on Tuesday. Students from more than 80 elementary and high schools across the country are participating in the event and discussing food wastage, the school curriculum and our everyday habits that have impact on the environment. The children will also speak of green economies and strategies and how the technology can actually create more pollution.
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