BUSINESS: Going Green: In-Office Initiatives Gearing Up for World Environment Day By Gwendolyn Plummer Thursday, May 23, 2024 8:30 AM NEW YORK—Earth Day has come and gone, but the year’s environmentally focused holidays are not totally behind us. June 5 marks World Environment Day, a United Nations international day that “celebrates environmental action and the power of governments, businesses and individuals to create a more sustainable world,” according to the official World Environment Day website. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) leads the day; this year, Saudi Arabia hosts World Environment Day, focusing specifically on land restoration, desertification and drought resilience. A history of World Environment Day is available online, including a list of previous themes: Plastic Pollution in 2023, Only One Earth in 2022, Ecosystem Restoration in 2021 and many more, dating back to 1972 when the holiday was first celebrated. As with Earth Day, there are countless ways to get involved with World Environment Day through your practice or business. The World Environment Day website features an extensive map of official events, as well as a form to register your own event or activity. Whether you decide to host a recycling event, environmental cleanup day or educational sessions about sustainability in the optical industry, registering your event will make it official—and you’ll get a certificate of participation after the event. There is also a Practical Guide available for free online, which “is designed to get everyone involved in restoring land, halting desertification and building drought resilience,” the website said. Guides like these make large-scale environmental undertakings more approachable for all of us, and help us to see where we can make a difference. Finally, there are also several downloadable campaign assets available online. These include branding, social media posts in various languages, general information and important documents, videos and much more. These accessible, approachable assets make it easy for ECPs to spotlight World Environment Day online or in the office—and from there, the conversation can drill down into how the optical industry is embracing sustainability. As we approach the start of June, it’s the perfect time to start gearing up for World Environment Day, whether that means planning an event, drafting social media posts or decorating the office. No matter what, it’s a reminder that we all have a part to play in protecting our planet—even beyond Earth Day.