The theme for this year's WED, as set by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), was "Think. Eat. Save". The Department of Environmental Affairs has adopted this theme for the 2013 Environment Month celebrations. "The aim is to humanise the various environmental issues facing our world and empower people to make decisions that will help protect our environment," said the minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa.
World Environment Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 at the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment to create, educate and raise awareness on environmental conservation.
The theme for WED and National Environment Month rests on three pillars. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), every year 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted. Therefore, communities are encouraged to "Think" before discarding food off as waste. The second pillar, "Eat" encourages consuming food in such a way that the environmental impact is reduced. This means consuming organic foods that do not utilise chemicals in the production process and purchasing locally produced food. If food is wasted, all the resources invested in its production are also wasted and as such, the final pillar encourages communities to make wise decisions about discarding food and "Save" as far as possible.
The theme looks at promoting an understanding of the impact that food waste has on the environment and in so doing, encouraging communities to change their attitudes towards environmental issues. Other key events celebrated during National Environment Month include World Oceans Day (WOD) on 8 June and World Day to Combat Desertification (WDCD) on 17 June. The Department will also host the annual Greenest Municipality Competition Awards on 28 June as part of Environment Month celebrations.
South African World Environment Day celebrations and the launch of National Environment Month will take place on 8 June. In South Africa, June is also recognised as National Youth Month and in keeping in line with both themes, Minister Molewa will launch the Groen Sebenza programme on 8 June. The Groen Sebenza programme, in partnership with the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), is a skills development and job creation pilot programme aimed at developing priority skills in the biodiversity sector.
World Oceans Day (WOD) will be celebrated on 8 June under the theme, "Oceans as a cradle of life: Together we have the power to protect the ocean!" The theme, as set by the UN for the period 2013-2014, places emphasis on the invaluable support oceans provide to humans and urges communities to work together to achieve a healthy ocean that provides for the billions of humans, plants and animals which depend on it every day. The Department will celebrate WOD on 10 June in Port St Johns, Eastern Cape. The deputy minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Rejoice Mabudafhasi will launch a R12 million Working for the Coast project and announce the Oceans and Coasts initiatives on Shark Solutions Experiments and Feasibility of Tidal Pool.
World Day to Combat Desertification will be celebrated on 14 June under the theme set by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), "Drought and water scarcity" with the accompanying slogan, "Don't let our future dry up". While the theme seeks to create awareness about the risks of drought and water scarcity, calling attention to the importance of sustaining healthy soils as part of the post Rio+20 agenda, the slogan calls for a collective action to promote preparedness and resilience to water scarcity. This year's celebrations will take place in Sterkspruit in the Eastern Cape where the deputy minister will hand over the EC-Land Rehabilitation Project to the municipality. The project was initiated in July 2011 and has successfully provided erosion control and land rehabilitation of dongas in the Sterkspruit area.
During Environment Month, all citizens are encouraged to "Think. Eat. Save" and do their part in protecting our environment.
For further information on Environment Month, go to www.environment.gov.za.
