What is World Environment Health Day about?
World Environment Health Day is a day for people to come together and celebrate the importance of a healthy environment for all. It’s an opportunity to raise awareness about the impact of all our actions on our planet, especially those that pollute the air we breathe, harm animals, and damage ecosystems.
We all need clean water to drink and food to eat. If we don't take care of nature it will not take care of us! We need to take action now before it's too late!
Significance of Environment Health
World Environment Health Day (WEHD) is an annual event dedicated to the awareness and understanding of the many factors that affect our health and well-being, including air, water, food, and shelter. The theme for this year's World Environmental Health Day 2022 is 'Strengthening Environmental Health Systems for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals”. WEHD was first observed in 1987 and has grown to become a global platform for raising awareness and taking action toward building a healthier planet.
How are we disrupting our Environment?
We are destroying our environment by polluting it, using up too many natural resources (fossil fuels), disrupting the climate, and killing animals by accident.
We are littering the planet with waste that we don't need to produce. Added to that, we eat too much meat which causes a lot of pollution when animals give off gases as they digest food and make waste products for consumption by other creatures--especially if those creatures are humans! Moreover, we use too many natural resources like fossil fuels, polluting the planet. Furthermore, we are killing animals by accident because they eat plastic packaging or get caught in fishing nets. Finally, we are purchasing more fast fashion products than we need. The whole fast fashion industry contributes about 10% of world carbon emissions, which is less than what the aviation industry releases into the environment every year.
Dark Side of Fast Fashion
It's a common misconception that fast fashion is cheap, but it's one of the most expensive ways to buy clothing. While it might be tempting to use your credit card to purchase a whole new wardrobe each season, you'll quickly find yourself drowning in debt and wearing clothes that are made from subpar materials.
Fast fashion also has a serious ethical problem: The majority of the garments produced are made by factory workers who earn low wages and have no benefits or job security. As for environmental impacts? Over 15 billion pounds of textile waste go into landfills every year—and that doesn't even include clothing that ends up in incinerators or trash dumps in developing or underdeveloped countries, like Kenya, where there aren't any regulations against burning plastic or dumping toxic chemicals into waterways!
So what's the alternative? Eco-conscious fashion is an ethical, sustainable way of buying clothes that involves supporting local designers and up-and-coming brands. It also means wearing your favorite pieces until they fall apart—or at least longer than a season! Microplastics from clothes are even showing up in our drinking water. Manufacturers use a chemical called nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs) to make fabrics stain-resistant, wrinkle-free, or colorfast. Unfortunately, these chemicals also have the nasty side effect of breaking down into plastic microfibers when they wash out of clothing in the washing machine and end up in waterways. A study published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology found that washing just one synthetic garment can release up to 1,900 fibers into a single wash load. A separate study from 2015 found that some of these microfibers were ending up in our drinking water—and may even be making us sick. The study tested tap water from 18 locations across the United States and found plastic fibers in 83 percent of samples.
We can do better together!
This is a worldwide issue. No one person can solve it alone, but everyone can make a difference.
In your day-to-day life, you can:
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Reduce plastic bag use by bringing reusable bags when you shop or buying items that don't require packaging.
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Get rid of single-use straws at home and in restaurants. They produce the most plastic waste from food service businesses in North America. Consider using reusables instead!
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Buy products made from recycled materials or products made using eco-friendly practices if possible.
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Purchase organic clothes from ethical and eco-conscious fashion brands so that it lasts in your wardrobe longer and if disposed of can decompose in 6 months rather than 200 years.
Conclusion
We can all do our part to make sure that the Earth is a healthy place for us and future generations. This means taking care of our water, air, and soil as well as reducing waste. Let's remember that every little bit helps!
