Today in History: World Environment Day
With the recent U.S. federal government decision to pull out of the global climate change agreement, we look to historical concerns and current initiatives in our schools, communities, and cities, here and abroad. What constitutes a good quality of life, and why do certain factors in the environment affect the quality of life? How will environmental issues pan out over the coming decades and what can you do to help?
World Environment Day began in 1974 and is recognized annually on June 5th as an effort by the United Nations to increase global awareness of and action towards the protection of planet Earth. It was designated by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 in support of its Conference on the Human Environment and has addressed many many topics and concerns through the years. This year’s theme is “Connecting People to Nature” — inviting us to think about how we are a part of nature and how we depend on it.
The following articles are selected from Proquest Historical Newspapers, which informs and inspires classroom teaching and learning.
- A Day to Observe. (1973, Jun 05). New York Times (1923-Current File)
- Barnes, I. (1975, Jul 13). Earthcare Conference: Protecting Natural Areas. The Washington Post (1974-Current File)
- Bukro, C. (1977, Jun 05). World Threatened in 4 Areas, UN Panel Says. Chicago Tribune (1963-Current File)
- The Environment Takes the Spotlight for the Day. (1978, Jun 01). New York Times (1923-Current File)
- Tower, S. A. (1982, Mar 07). U.N. Commemoratives. New York Times (1923-Current File)
- Bell, T. (1991, Apr 20). School Nominated for Earth Prize. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File)
- Bittu, S. S. (2001, Jun 04). Ten Things to Do This World Environment Day. The Times of India (1861-Current)
- ‘We Need Global Cooperation to Save Our Planet’. (2000, Jun 05). The Times of India (1861-Current)
- Amritkar, C. (2005, Jun 05). Green Cities Plan for the Planet. The Times of India (1861-Current)
- Pollak, S. (2015, Jun 06). State Donates Almost 2m to Help Tackle Climate Change. The Irish Times (1921-Current File)
Tip:
Check out these vialogues as sample teaching tools and model environment:
- Green Economy and Sustainable Development
- Keeping the Environment Safe
- Learning Spaces: Green School, Bali
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Need to keep current, look to the past, teach a topic? The Everett Cafe features daily postings of news from around the world, and also promotes awareness of historical events from an educational context.