World Environment Day (WED 2010) is being celebrated on Saturday June 5th, 2010. With a theme of “Many Species. One Planet. One Future.”, the focus of this year’s World Environment Day is to draw people’s attention to the importance of biodiversity and the fragile nature of life on this planet of ours.

In the UN Secretary General’s statement about World Environment Day, he talks about the fact that we must “stop this mass extinction and raise awareness about the vital importance of the millions of species that inhabit our planet’s soils, forests, oceans, coral reefs and mountains. Our health, well-being and sustainable future depend on this intricate, delicate web of ecosystems and life.”

Along those lines, Rwanda, a country widely recognized for its green efforts, has been named as the global host for this year’s World Environment Day. It is Rwanda’s environmental splendor, it being the home to over 52 threatened yet ecologically-essential species such as the mountain gorilla, its never-ending dedication to reforesting its rain forests and their tireless push towards the use of renewable energies that makes them the perfect global host for WED 2010.

Image by schacon

Here are two key ways you can actively participate in World Environment Day:

1) Plant a tree. UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) currently has a Billion Tree Campaign running. Their target is 7 billion trees planted by the end of 2010. Apparently over 3 billion trees have already been planted.

2) Register your WED 2010 activity on the WED website and help “Take a Stand for the Gorillas“. UNEP has set a goal to raise $50,000 US to help protect the gorillas in Rwanda. For every activity or positive environmental action that is registered on the WED website, $10 will be donated to help protect the gorillas.

Saving the gorillas is an important issue as it has been found that human contact, such as that from eco-tours, is causing dangerous stress to gorillas. It is affecting their eating habits, making them more aggressive, etc. Since this is something that is being caused by human contact, then don’t you think it’s something we can help resolve?

So, to help get you in the spirit of World Environment Day, take a look at this performance of Michael Jackson’s “Earth Song” as performed at the 2010 Grammy Awards (song starts at about the 1:55 mark). Even without 3-D glasses, it is a great video to watch:

Remember, the intention behind World Environment Day isn’t to get you to join hands and say you care about the environment. It’s to get you to take a look around you and actually make some changes in your life that contribute to your personal survival and the prolonged existence of the many species that make up our world.

Start by taking a look at these “Daily Do Something Tips” and see if there is one thing, or more than one thing, that you can change about your daily routine to make your life more environmentally-friendly. Then ask yourself this question: What does World Environment Day mean to me? I’d love to hear what you think about World Environment Day.

Image by KaCey97007 via Flickr

Well, Earth Day 2010 has come and gone. If you’re like many people you made some kind of change that day to show your support for Mother Earth. But, what did you take away from Earth Day? Did you take away a new viewpoint on “going green”? Are you planning on making any green changes today, tomorrow or the next day?

If you look at it, Earth Day and the Earth Day Climate Rally were set up to educate, enlighten and join people together to make our world a better, more sustainable place to live. Now, that doesn’t mean everyone needs to immediately start living a 100% “green” life. It also doesn’t necessarily mean that if you do live a 100% green life, everything is going to be coming up roses.

But, in my opinion, green signifies life. Look around…when trees and flowers bloom in the Spring, what is one common color you see? Green.

Grass growing in a field is green. Green vegetables are recommended for good health.

And even though the Earth is often referred to as a “Blue Marble” or the “Pale Blue Dot“, if you look at pictures of the Earth or even some globes, the land we live on is shown as green. What would our lives be without the green?

(Flower image by Robert S. Donovan and field image by Richard0 via Flickr)

Well, that’s a matter of opinion. How do you want your future to look? It’s common knowledge that this planet we live on is pretty much guaranteed to last a lot longer than you or I will. Take a look at this photo, for example…even though the building is abandoned, the green life of nature continues to grow.

Image by Jorge Franganillo via Flickr

Of course there are things we can do that help Mother Nature do her thing while making our lives here more enjoyable and sustainable. That’s where all the “green” activities people talk about come into play.

If you want to have trees, flowers, gardens, parks, national landscapes, rivers, streams for you, your family and the rest of the world to admire and enjoy, then you need to do something to help preserve them. If you think less pollution, lower emissions and clean air are important, then doing something about it is important as well.

In the name of advancement, over the past 40 years I have seen a lot more housing complexes, shopping centers, buildings, cars, highways, pollution, etc. come into existence than I have seen areas being preserved. Even solar farms and wind farms have sometimes encroached on nature to bring us green, alternative energy sources.

So are we actually making strides towards a cleaner, greener future? Take a look at what Walter Cronkite had to say after the first Earth Day forty years ago and decide for yourself how far we’ve come and how far we have to go.

Please remember though….going green has nothing to do with what’s popular, what’s in style or what’s the latest green gadget to buy, it has to do with how you are going to live your life.

So whether you do something for personal benefits (saving money, having your own fresh vegetables, living healthier, etc) or for everyone’s benefit (less pollution, less waste, more natural resources, cleaner environment, etc.), do something constructive. I mean, what is life without the green, right?

No matter where you are in the world, by now you know Earth Day 2010 is Thursday, April 22nd. What you may not know is Earth Day is celebrating its 40th Anniversary. That’s right. Back in 1970, someone decided that because “all people, regardless of race, gender, income, or geography, have a moral right to a healthy, sustainable environment“, it was time to educate people on how to attain that.

40 years later, Earth Day Network has more than 20,000 partners in their quest, organizations in 190 countries participate or contribute to Earth Day activities and more than a billion people worldwide join together to show their desire to obtain a healthy, sustainable environment.

But how does that affect you? How can you benefit from Earth Day 2010?

You can attend a local event. You can sign a pledge to make a change or contribute to bettering the world around you. You can even organize your own Earth Day event.

When it all comes down to it though, what are you going to get out of Earth Day 2010? The purpose behind Earth Day isn’t to have people “show their support” for one day and then go back to their old habits and routines. If you are going to participate in Earth Day, and I hope you will, then make sure you come away with something.

Come away with a new outlook on how your actions affect the environment around you. Decide to make a change, no matter how small, to live a more sustainable life and follow through with that decision.

The Earth Day Network supports events and activities focused around many key issues including: advocacy, climate change, conservation and biodiversity, education, energy, food and agriculture, green economy, green schools, recycling and waste reduction, sustainable development and water.

There is at least one activity/change almost anyone can get behind. Some do-it-yourself Earth Day ideas that might interest you include:

1) Disneynature: In celebration of Earth, go see Disneynature’s new film, Oceans. The new film, Oceans, is set to hit the big screen on Thursday, April 22nd and for all those who go see the film between April 22nd and April 28th a portion of the ticket sales will go to help protect coral reefs. It’s a simple and entertaining activity you can participate in that can help make a difference. Just take a look at this trailer:

2) Billion Acts of Green: Take one minute out of your day and make a green resolution. Whether it’s to start recycling, eat out less, lower your vehicle emissions, walk or bike more, make your home and office more energy efficient or buy less/waste less, just post your act of green. Making and following through on a green resolution is a good way for you to keep things going even after Earth Day.

3) Green Your Garden:  If you have a garden, cut out the chemicals. If you don’t have a garden, put one together.

Whether you want to grow your own fresh vegetables or herbs or just enjoy some beautiful flowers, starting a garden is a great way to connect back to nature and go organic. Here are a few more tips that can help you both in the garden and around the house to have a bio-friendly Spring and year.

4) Create a Going Green Today Action Plan: If you are truly serious about doing something to make a healthier, more sustainable environment then why not put together a plan for yourself? Not only could you lower your environmental impact, but you could end up saving yourself a decent amount of money as well.

You can also check out PineMark and get yourself the PineMark Certification™ that proves you are living a truly sustainable life. It’s the first and only individual environmental certification available to consumers.

5) Pick 5 for the environment: The U.S. EPA wants you to get out there and DO SOMETHING for the environment this Earth Day. I agree, we need to get out there and not just talk about what we are going to do, but go do it.

You can start by picking five actions you can/will do for the environment. Then once you’ve made your choice, make a quick 10-second “It’s My Environment” video to show a simple action you are taking for the environment. Look how easy it is:

Whatever you decide to do, just remember that Earth Day 2010 isn’t just about one day. It’s about getting people educated, interested and active in making their lives healthier and more sustainable and thus making a better environment for us all.

Do you have a special Earth Day event you are attending? I’d love to know what your plans are for Earth Day and beyond.

Images via: Earthday.org, Zepfanman.com and karendotcom127 on Flickr and Nan Fischer at desertverde.com.