This World Environment Day, Help Your Students Grow to Be #GenerationRestoration

Every year on June 5, millions of people from more than 150 countries celebrate World Environment Day. First held in 1973, it has become a global platform for inspiring positive change around the world. This day serves as a reminder of the importance of environmental conservation and sustainable living practices. It is a time when everyone can reflect on the impact of human activities on the planet, act towards a more sustainable future, and realize the collective responsibility we all share in preserving and safeguarding our natural resources for future generations.

Below are some ideas from the World Environment Day website to inspire your own activities and get students excited.

“We cannot turn back time, but we can grow forests, revive water sources, and bring back soils. We are the generation that can make peace with the land.”

United Nations Environment Programme

World Environment Day Introduction: Show students what World Environment Day is all about with this video. They’ll see that they are the ones who can make an impact and help save the future of our planet.

Events and Activities: Register your event or click on the map to see over 515 activities happening all over the world. We often try to think globally, but travel is expensive, and it is hard to find ways to bring information and events happening around the world into our classrooms. This can be used in science or social studies classes.

Fun Facts: As educators we love to share fun facts. Did you know that only 0.5% of water on the Earth is useable and available freshwater? Did you know that drylands cover over 41% of the Earth’s land surface and 78% of the world’s rangelands? Did you know that deserts cover more than 1/5 of the Earth’s land area found on every continent? Did you know that approximately 1.4 billion people worldwide are directly reliant on access to fresh water? Check out this site to learn about these and other cool facts.

Latest Updates: Get the latest news and updates here! Watch videos and read about #GenerationRestoration happening daily all over the world. You can learn about Andean forests, degraded land, desertification, drought, and so much more. This is perfect for science, reading, or social studies classes.

First-Ever Data Dashboard: The UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) launched this interactive database to track land degradation from 126 countries. Check it out! This is an amazing way to bring math into the classroom and have students see numbers that are real data.

As World Environment Day nears, let us help our students realize they are the generation that can make a difference – #GenerationRestoration. By opening their minds and thinking locally and globally, they can realize their actions do matter regarding our Earth's future. They can be impactful. They can make a difference.

Dr. Julie Sessions
Curriculum Consultant