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World Paper Free Day – 6 November

World Paper Free Day is an annual campaign that aims to reduce the amount of paper generated by people in their everyday work and personal life. It was launched by the Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM).

AIIM is a non-profit organization that provides standards. market research, education, and certification for information professionals. It launched World Paper Free Day in order to raise awareness of huge amount of paper used in vain and to promote paperless technologies.

World Paper Free Day used to be celebrated on the fourth Thursday in October, but AIIM has recently moved it to a fixed date, November 6. On this day, businesses and people are encouraged to stop using paper for one day in order to stop being so reliant on paper.

According to research, the average office worker uses about four dozens sheets of paper per day, of which about half is considered waste. Despite all modern technology, a lot of businesses still have traditional-based filing systems which require considerable space, equipment and maintenance. AIIM encourages such businesses to participate in World Paper Free Day to see the benefits of a paperless office.

Going paperless helps businesses save space and money, boost productivity and keep information more secure while also making sharing it easier. Besides, paperless offices help the environment: the less paper we use, the less trees are chopped down to make it.

 

Source: Text: https://anydayguide.com/calendar/3199     Image: myespanolanow.com

One Health Day – 3 November

One Health Day - November 3

 

On November 3rd, One Health Day promotes efforts worldwide to bring together health disciplines that affect humans, animals, and the environment. The day also recognizes how closely our shared environment impacts human health.

Did you know that certain animals spread diseases between animals and humans called zoonotic diseases? Some examples of zoonotic diseases include:

  • Zoonotic influenza
  • Salmonellosis
  • West Nile Virus
  • Rabies
  • Brucellosis
  • Lyme disease
  • Plague
  • Malaria

Coronaviruses are also zoonotic disease. According to investigations, SARS-CoV was transmitted from civet cats to humans. Another type of coronavirus, the MERS-CoV, was transmitted from camels to humans. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), zoonotic diseases cause millions of death each year.

About 60 percent of emerging infectious diseases are zoonoses. These kinds of diseases can be found in every part of the world. Countries with the highest number of zoonotic diseases include Ethiopia, Nigeria, Tanzania, and India. Other countries are considered hotspots for emerging zoonotic diseases. These countries include the northeastern United States, the UK and other parts of Western Europe, and Brazil.

It takes cooperation amongst many groups of people to combat zoonotic diseases. Physicians, veterinarians, pet owners, farmers, ecologists, policymakers, and those who monitor public health threats form the group. The groups hope that working together will better understand zoonotic diseases. Understanding will lead to better control of zoonotic diseases and fewer cases worldwide.

 

Source: Text & Image: https://nationaldaycalendar.com/one-health-day-november-3/

World Rhino Day – 22 September

RHINOCEROS: AFRICA’S ARMOURED GIANT SPECIES:

 CRITICALLY ENDANGERED (AROUND 5200 REMAIN) DICEROS BICORNIS

 Affected by: Illegal wildlife trade

The rhinoceros is Africa’s armoured giant – like a tank on legs – and has been on our planet for millions of years. But right now they need our help. Poaching of rhinos for their horns and habitat loss are huge threats to both white and black rhinos.

The ‘southern’ subspecies of white rhinos is a conservation success story and had been helped back from under 100 in 1895 to over 20,000 individuals. However recently white rhino numbers have been declining due to a surge in poaching, with 15,942 remaining in the wild today. Sadly there are no individuals from the ‘northern’ subspecies of white rhinos left in the wild, and only a handful in captivity.

For the black rhino (slightly smaller, with a more pointed top lip) the worst period was between 1970 and 1992, when around 96% of them were lost to wide-scale poaching. Only 6,195 are left in the wild today.

Poaching of rhinos for rhino horn is still a huge threat, and the poachers have got increasingly better equipped. Help us make sure we don’t lose these incredibly precious creatures.

WHY AFRICAN RHINOS ARE SO IMPORTANT

It’s not just because they’re a precious link to our planet’s ancient past…  rhinos also play a crucial  role  in their environment. 

White rhinos are big grazers, eating lots of vegetation, which helps shape the African landscape. Other animals benefit, and it keeps a healthy balance within the environment.

Local people depend on the natural resources from these environments for food, fuel and income too. Ecotourism can be a vital sustainable source of funds for local communities. As one of Africa’s wildlife ‘big five’, rhinos are a popular sight for tourists.

By helping protect the rhino we’re helping protect its environment for the benefit of both people and wildlife for generations to come.

 

https://www.wwf.org.uk/learn/wildlife/african-rhinos    Images: GKToday      unsplash.com

World Environment Day – 5 June 2022

World Environment Day 2022 is the biggest international day for the environment. Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and held annually since 1973, it has grown to be the largest global platform for environmental outreach. It is celebrated by millions of people across the world.

World Environment Day 2022 is hosted by Sweden. “Only One Earth » is the campaign slogan, with the focus on “Living Sustainably in Harmony with Nature”. 

Join us in celebrating our Earth! 

 

 

In the universe are billions of galaxies,

In our galaxy are billions of planets,

But there is Only One Earth.

 

Source: Text: unep.org     https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/     Image: Mocamboo.com

World Bicycle Day – 3 June

For many of us, riding a bicycle without training wheels is the first challenging physical activity we ever learn how to master. We all remember, don’t we? A running start. The protective hand secured to the bicycle seat is released. And then — ZOOM! — the child is off and peddling, and a lifetime of adventure and freedom awaits aboard a succession of beloved two-wheeled conveyances. In the spirit of that very first trip, let’s take a closer look at World Bicycle Day, June 3, shall we?

Training wheels or tandem, cycle your worries away on World Bicycle Day on June 3.

HISTORY OF WORLD BICYCLE DAY

Getting your first bicycle and learning how to ride it is a rite of passage for almost all of us. Despite the marks and scabs from falling from our bicycles while learning, it is a memory we always cherish. Bicycling is quite a useful activity — in the hustle and bustle of today’s world, bicycling allows us to exercise our muscles, cut back on fuel consumption as it is quite a popular alternative to driving a car, and feel the wind in our hair. Really, there is nothing quite like the exhilaration of riding a bicycle. World Bicycle Day acknowledges this and the durability and longevity of the bicycle. Providing a simple and sustainable means of transportation, bicycling is rejuvenating for our physical- and mental health, and good for the economy, and the environment. 

The United Nations established World Bicycle Day for many reasons. As basic as it is, the impact of the bicycle on society is quite transformative — even the poorest people get access to basic transport with the bicycle. 

It all started when U.S.-based Professor Leszek Sibilski initiated a grassroots campaign with his sociology class to promote a U.N. resolution that would designate a day for the advocacy and celebration of the humble bicycle all over the world. In 2015, Sibilski dedicated himself to an academic project, exploring bicycles and their role in development. His project catapulted into a massive movement backed by ‘Sustainable Mobility for All,’ and eventually resulted in a dedicated international day set by the United Nations for the promotion of bicycling. On April 12, 2018, the resolution declaring June 3 as World Bicycle Day was unanimously adopted by all 193 member states of the UN General Assembly. The resolution was greatly supported by Turkmenistan and co-sponsored by around 56 countries. 

 

Source: Text: nationaltoday.com    Image: Freepik

World Day for Responsible Tourism – 2 June 2022

Every year on June 2nd is the World Day for Responsible Tourism.

This year’s theme (9° edition of the World Day for Responsible Tourism) is communication and marketing.

Sustainable tourism should become mandatory, experts say. Yet many non-profit organizations and NGOs denounce the green-washing of the big multinational corporations of the tourism.

There is a big difference between being green and doing greenwashing. In the first case, the attention to the environmental impact guide business decisions. Greenwashing is rather in surface: it is deceptive advertising trying to make people believe that there is an attention to the environment, when in fact these factors are ignored (almost) entirely.

From GreenWashing to GreenMarketing

How should we communicate responsible tourism? What are stereotypes using words like sustainable tourism?

In the conference held in Paris today, on the occasion of the 9th edition of the World Day dedicated to the Responsible Tourism, there are over 200 international experts, as Rachel Dodds (Professor at Ryerson University – Canada), Jean-François Rial (president of the association Voyageurs du Monde), or Agnes Rambaud.

On the one hand is growing awareness of travelers, who are increasingly interested in the impact of their travel on the environment, the places and local economies. But at the same time the major tourism companies promote their tourism products by promoting them in ecological key although they are not really using formulas misleading green marketing.

This year’s conference will focus the attention on the opportunities and limitations of Greenmarketing in tourism, trying to shed light on how best to communicate the commitment of tourism on the environment.

 

Source: Text: ecobnb.com    Image: On the Luce travel blog

World Reef Day – 1st June

The Marovo Lagoon in the Solomon Islands is the largest saltwater lagoon in the world. Protected by a double barrier reef, it’s home to unique marine life and coral, making it a bucket-list destination for divers. The beauty and diversity of life contained within its pristine, 700 square kilometres are the perfect inspiration for World Reef Day, observed every year on June 1 to bring awareness to this vital but largely unseen part of our natural world. Reef Day also kicks off World Oceans Month, a time to celebrate and learn more about these vital ecosystems.

Although coral reefs occupy less than 0.1 percent of the planet’s oceans, they support up to 25 percent of the world’s marine species. They have rightfully earned their nickname, ‘Rainforests of the Sea.’ Coral is not a plant, but part animal and part mineral, a marine invertebrate that secretes calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton. They grow in colonies, usually in warm, shallow waters, and form vast colonies that we see as reefs, providing the basic platform for marine life to flourish around them. They even provide benefits to land, protecting shorelines from the forces of the ocean.

Unfortunately, coral reefs are under immense environmental pressure due to pollution, overfishing, and particularly from changing ocean temperatures. A warming ocean and acidification due to increased carbon dioxide have resulted in coral bleaching—when under stress, corals lose their colour. The yellow whip and red gorgonian you see here are what healthy coral look like, but vibrant, hearty coral are swiftly becoming the exception rather than the rule. Recently, even the previously robust and thriving Marovo Lagoon began showing signs of bleaching, a sobering reminder that the beauty we see here is fragile and becoming more precious.

Source: Text: Bing    Image: Wallpapersafari

World No Tobacco Day – 31 May

This yearly celebration informs the public on the dangers of using tobacco, the business practices of tobacco companies, what WHO is doing to fight the tobacco epidemic, and what people around the world can do to claim their right to health and healthy living and to protect future generations.

The Member States of the World Health Organization created World No Tobacco Day in 1987 to draw global attention to the tobacco epidemic and the preventable death and disease it causes. In 1987, the World Health Assembly passed Resolution WHA40.38, calling for 7 April 1988 to be a « a world no-smoking day. » In 1988, Resolution WHA42.19 was passed, calling for the celebration of World No Tobacco Day, every year on 31 May.

The harmful impact of the tobacco industry on the environment is vast and growing adding unnecessary pressure to our planet’s already scarce resources and fragile ecosystems.

Tobacco kills over 8 million people every year and destroys our environment, further harming human health, through the cultivation, production, distribution, consumption, and post-consumer waste.

 

Source: Text: WHO   Image: Hindustan Times

World Asthma Day – 3 mai 2022

World Asthma Day (WAD) (May 3, 2022) is organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma, (GINA) (www.ginasthma.org), a World Health Organization collaborative organization founded in 1993.  WAD is held each May to raise awareness of Asthma worldwide.Although asthma cannot be cured, it is possible to manage asthma to reduce and prevent asthma attacks, also called episodes or exacerbations.GINA has chosen ‘Closing Gaps in Asthma Care’ as the theme for the 2022 World Asthma Day.

There are a number of gaps in asthma care which require intervention in order to reduce preventable suffering as well as the costs incurred by treating uncontrolled asthma.

Current gaps in asthma care include:

  • in equal access to diagnosis and treatment (medicine)
  • between care for different socioeconomic, ethnic and age groups
  • between wealthy and poorer communities and countries;
  • in communication and care across the primary/secondary/tertiary care interface
  • in communication and education provided for people with asthma, (quality of asthma care plans vs)
  • in asthma knowledge and asthma awareness between health care providers
  • in prioritization between asthma and other long term conditions
  • between prescribing inhalers and monitoring adherence and ability to use these devices;
  • exist for the general public’s (non-asthmatics) and health care professional’s awareness and understanding that asthma is a chronic (not acute) disease.
  • between scientific evidence and actual delivery of care for people with asthma.

 

Source: Text & Image: https://ginasthma.org/

World Climate Day – 8 December

Contemporary climate change includes both the global warming caused by humans, and its impacts on Earth’s weather patterns. There have been previous periods of climate change, but the current changes are more rapid than any known events in Earth’s history.

The main cause is the emission of greenhouse gases, mostly carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane. Burning fossil fuels for energy use creates most of these emissions. Agriculture, steel making, cement production, and forest loss are additional sources. Temperature rise is also affected by climate feedbacks such as the loss of sunlight-reflecting snow cover, and the release of carbon dioxide from drought-stricken forests. Collectively, these amplify global warming.

On land, temperatures have risen about twice as fast as the global average. Deserts are expanding, while heat waves and wildfires are becoming more common. Increased warming in the Arctic has contributed to melting permafrostglacial retreat and sea ice loss. Higher temperatures are also causing more intense storms and other weather extremes. In places such as coral reefs, mountains, and the Arctic, many species are forced to relocate or become extinct, as their environment changes. 

Climate change threatens people with food and water scarcity, increased flooding, extreme heat, more disease, and economic loss. It can also drive human migration The World Health Organization calls climate change the greatest threat to global health in the 21st century. Even if efforts to minimise future warming are successful, some effects will continue for centuries. These include sea level rise, and warmer, more acidic oceans.

 

Source: Text: en.wikipedia.org  Image: Utility Magazine