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Picture this: It’s 1972, and for the first time in history, the world is waking up to a startling reality – our planet needs our help. The UN General Assembly makes a bold move, marking June 5th as a day when all of humanity would pause to think about our only home. What’s fascinating is that this decision came right after the first-ever UN Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, where world leaders gathered in what many consider the birth of the modern environmental movement.
Did you know? When they first celebrated this day in 1974, they chose “Only One Earth” as their slogan? It’s almost poetic how that message rings even truer today, fifty years later. The first celebration was like planting a seed that would grow into a global movement – from just a handful of countries participating, and it now reaches billions of people across more than 150 nations.
Today, World Environment Day has become something far bigger than its founders could have imagined. It’s like an annual pulse check for our planet, shining a spotlight on everything from the mysterious disappearance of our honeybees to the silent crisis of our oceans filling with plastic. Each year brings a new theme, a new challenge, and new stories of hope – from communities replanting mangrove forests to cities transforming into urban gardens.
Here’s a surprising fact: The host country changes each year, turning the spotlight on different environmental challenges around the globe. For instance, in 2021, Pakistan hosted the event and launched one of the world’s largest ecosystem restoration initiatives, planning to plant 10 billion trees!
Want to be part of this global story? Let’s learn some great World Environment Day quotes and become a part of the celebration of nature.
30+ Inspirational World Environment Day Quotes
- “We won’t have a society if we destroy the environment.” – Margaret Mead
- “By polluting clear water with slime, you will never find good drinking water.” – Aeschylus
- “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.” – Mahatma Gandhi
- “In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous.” – Aristotle
- “Environment is no one’s property to destroy; it’s everyone’s responsibility to protect.” – Mohith Agadi
- “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.” – Robert Swan
- “I can find God in nature, in animals, in birds, and the environment.” – Pat Buckley
- “Birds are indicators of the environment. If they are in trouble, we know we’ll soon be in trouble.” – Roger Tory Peterson
- “Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land.” – Aldo Leopold
- “The environment is everything that isn’t me.” – Albert Einstein
- “We shall never understand the natural environment until we see it as a living organism. Today you can murder land for private profit. You can leave the corpse for all to see and nobody calls the cops.” – Paul Brooks
- “There’s so much pollution in the air now that if it weren’t for our lungs, there’d be no place to put it at all.” – Robert Orben
- “We cannot despair of humanity, since we ourselves are human beings.” – Albert Einstein
- “He that plants trees love others besides himself.” – Thomas Fuller
- “What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and one another.” – Mahatma Gandhi
- “A nation that destroys its soil destroys itself.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
- “If humanity has to live for a long time, you have to think like the Earth, act as the Earth, and be the Earth because that is what you are.” – Sadhguru
- “Our planet’s alarm is going off, and it is time to wake up and take action!” – Leonardo DiCaprio
- “There must be a reason why some people can afford to live well. They must have worked for it. I only feel angry when I see waste. When I see people throwing away things we could use.” – Mother Teresa
- “Take a course in good water and air, and in the eternal youth of Nature, you may renew your own. Go quietly, alone; no harm will befall you.” – John Muir
- “For most of history, man has had to fight nature to survive; in this century he is beginning to realize that, in order to survive, he must protect it.” – Jacques-Yves-Cousteau
- “The Earth is what we all have in common.” – Wendell Berry
- “What is the good of having a nice house without a decent planet to put it on?” – Henry David Thoreau
- “We don’t have to sacrifice a strong economy for a healthy environment.” – Dennis Weaver
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This Leonardo DiCaprio’s quote is one of the most inspiring World Environment Day quotes that can motivate you to take action. The actor has also participated in several activities to raise awareness of environmental conservation.
Thought For World Environment Day
This is one of the World Environment Day quotes that shed light on how the global economy can sustain itself while also protecting the environment. This is an approach that is fast gaining momentum post realization of the damages caused by industrialization.
- “Pleasure is Nature’s test, her sign of approval. When a man is happy, he is in harmony with himself and his environment.” – Oscar Wilde
- “Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.” – Frank Lloyd Wright
- “To leave the world better than you found it, sometimes you have to pick up other people’s trash.” – Bill Nye
- “And into the forest, I go, to lose my mind and my soul.” – John Muir
- “Nature does not hurry yet everything is accomplished.” – Lao Tzu
- “Land really is the best art.” – Andy Warhol
- “The Earth doesn’t belong to us: we belong to the Earth” – Marlee Matlin
- “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” – Native American Proverb
- “The environment is where we all meet; where we all have a mutual interest; it is the one thing all of us share.” – Lady Bird Johnson
- “One of the first conditions of happiness is that the link between man and nature shall not be broken.” – Leo Tolstoy
- “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” – Albert Einstein
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10 Slogans on the Environment
- Wipe out pollution before it wipes you out.
- You are the key to a cleaner and pollution-free air.
- Love to breathe, save the trees.
- Save the Earth, Save Yourselves.
- Think green. Be green. Stop polluting.
- Conserve what our children deserve.
- Eradicate pollution, Save the environment
- Stop polluting and start living.
- Prevent pollution, protect nature.
- Plant trees to make our environment pollution-free.
Celebrate World Environment Day
Get into the spirit of celebrating and appreciating the environment, with these 3 small and simple things you can implement by yourself –
- Consider organizing a community clean-up: This is one of the best ways to contribute to nature while also giving back to your community. You can start with a litter and trash collection, river cleanup, or beach cleanup (depending on where you live).
- Plant a sapling for yourself in your backyard: Planting a tree in your locality not only cleans the air but also significantly cools down the surroundings.
- Actively participate in reducing, reusing, and recycling: You can accomplish this by minimizing buying fruits and vegetables that come in single-use packaging. You can also purchase quality products that have the potential to be reused and repaired before being replaced.
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How Can we Protect the Environment
- Using public transport or walk/bike whenever possible
- By Planting a tree and taking care of it
- Using at least one natural product
- Saving electricity while energy-efficient lighting
- Reducing meat consumption
- Avoiding single-use plastics
- Conserving water
- Educating children about the environment
Key Takeaways
- World Environment Day is celebrated every year on June 5th. This is a day that is dedicated to raising awareness of environmental concerns and stimulating action towards the preservation of nature
- Several renowned personalities around the world have offered their insights into the beauty of nature with powerful World Environment Day quotes.
- You can also celebrate and appreciate nature in your way by reducing wastage, recycling material, or planting a tree in your backyard!
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FAQs
Ques 1: How many countries participate in World Environment Day celebrations annually?
Answer 1: Annually, over 143 countries across the world participate in raising societal awareness on World Environment Day.
Ques 2: Which country hosted World Environment Day 2021?
Answer 2: Pakistan hosted World Environment Day 2021, with an “Ecosystem Restoration” theme.
Ques 3: Which country ranks first in bird and orchid species?
Answer 3: Colombia ranks first in bird and orchid species, and second in amphibians, freshwater fish, butterflies, and plants. The country is one of the largest mega-diverse countries in the world and was the host of World Environment Day 2020 (in partnership with Germany).
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