ecobites.com

Making your life greener - one bite at a time.

Environmental Days to mark on your community and school calendars. There are endless opportunities to get out and enjoy the outdoors, get involved in your local and natural community, and become self-motivated to make a difference in the health and sustainability of our environment.

Making real and heartfelt connections to nature is crucial for our survival into the next millennium.

The Seasons are different when you travel around our world. In the southern hemisphere it is reversed from the situations on the northern hemisphere.

Since the early days of the United Nations system, the UN has established a set of days (as well as weeks, years and decades) to help focus the world on the issues in which the UN has an interest and commitment.

Earth Sciences for Society - an International Year of Planet Earth 

The International Year of Planet Earth is partly supported by voluntary donations from companies, organisations, and governments. However, we believe it is vital that individual citizens should feel that their personal contribution can make a real difference to the well-being of our planet.

January

1 New Years Holiday

On New Year's, people look forward and back, as did the two-headed Roman god Janus, who lent his name to the first month of the year. It's a time for resolutions a custom that goes back several millennia to the Babylonians, whose most popular one reportedly was to return borrowed farm implements.

Nowadays, we're more likely to resolve to become better, eat healthier, skinnier, more fit, more patient, and smoke-free. The most common New Year's resolutions are related to eating healthier, exercising more, and losing weight.

Another great New Year's resolution is to take better care of the environment. After all, keeping the earth healthy makes it easier to keep ourselves healthy! You may find your home will become a happier, more grooving place as you strive to make it greener. Less clutter, less waste, more of the good things of life.

5 National Bird Day 

National Bird Day is not only a good day to take time to appreciate the native wild birds flying free outside our windows, it is also a perfect time to reflect on how we treat the native birds of other countries. While we have enacted laws to protect our native birds — such as blue jays, cardinals, and crows — from commercial exploitation, we fail to recognize the inconsistency in allowing the pet industry to exploit the birds of other countries.

19 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 

26 Australia Day

February

Heart Month ... Learn about healthy food and why to eat them.

2 World Wetlands Day 

2 February each year is World Wetlands Day. It marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Each year since 1997, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and groups of citizens at all levels of the community have taken advantage of the opportunity to undertake actions aimed at raising public awareness of wetland values and benefits in general and the Ramsar Convention in particular.

2 Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day is an annual holiday celebrated on February 2 in the United States and Canada on which folklore tells if a groundhog emerges from its burrow and fails to see its shadow because the weather is cloudy, winter will soon end. If on the other hand, it is sunny and the groundhog sees its shadow, the groundhog will supposedly retreat into its burrow, and winter will continue for six more weeks. The holiday, which began as a Pennsylvania German custom in southeastern and central Pennsylvania in the 18th and 19th centuries, has its origins in ancient European weather lore, wherein a badger or sacred bear is the prognosticator as opposed to a groundhog. The holiday also bears some similarities to the medieval Catholic holiday of Candlemas. It also bears similarities to the Pagan festival of Imbolc, the seasonal turning point of the Celtic year, which is celebrated on February 1 and also involves weather prognostication.

7 Chinese New Year

14 Valentine's Day

Saint Valentine's Day - Every February 14th, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine.

Are you sick and tired of the commercialisation surrounding Valentine’s Day? Do you want the celebration of your love to be more ecologically or naturally oriented? This article allows you to pay homage to your loved ones in an eco-friendly way. Click Here

16 President's day

Every February the US honors two of our greatest Presidents. President George Washington and President Abraham Lincoln, with a federal holiday. Some call it Presidents Day, some call it Washington's Birthday.

21 International Mother Language Day 

International Mother Language Day was proclaimed by UNESCO's General Conference in November 1999. The International Day has been observed every year since February 2000 to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. 
 
24 Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras - French for "Fat Tuesday" is the day before Ash Wednesday, and is also called "Shrove Tuesday" or "Pancake Day". Mardi Gras always falls exactly 46 days before Easter.
 
25 AshWednesday
 
March

1 Clean Up Australia Day 

Register for Clean Up Australia Day 2009. Clean Up Australia Day will be held on 1st March 2009

8 International Women's Day and United Nations Day for Women's Rights and International Peace. International Women's Day (8 March) is an occasion marked by women's groups around the world. This date is also commemorated at the United Nations and is designated in many countries as a national holiday. When women on all continents, often divided by national boundaries and by ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic and political differences, come together to celebrate their Day, they can look back to a tradition that represents at least nine decades of struggle for equality, justice, peace and development.

8  Daylight Savings Time starts

2nd to 8th Sea Week 
While the essential theme of Seaweek continues with the call for each and every one of us to take responsibility for the seas around us - "It Starts With Me" - in 2009 we will be thinking particularly about what lies under the surface.

8th to 14th Ground Water Awareness Week 

Time to schedule your annual water well checkup!

Just as periodic checks of furnaces and smoke detectors are recommended, so is an annual water well checkup. Spring is a good time to have this done before the peak water-use season begins. As part of its annual Ground Water Awareness Week promotion, NGWA stresses the importance of yearly water testing and well maintenance.

17 St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day - celebrated worldwide by Irish people and increasingly by many of non-Irish descent (Usually in the US and Ireland) hence the phrase "Every one is Irish on St. Patrick's day". Celebrations are generally themed around all things green and Irish; both Christians and non-Christians celebrate the secular version of the holiday by wearing green, eating Irish food, imbibing Irish drink, and attending parades.

There is no need to have a fun excuse to have a party on St. Patrick's Day. So why not celebrate St. Patty’s Day by having an eco-friendly, organic, green and natural celebration which will  express your commitment to social responsibility and the natural world. Click Here

20 Sun-Earth Day   This year's main event will be on March 20, 2009. Sun-Earth Day is comprised of a series of programs and events that occur throughout the year culminating with a celebration on or near the Spring Equinox. Middle schools are invited to participate in Solar Week in Spring 2009, a week of games, activities and curriculum about the Sun.

20 First Day of Spring

21 International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 

The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on 21 March.

21 World Poetry Day

World Poetry Day is on March 21, and was declared by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in 1999. The purpose of the day is to promote the reading, writing, publishing and teaching of poetry  throughout the world and, as the UNESCO session declaring the day says, to "give fresh recognition and impetus to national, regional and international poetry movements."

22 World Water Day 
With a few small, simple changes, you can help reduce your water use, leaving more water in the rivers, lakes and other freshwater sources.

This year on World Water Day, we call attention to the waters that cross borders and link us together. Whether we live up stream or down stream we are all in the same boat!

23 World Meteorological Day

This Day commemorates the entry into force, on that date in 1950, of the WMO Convention creating the Organization. Subsequently, in 1951, WMO was designated a specialized agency of the United Nations System.

28 Earth Hour

Earth Hour is about households and business taking simple steps everyday that collectively reduce carbon emissions...
From businesses turning off their lights when their offices are empty to households turning off appliances rather than leaving them on standby.

In 2007, 2.2 million people took part in the world's first Earth Hour in Sydney Australia. Just one year later, 50 million people in 370 cities and towns, in more than 35 countries worldwide switched off their lights for Earth Hour.

Earth Hour 2009 aims to reach more than one billion people in 1000 cities around the world, inviting communities, business and governments to switch off lights for one hour at 8:30pm on Saturday March 28 and sending a powerful global message that we care enough about climate change to take action.

Join us for Earth Hour at 8:30pm Saturday March 28 2009!

April

1 April Fool's Day

7 World Health Day
World Health Day is the anniversary of the foundation of the World Health Organisation.

12 Easter

18 World Heritage Day

World Heritage is the shared wealth of humankind. Protecting and preserving this valuable asset demands the collective efforts of the international community. This special day offers an opportunity to raise the public's awareness about the diversity of cultural heritage and the efforts that are required to protect and conserve it, as well as draw attention to its vulnerability.

22 Earth Day

It isn’t easy being Green, according to Kermit. Ecobiters are proving the ubiquitous frog wrong with a palette of green activities amassed into Earth Week. Celebrate Earth Week, do your part through attending - lectures, tours, activities, film screenings, workshops, recyclable crafts etc. 

Get involved for Earth Week and beyond - Bike riding, gardening, composting, recycling, etc.... It is the annual call to action to preserve the natural environment.

Earth Day is a name used for two different observances, both held annually during spring in the northern hemisphere, and autumn in the southern hemisphere. These are intended to inspire awareness of and appreciation for the Earth's environment.

Earth Day 2009 - Calendar of Events Around the World

May there only be peaceful and cheerful Earth Days to come for our beautiful Spaceship Earth as it continues to spin and circle in frigid space with its warm and fragile cargo of animate life.

The 40th anniversary of Earth Day in 2010 will be recognized by future generations as the turning point for all people world wide and will mark the beginning of the Green Generation: an age of sustainability and a break with the past.

Allow time to reflect on all that has been explored and discovered during this celebration of Earth Week and continue to make these important connections to nature for the rest of the year - and the rest of your families lives.

22 Administrative Professional's Day formerly known as Secretary's Day is an unofficial secular holiday observed on the Wednesday of the last full week of April April 22, 2009;  to recognize the work of secretaries, administrative assistants, receptionists, and other administrative support professionals.

22 International Day for Biological Diversity 
The United Nations proclaimed May 22 The International Day for Biological Diversity (IBD) to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues.
The theme for the International Day on Biological Diversity (IBD) in 2009 is invasive alien species (IAS) - one of the greatest threats to biodiversity, and to the ecological and economic well-being of society and the planet.

23 World Book and Copyright Day By celebrating this Day throughout the world, UNESCO seeks to promote reading, publishing and the protection of intellectual property through copyright.
24 Arbor Day, US

Arbor Day  (a day to celebrate trees ) is a nationally-celebrated observance that encourages tree planting and care. It all began in Nebraska in 1872. A special day was set aside for planting trees. This tree planting idea caught on and now we celebrate Arbor Day every year.
All over the world, people are planting trees in their yards and in their communities, caring for them, and learning about their value. Here in the United States, we call this tree planting festival Arbor Day. In other lands, you may hear it called Arbor Week, Tree Holiday, or Tree Festival. In Japan, it is called Greening Week. In Israel it is called the New Year's Day of the Trees. Korea actually has a Tree-Loving Week. Iceland has a Student's Afforestation Day. People in India celebrate a National Festival of Tree Planting. Whatever people call this special time of year, they are sharing the news that trees are important to us all, wherever we live around the world.

Join millions of other people and take part in Arbor Day. Celebrate Arbor Day and plant a tree!

Founded by J. Sterling Morton in Nebraska in 1872, National Arbor Day is celebrated each year on the last Friday in April.
National Arbor Day is the last Friday in April, but many states observe Arbor Day on different dates according to their best tree-planting times.

Plant trees, Go on a tree walk, storytelling - children’s books that have trees as their subjects. For more great Arbor Day activities.

May

3 International Dawn Chorus Day is the worldwide celebration of Nature's daily Miracle. This year there will be more opportunities than ever to join in the excitement.

15 International Day of Families May 15 is celebrated as the International Day of the Family. This day highlights the importance of families

17 World Telecommunication Day + Information Society Day The purpose of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) is to help raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICT) can bring to societies and economies, as well as of ways to bridge the digital divide.Theme 2009: Protecting children in cyberspace

21 World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development

The Day provides us with an opportunity to deepen our understanding of the values of cultural diversity and to learn to “live together” better.

23 World Turtle Day   May is a busy month for turtles. Many have recently emerged from winter hibernation and are beginning their search for mates and nesting areas. For this reason, May 23 was designated World Turtle Day.

Turtles not only fascinate each passing generation of children, who find endless wonders under those hard shells, but they also continue to serve as a timeless role model in children's literature: the slow and steady turtle, whose patient progress always wins out against his fast but feckless competitor. Yet the turtles' lofty status hasn't prevented humans from abusing the creature. In fact, all land, freshwater, and sea turtles are facing imminent threats to their survival, simply because of human activities. Turtles are the reptile most affected by the pet trade, not to mention the food and traditional medicine industries. Many turtle species also suffer from the effects of pollution as well as from the destructive effects of industrial fishing operations.

May 25 is Africa Day, the official day of the African Union. It is an opportunity to celebrate African diversity and success.

25-June 1 Week of Solidarity with the Peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories

29 International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers

31 World No-Tobacco Day

World No Tobacco Day is observed around the world every year on May 31

June

1 Start of National Oceans Month 

Oceans have provided an important part of our heritage, economy, and recreation, and they are a vital resource for our country and the world. During National Oceans Month, we reaffirm our commitment to protect and wisely use these precious waters and the habitat beneath them.

3 World Press Freedom Day
Throughout the world, 3 May serves as an occasion to inform the public of violations of the right to freedom of expression and as a reminder that many journalists brave death or jail to bring people their daily news.

4 International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression

5 World Environment Day 

World Environment Day, commerated each year on 5th June, is a United Nations programme aimed at promoting worldwide environmental awareness and action. Kick the habit!

The theme chosen by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), which coordinates the day on 5 June on behalf of the UN system and the peoples of the world, will be 'Your Planet Needs You-UNite to Combat Climate Change'.

It reflects the urgency for nations to agree on a new agreement at the crucial climate convention meeting in Copenhagen some 180 days later in the year, and the links with overcoming poverty and improved management of forests.

The news that Mexico has been chosen to host World Environment Day (WED) 2009 was announced jointly by President Felipe Calderón and Achim Steiner, UNEP's Executive Director at a press conference in Mexico City.

The decision in part reflects the growing practical and political role of the Latin American country in the fight against climate change, including its growing participation in the carbon markets.

Mexico is also a leading partner in UNEP's Billion Tree Campaign. The country, with the support of its President and people, has spearheaded the pledging and planting of some 25 per cent of the trees under the campaign.

UNEP has now launched a new and more ambitious phase-the Seven Billion Tree Campaign.This aims to see more than one new tree planted for every person alive by the Copenhagen meeting as one empowering symbol of the global publics' desire for action by their political leaders on the greatest challenge for this generation.

8 World Ocean Day

14 Flag Day

17 World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought

It is celebrated annually to highlight the urgent need to curb the process of desertification and to strengthen the visibility of the drylands issue on the international environmental agenda.

20 World Refugee Day

June 21st  Father's Day (Summer Begins)
   
23 United Nations Public Service Day

July

Start (Australia) National Clean Beaches Week 

3 (First Saturday) International Day of Cooperatives

4 Independence Day/July 4th

NAIDOC Week  5th to 12th

11 World Population Day 

31 (Australia) National Schools Tree Day 

August

2 (Australia) National Tree Day 

Tree Day is a series of events where people can plant trees and shrubs that are native to their local area. Every year, the main National Tree Day is on the last Sunday in July and Schools Tree Day is on the last Friday in July. However, people can also organise a local Tree Day on another date better suited to their weather conditions.

Nearly 250,000 volunteers got involved on the day - that's four times the number of people who volunteered at the Sydney Olympics! Together, we all planted over 2 million trees at nearly 3,440 sites around Australia.

You can organise sites in your local park, school, creek, roadside or bush - even your own back garden.

Get your local school involved! Let's show kids how to be part of their community in a very special way by planting trees.

If you don't want to organize a tree planting site, why not organise a barbecue for your local tree planting site instead? Call 1300 88 5000 or visit National Tree Day website  for details of sites in your area.

9 International Day for World Indigenous People 

12 International Youth Day

23 International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition

Keep Australia Beautiful week 

September

Biodiversity month

1 Wattle Day 

Australia - Landcare Week 1st to 7th

7 National Threatened Species Day

7 Labor Day

8 International Literacy Day

13 National Bilby Day (Australia)

To find out more about saving your state's threatened species check out the Threatened Species Network web site or call the Network's National Office on (02) 9281 5515.

You can also find out more information about Australia's threatened species by calling the Department of the Environment and Heritage's Community Information Unit on free call 1800 803 772

You can also visit the website of the Wildlife Preservation Society of Australia.

16 International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer

18 World Water Monitoring Day 

Clean Up the World Weekend September 19th-20th 2009

Sustainable House Day (Australia) Mid September

20 Aust Neighborhood Day

21 International Day of Peace

22 World Car-Free Day 

22nd  First Day of Autumn

27 World Tourism Day

Last Week World Maritime Day

October

Energy Awareness Month

International walk to school month

1 International Day for Older Persons

2 World Walk To Work Day

3 World Habitat Day

4 World Animal Day 

4 - 10 World Space Week

5 World Habitat Day

5 World Teacher's Day

9 World Post Day

10 International day for Disaster Reduction

10 World Mental Health Day

12 Columbus Day

16 World Food Day 

14 National Ride to work day 

17 International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 

17 Sweetest Day

National Water Week 

24 United Nations Day and World Development Information Day

24-30 Disarmament Week

31 Halloween

Halloween goes Green
Halloween can be lots of fun, but it's also a time when you can either trick or treat Mother Nature.These tips will help you treat the Earth right on this spooky night. Just because we try and make Halloween night safe and nutritious, doesn't mean it can't be fun and easy on the environment. The costumes, the party, and your own antics help make it fun, without being wasteful.Click Here

November

November 1st Daylight Savings Time Ends

National Recycling week  - 9th to 15th

6 International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict

10 World Science Day for Peace and Development UNESCO

11 Veteran's Day

16 International Day of Tolerance

20 Universal Children's Day and Africa Industrialization Day

21 World Television Day

21 World Fisheries Day

World Fisheries day is celebrated every year on November 21 throughout the world by the fisherfolk communities. Fishing communities worldwide celebrate this day through rallies, workshops, public meetings, cultural programs, dramas, exhibition, music show, and demonstrations to highlight the importance of maintaining the world's fisheries..

25 International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

26 Thanksgiving make it Green

29 International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People

December

1 World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day, observed December 1each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. It is common to hold memorials to honor persons who have died from HIV/AIDS on this day. Government and health officials also observe the event, often with speeches or forums on the AIDS topics. Since 1995, the President of the United States has made an official proclamation on World AIDS Day. Governments of other nations have followed suit and issued similar announcements.www.worldaidsday.org

1st to 7th Coast care week 

Coastcare is community volunteers caring for their coast.

5 International Volunteer Day 
International Volunteer Day (IVD) was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1985. IVD is now celebrated world wide with thousands of volunteers involved in a range of IVD initiatives including clean-up campaigns, conferences, exhibitions, morning teas and many other activities all aimed to highlight the role of volunteers in their communities.

2 International Day for the Abolition of Slavery

3 International Day of People with Disability 
On December 3 every year, International Day of People with Disability is celebrated worldwide recognising the achievements and contributions of people with disability.

7 International Civil Aviation Day

10 Human Rights Day 

Human Rights Day is observed by the international community every year on 10 December. It commemorates the day in 1948 the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Its formal inception dates from 1950, after the Assembly passed resolution 423 (V) inviting all States and interested organizations to adopt 10 December of each year as Human Rights Day.
 

11 International Mountain Day

17 Wright Brothers Day

18 International Migrants Day

21  First Day Winter

22 Minute for Peace
Join with Earth Trustees all over the world in dedicating your hearts during a "Minute for Peace." Let every radio and TV station fill the day with minutes of music and words that inspire peaceful actions. Help us unite as one human family in new understanding and care for this wonderful nest in the stars: Planet Earth, our home.

25 Christmas

Stop Global Warming Virtual March

This is a movement about change, as individuals, as a country, and as a global community. Join the 1,027,668 supporters of the Stop Global Warming Virtual March, and become part of the movement to demand our leaders freeze and reduce carbon dioxide emissions now. We are all contributors to global warming and we all need to be part of the solution.