7 World Environment Day Activities

Researchers today admit that the longstanding nature vs. nurture debate about what makes us who we are is an ill-posed question because it overlooks other crucial aspects in our development. For instance, the environment is essential to human survival and well-being. So, why are we so irresponsible toward it? Hoping that apathy comes from lack of knowledge and not understanding the issues, we’ll share 7 World Environment Day activities that’ll help you raise awareness. 

Together we can teach kids that a clean environment is vital for a healthy life, future generations depend on our actions today, and everyone’s contribution is equally important. Usually, the most common misconception is the belief that our daily habits don’t make a difference, which cannot be further from the truth. 

The world would be a much better home to all of us, a safer and healthier place for us to live in if we all commit to doing our part. And, while for adults, this message is easy to understand but hard to follow, for kids it’s the other way around. Engaging students in World Environment Day activities will promote good-hearted habits that could change the world for the better, so let’s get into it. 

History of World Environment Day

The tradition of celebrating World Environment Day every 5th of June began in 1974, thanks to the United Nations. Their aim was to raise awareness about the need for environmental protection after numerous discussions on the damaging effects of human interventions in nature. 

The initiative was officially established in 1972 at the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment, but it took two years before the holiday was observed. In 1974 in Spokane, United States, the first World Environment Day themed “Only One Earth” was held. 

After 1987, the holiday took its current form. Every year a different host country holds a celebration for World Environment Day by promoting a specific theme and activities. This year, Pakistan is the host country and the theme is “Reimagine. Recreate. Restore” with a featured hashtag #GenerationRestoration. 

The Importance of World Environment Day

We’ve already made a pretty big deal about the importance of World Environment Day in the introduction, but some may still wonder “Why is it necessary for kids to learn about environmental issues so young?” 

Well, the truth is, they’re carrying the future in their hands and it’s their behavior that will dictate the direction in which our world will spin. Would it be restoration or destruction? 

Of course, the problem is extremely complex and systematic, which means that it’s not easily observable how our lifestyle and current trends are actually affecting the environment. So, if kids are questioning the validity of this pressing issue, this BBC article puts forward some sad, but eye-opening facts and figures worth sharing.

“The amount of CO2 in the atmosphere reached record levels in 2020, hitting 417 parts per million in May.” These kinds of concentrations of CO2 were last detected in the Pliocene era, four million years ago. 

Forest deforestation has slowed, but not enough. From 2015 to 2020, 10 million hectares of forests were destroyed. This is also connected to CO2 as cutting forests down disturbs the soil and CO2 is being released. 

National Geographic also writes about this pressing issue saying “Greenhouse gas levels are so high primarily because humans have released them into the air by burning fossil fuels. … [They] are now out of balance and threaten to change drastically which living things can survive on this planet—and where.”

Furthermore, you can play David Attenborough’s documentary to really make an impact.

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Environmental disasters are a real threat. Earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, droughts, etc. So, how to take action against this? Engage the youngest with our World Environment Day activities.  

World Environment Day Activities

There’s so much we can do with so little, like trying out these World Environment Day activities with kids regardless of their age. They’ll have fun, challenge themselves, and learn a lot of new stuff. 

Participate in Challenges for Combating Climate Change

Challenges are fun! They introduce a little bit of friendly competition, raise awareness for an issue, and promote a change in everyday activities that can ultimately change students’ habits. 

Therefore, a great way to honor World Environment Day would be to present the kids with a challenge. If you want to motivate them even more, include a price for everyone that can successfully complete the full challenge. 

But, what’s the challenge? 

This is all up to you. For Earth Day, it’s common for people to do a dark hour, where they collectively shut down all electricity in their home for an hour or two. You can choose a similar one-hour challenge, a 7-day challenge, or even a monthly challenge if you think it’s not too much for the students. 

Here are a few examples of climate change inspired challenges: 

• 7-Day Sustainability Challenge
• 30 Days for the Climate
• 7-Day Climate Change Challenge
• 7-Day Go Green Challenge

Learning About Electricity and Sustainability

Did you know that energy-related ventures account for 86% of all greenhouse gas emissions caused by human intervention? Plus, producing electricity is the culprit of 36% of greenhouse gas emissions in the USA alone. 

For these reasons, we decided to choose the topic of electricity and sustainability as a great introduction to environmental protection. Students will be faced with the damaging effects of our current lifestyle and learn how their actions can make a difference. 

To organize the perfect lesson plan, check our Electricity curriculum, worksheet bundle, and the informative “How to Teach Kids About Electricity (Activities and Experiments)” article. 

Once they learn about electricity, finish the lecture by introducing the concept of sustainability through our worksheet pack. 

Start a School Gardening Project

Did you know that gardening influences and benefits our mental health? According to Agrilifetoday, it can increase self-esteem, mood, and reduce aggression.

It seems like a gardening project is a perfect technique for helping students reduce stress and anxiety. But, gardening is also beneficial to the environment. The trees and plants you’ll plant will reduce CO2 and increase oxygen which will significantly improve the air quality around the school, which, in turn, will also benefit the overall health of students. 

Therefore, considering all the benefits, if you haven’t already introduced a gardening project in your school, using this as a World Environment Day activity is the perfect solution for more than one issue.

Participate in Cleanup Calls to Action

For World Environment Day, cities and local organizations usually host events and calls to action involving citizens in activities aiming to make the city more environmentally friendly. While for Earth Day, these calls to action typically involve planting trees, for World Environment Day they focus more on reducing electrical energy consumption and cleaning. 

Together with kids, you can organize a call to action on your own or participate in a local call to action organized in the community. If you choose the former, then cleaning the school, a local park, a nearby lake or river is a great way to honor and celebrate World Environment Day. 

Plus, kids will get first-hand experience of the consequences of irresponsible actions. They’ll see how the waste that could have easily been thrown in the trash doesn’t decompose or goes away but stays on polluting the environment and hurting animal life. 

Organize a Nature Field Trip

Organizing a field trip in nature is yet another meaningful World Environment Day activity. Taking students to visit a nature site, hike to the nearby hill, or explore the local forest is a great way to teach them about the importance and beauty of nature.

Reading books and seeing numbers in the classroom doesn’t have the same effect as stimulating the senses while absorbing the teachers’ words. 

For instance, cool down and refresh under a tree’s shadow. Enjoy the warm breeze while being hidden away from the sun. Then, ask kids to imagine how they would feel and whether they’d be able to complete their hike if there were no trees around. Encourage them to think about the consequences of deforestation and the immediate effect that has on our health. 

Organize a Discussion for Environmental Awareness

Another way to encourage kids to think critically, question authority with respect, and be ready to take initiative is to organize frequent discussion sessions where they’ll have the responsibility of arguing for or against specific concepts or actions. 

To honor World Environment Day, organize a discussion on a relevant issue regarding the environment. The topics could be improvement of school policies for protecting the environment, reducing waste in school, reviewing sustainable solutions, and so on. 

Of course, feel free to choose other topics, depending on your specific circumstances. Then, ask students to research the topic and prepare arguments for or against the issue at hand. Try to involve all the class in one way or another. 

Becoming Environmental Warriors

Finally, the last recommendation in our World Environment Day activities list is teaching kids how to become environmental warriors. While there are many ways to become an environmental warrior, our way is through a behavioral checklist that will help kids correct their behavior and create new habits. 

The main point of an environmental checklist is to give kids specific examples of daily activities that matter, such as checking whether all the lights are turned off when not in use. 

By encouraging kids to use this checklist for a month or two and discuss their progress every week (maybe even daily), you’ll help them develop great habits! What is the checklist? 

Here’s an example, but please, feel free to add things that you feel might be useful.

Environmental Habits Checklist:

1. Before I leave the room/house, I check to see whether all the fan and light switches (the ones not in use) are turned off. yes/no
2. I make sure that I close all the taps after using them, but also check if others have closed them. yes/no
3. When I’m done with an activity (ex. cooking), I check to see whether I’ve unplugged all the machines that are not in use. yes/no
4. I do my best to separate the garbage in my home, recycle what I can, and never throw garbage on the street! yes/no
5. I make sure to use electrical energy wisely. For instance, when I turn on the AC, I make sure the door is closed to reduce the consumption of energy.
6. I water the plants in my home and backyard regularly (two times a week to daily). yes/no
7. I care for the animals in my environment by leaving water and food for birds and other animals in my surroundings. yes/no

Finally, don’t forget to inform kids that at the end of the month, they should write an essay based on their experience during this activity. This is going to make them more accountable and invested in the whole process. 

Topics for Raising Awareness about Environmental Issues

Learning about electricity and sustainability is one step in the right direction, but environmental protection is so much more than that. Depending on the students’ grade level, knowledge, and experience, you can choose a more suitable topic from our recommendations below, or start an environmental unit including many concepts to be learned during this period. 

Regardless of what you decide, here are some topics to consider:

• Climate Change – large-scale shifts in weather patterns due to human activity.
• Biodiversity – the biological variety and variability of life on Earth.
• Ecosystem – a community of organisms characterized by their physical environment. 
• Pollution (air pollution, plastic pollution, industrial pollution, etc.) – a harmful or poisonous substance present in the environment. 
• Nature Importance (forests, seas, mountains, fresh water, etc.) – a term describing the physical and living world collectively. 
• Wildlife Protection – a collective name for wild animals.
• Foodprint – environmental impact required to sustain a specific diet. 
• Green Economy (Low Carbon Economy) – theory of economics that reduces the environmental risks and aims for sustainable development. 
• Sustainable Development – a development that doesn’t deplete natural resources. 
• Glaciers and Sea Ice Melting – a phenomenon related to global warming.
• Deserts/Desertification – the process by which fertile land becomes a desert. 
• Deforestation – permanent removal of trees and plants from an area.

Before You Go

As you can see, there’s so much more to cover when it comes to protecting the environment. Children can slowly get familiar with topics surrounding the holiday while still enjoying our World Environment Day activities. However, if you want even more inspiration, we recommend checking out our articles “10 Earth Day Activities for Students of All Ages” and “7 Fun and Engaging Arbor Day Activities.”

Beyond that, we can recommend heading over directly to our main website and growing library of worksheet packs and other teacher resources. We have the Earth Science and a Natural World section filled with bundles appropriate for World Environment Day.
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